Washington Spirit battle past Seattle Reign in 2-1 win: Match report
It wasn't easy, but the Spirit struck early and late to see off the Reign and head into the World Cup break on the back of a win.
The Washington Spirit are heading into the World Cup break on the back of a win after battling their way to a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Reign.
Leicy Santos' sublime first-half free kick put Washington ahead, and after a bizarre own goal got Seattle level, Hal Hershfelt's late winner gave the Spirit a sixth win in seven league matches.
As was the case at Lumen Field earlier this month, the opening stages were defined by the question of whether the Spirit could break Seattle's press. Once they did, though, danger arrived, and the hosts made sure to capitalize on a crafty 18th-minute free kick from Santos.
Trinity Rodman won the dead ball, slashing across Canada winger Holly Ward at the corner of the box. The opportunity seemed to lock Santos into a back-post service, but the Colombia playmaker had eyes for the goal, bending her shot around the Reign defense and past goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.
Distance? No problem for Leicy Santos 🎯
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) May 30, 2026 at 6:55 PM
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Washington was finding their way through with growing consistency, forcing the Reign into long spells of packing the box to prevent further damage. Rodman missed wide with a powerful low shot, while a superb 35th-minute combination between Lucia Di Guglielmo, Sofia Cantore, and Rosemonde Kouassi ended with Cantore's first-time shot blazing within a foot of the post.
However, a confident first-half performance was spoiled in its final stages as the Reign equalized from nowhere. A looping ball towards Maddie Mercado provided a worry at the back, and Di Guglielmo had to intervene to prevent the Seattle striker from a one-on-one with Sandy MacIver.
Sadly for the Spirit, the Italy fullback's touch sent the ball back up, floating over MacIver for a shock Reign equalizer.
The visitors used that goal, and the halftime break, as a platform to take more control, switching to a 4-3-3 and pinning Washington back for a good chunk of the second half's early stages.
The Spirit responded with a triple substitution, but the bigger opening came on a gift from Seattle. Dickey's pass towards Jordyn Bugg was badly under-hit, with Hershfelt seizing possession. However, with little time to size up her shot, the midfielder bent her 73rd-minute effort over the bar.
Hershfelt would make up for the miss with an unconventional strike from 19 yards as the Spirit retook the lead in the 81st minute. Rodman's pass initially found Hershfelt in a pocket of space where you'd expect a more patient build from Washington.
However, Hershfelt was able to keep surging forward as the Reign backed off, and from the edge of the box she struck a low, left-footed shot that clipped Bugg's heel, wrong-footing Dickey to send the Spirit Squadron into celebration mode.
Some individual brilliance from Hal Hershfelt puts @washingtonspirit.com in the lead ‼️
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) May 30, 2026 at 8:17 PM
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Rodman's influence was growing at both ends. Not long after an excellent tackle to break up a Seattle counter, she was involved again in a sequence that ended with Claudia Martínez scooping a promising chance to put the game on ice over the bar.
While Seattle made a late push to equalize, MacIver had little to do as the Spirit held their lead with confidence en route to three more points.
With the win, the Spirit (6-3-2) head into the World Cup break in fourth place in the NWSL. They will have nearly five weeks before their next clash, a July 3 home match against the Houston Dash.
Box score — NWSL regular season (game 11)
5/30/2026
Washington Spirit 2 (Santos 18, Hershfelt 81)
Seattle Reign 1 (Di Guglielmo 44og)
Lineups:
Spirit (4231): Sandy MacIver; Gabby Carle (Paige Metayer 82), Élisabeth Tsé (Esme Morgan 65), Tara Rudd (C), Lucia Di Guglielmo; Hal Hershfelt, Rebeca Bernal (Andi Sullivan 65); Rosemonde Kouassi, Leicy Santos (Gift Monday 82), Trinity Rodman; Sofia Cantore (Claudia Martínez 65)
Reign (4231): Claudia Dickey; Sofia Huerta (C), Phoebe McClernon, Jordyn Bugg, Madison Curry; Ainsley McCammon (Sam Meza 46), Angharad James-Turner (Brittany Ratcliffe 89); Holly Ward (Nérilia Mondésir 46), Sally Menti (Mia Fishel 64), Maddie Dahlien; Maddie Mercado (Emeri Adames 87)
Bookings:
Spirit - Tsé 5, Sullivan 78
Reign - Ward 17, Menti 59, McClernon 68
Referee: Alexandra Billeter
Weather: Sunny, 71°
Attendance: 19,365
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