Though its own postseason hopes were already out of reach, Washington had momentum after a pair of wins in its past two games, and a result could have forced the California expansion side down a much tougher road to securing one of the National Women’s Soccer League’s six playoff spots.
The Spirit kept that a possibility right until the match’s final minutes, but left Los Angeles with a 2-1 defeat at Banc of California Stadium. Ashley Hatch put tenth-place Washington (3-6-11) on the board with a penalty kick in the 88th minute, but earlier goals from Claire Emslie and Simone Charley propelled Angel City (8-7-5), which now sits one point off the playoff line with two games to play.