By Marilia Macedo
The NWSL Semifinal between OL Reign and Washington Spirit that happened this Sunday, November 14th, at Cheney Stadium ended with a come from behind victory for the Spirit.
The game started with an early goal when Megan Rapinoe ran through the left side of the field and crossed to Eugénie Le Sommer. Then, the French forward only had to put the ball in the back of the net, 1-0.
Later on, in the minute 12th, the Spirit found the equalizer with Rodman, 1-1.
The match went on balanced. Even so, the most promising play appeared with Le Sommer in the final minutes before the break, but when she tried to score once more, the ball went wide.
As the second half was going to be decisive for both teams, the players tried to create more. Dzsenifer Marozsán, Rapinoe, and Le Sommer tried to keep the intensity to find the tiebreaker, but they missed the attempts. Quinn also had a big chance, and the keeper Aubrey Bledsoe was able to make a great save.
With the lack of effectiveness, things became dramatic. In the minute 68th, the defensive system and the Reign’s keeper Bouhaddi could not stop Sanchez, who made some magic with the ball without any angles, to get the lead and to earn a spot in the final of the championship, 1-2.
It was a tough loss, for sure. However, it does not erase the great journey created by Laura Harvey’s squad, keeping the boldness until the end. Certainly, they will come back with their heads held high for next season.