Three weeks after the Washington Spirit left Orlando with nothing to show for a promising performance in the NWSL Challenge Cup, Richie Burke’s team returned to Exploria Stadium for its regular season opener Sunday with a revamped back line and tweaked attack.
The Spirit, delivering another display of attacking vigor but erratic finishing, found a breakthrough this time around, via a 76th-minute opener from substitute Ashley Hatch. But Alex Morgan’s 84th-minute equalizer left Washington settling for a 1-1 draw to open its 2021 campaign.
The game marked the Spirit’s first NWSL regular season contest since October 2019.