Washington Spirit

2022 season
President	Ben Olsen(until May 2)
Head coach	Kris Ward(until August 22) Albertin Montoya(from Sept. 2 to Oct. 1)
Stadium	Audi Field Segra Field
NWSL	11th
Challenge Cup	Runners-up
Top goalscorer	League:Ashley Hatch (9) All: Ashley Hatch (15)
Highest home attendance	10,177
Lowest home attendance	1,961
Average home league attendance	6,222
Home colors Away colors
← 2021 2023 →
All statistics correct as of October 1, 2022.

The2022Washington Spirit season was the club's ninth season of play and their ninth season in theNational Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States.

The season began with the2022 NWSL Challenge Cup on March 19, 2022, followed by a 22-match regular season that concluded on October 1, 2022.^[1]

In the prior season, the Spirit sat in seventh place—beyond playoff contention—with a5–5–3 record through early August when head coachRichie Burke abruptly resigned, citing "health concerns."^[2] On August 11,The Washington Post published a report in which former Spirit players accused the coach of verbal and emotional abuse.^[3] The Spirit continued playing under interim coachKris Ward whileadditional investigations continued around the league. In September, they forfeited two consecutive matches for failing to adhere to the NWSL'sCOVID-19 protocols.^[4] However, after those two forfeits, Washington would not lose any of their remaining 12 regular season matches, finishing the regular season in third place and earning a spot in the playoffs.^[5]Ashley Hatch received theNWSL Golden Boot as the league's top scorer.

The Spirit defeated the defending-championNorth Carolina Courage at homeafter extra time in the first playoff round, defeatedOL Reign in the semifinals in Seattle, and then captured the NWSL Championship in November by defeating theChicago Red Stars in extra time.^[6] Following the season, Kris Ward was named permanent head coach.^[7]

In the team's front office, CEO Steve Baldwin had also been accused of nepotism and retaliatory behavior, leading to fellow co-owner Y. Michelle Kang calling him for sell his ownership interest in the team, a sentiment echoed by players directly.^[8] On October 14,The Washington Post reported that Baldwin had announced to club investors that he intended to sell the club.^[9] Kang became majority owner of the Spirit on March 30, 2022.^[10][11]

In the offseason, the Spirit lost two defenders from the 2021 squad:Paige Nielsen left forAngel City FC in the2022 NWSL Expansion Draft, while fellow defenderTegan McGrady joinedSan Diego Wave FC. They added veteran defenderAmber Brooks, who signed a one-year contract in March.^[12] Following an outstanding rookie season,Trinity Rodman signed a four year, $1.1 million contract—the largest in NWSL history.^[13] The Spirit roster remained largely intact ahead of the 2022 season.^[14]

The club introduced two newkits for 2022. A navy blue "Community Kit," worn during theChallenge Cup showcased Washington-based charity DC SCORES. The regular season kit added a lighter blue sleeve and side stripe. Both kits added a single star marking the team's 2021 league championship.^[15] TheKennedy Center sponsored the regular season jersey front.^[16]

In

Position	Player	Transferred from	Fee	Date	Ref
DF	Alia Martin	Michigan Wolverines	Free	December 18, 2021	[17]
MF	Gaby Vincent	Kansas City Current	$25,000 allocation money and 2023 4th round pick	December 20, 2021	[18]
DF	Amber Brooks	OL Reign	Free	March 17, 2022	[12]
DF	Madison Elwell	Vanderbilt Commodores	Free	May 12, 2022	[19]
FW	Audrey Harding	UNC Wilmington	Free	May 1, 2022	[20][21]
MF	Marissa Sheva	Utah Royals FC	Free	June 3, 2022	[22][23][24][21]

Out

Position	Player	Transferred to	Fee	Date	Ref
DF	Tegan McGrady	San Diego Wave FC	With 2022 international roster spot and 2022 first-round draft pick for full protection from San Diego in2022 NWSL Draft	December 1, 2021	[25]
DF	Mary Alice Vignola	Angel City FC	For $30,000 allocation money and allocated player protection with Angel City in 2022 NWSL Draft	December 6, 2021	[26]
MF	Chinyelu Asher	AIK	Waived	December 8, 2021	[27]
FW	Cali Farquharson	KIF Örebro	Waived	December 8, 2021	[27]
FW	Mariana Speckmaier	CSKA Moscow	Waived	December 8, 2021	[27]
DF	Paige Nielsen	Angel City FC	Drafted as seventh pick by Angel City FC	December 16, 2021	[28]
FW	Kumi Yokoyama	NJ/NY Gotham FC	For 2023 4th round pick	February 17, 2022	[29]
FW	Tinaya Alexander	Montpellier HSC	Undisclosed transfer fee.	September 20, 2022	[30]

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract are listed as incoming transfers.

Player	Pos.	Previous Team	Notes	Ref.
Tinaya Alexander	FW	LSU Tigers	14th overall pick	[31]
Madison Elwell	FW	Vanderbilt Commodores	15th overall pick
Lucy Shepherd	FW	Hofstra Pride	23rd overall pick
Audrey Harding	FW	UNC Wilmington	38th overall pick
Jordan Thompson	DF	Gonzaga Bulldogs	50th overall pick

Position	Player	Date	Notes	Ref
DF	Camryn Biegalski	December 8, 2021	Team option exercised	[32]
GK	Devon Kerr	December 8, 2021	Team option exercised	[32]
DF	Karina Rodríguez	December 8, 2021	Team option exercised	[32]
DF	Morgan Goff	December 22, 2021	Re-signed for one year with 2023 option	[33]
MF	Taylor Aylmer	December 22, 2021	Re-signed for one year with 2023 option	[34]
FW	Ashley Hatch	December 22, 2021	Re-signed for two years with 2024 option	[35]
GK	Nicole Barnhart	January 31, 2022	One year	[36]
FW	Trinity Rodman	February 2, 2022	Three years including 2025 club option	[37]
DF	Kelley O'Hara	March 3, 2022	One year	[38]
FW	Audrey Harding	August 25, 2022	Through end of 2022 season	[21]
MF	Marissa Sheva	August 25, 2022	Through end of 2022 season

Due to obstacles in usingD.C. United's practice facilities inLoudoun County, Virginia, the Spirit trained at other venues in Northern Virginia includingEpiscopal High School and The St. James sports complex.^[39] In February, they moved toIMG Academy inBradenton, Florida with a 38-player training camp roster. That roster included most of their winter draft picks and several non-roster invitees.^[40]

The team played a series offriendlies to prepare for the forthcoming season. They lost the first match decisively toKansas City Current 6–0, with goals from six different Kansas City players.^[41] In mid–February, several American players returned to theUS national team to compete in the2022 SheBelieves Cup, whileDevon Kerr,Sydney Schneider,Karina Rodríguez, andJulia Roddar were called up toCanada,Jamaica,Mexico, andSweden, respectively. Returning to Washington for two additional intra-team scrimmages, the Spirit winnowed their roster to 30 players on March 2 ahead of the2022 NWSL Challenge Cup.^[42]

The Challenge Cup is the NWSL's primary league cup tournament. It was first played in2020 following the cancellation of the regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Angel City andSan Diego, new expansion clubs, competed for the first time in the Challenge Cup. In the 2021 cup, Washington had failed to advance beyond the group stage. The twelve league teams were divided into three groups, with Washington initially competing twice against the other three teams in its group:Gotham,North Carolina, andOrlando.^[43] As defending league champions, the Spirit entered the tournament with "the target on their backs."^[44]

Washington fought to a scoreless draw against Orlando on the road on the cup's opening weekend. Trinity Rodman andAshley Sanchez created several opportunities in the first half but did not score.^[45] Back atSegra Field for the first time in 2022 against Gotham FC, Rodman tackledMargaret Purce on a corner kick inthe box, earning Gotham a penalty kick whichKristie Mewis converted. Down at halftime, Washington inserted 2021 scoring leaderAshley Hatch, who equalized on a pass from Sanchez.^[46] The Spirit moved toAudi Field for the next match against North Carolina. They fell behind 2–0 with just two shots through 58 minutes, but rallied for two goals in the second half with goals from Rodman and Hatch.^[47] Washington earned a dominant 4–1 win in their final home match against Orlando, a game that saw goalkeeperDevon Kerr make her first start since signing with the team in 2020.^[48] Traveling to New Jersey to face Gotham a second time, the Spirit fell behind afterNahomi Kawasumi opened the scoring in the fourth minute. An equalizer from Sanchez and two goals by Rodman enabled a 3–1 win.^[49] In the final group stage match against North Carolina — the first time the Spirit saw a national television audience — Washington managed a 2–2 draw.^[50] The point helped North Carolina clinch the Challenge Cup East Division, but left the Spirit needing an unlikely win from then-winless Angel City overPortland the next night to advance to the semifinals. With that win from Angel City, the Spirit advanced to faceOL Reign in the semifinals.^[51]

The knockout stage took place after the regular season opener on May 1, which coincidentally saw the Spirit defeat OL Reign 2–1. In addition tofixture congestion, the league was criticized for lack of venue availability: the league announced the game would be played at Segra Field after neitherLumen Field nor Audi Field were initially available.^[51] Working with stadium organizers, the league moved the game back to Audi Field, although OL Reign were considered the home team. During the match, both teams created chances but remained scoreless after regulation.Megan Rapinoe debuted in second-half stoppage time for OL Reign. In the final minutes of regulation, Rapinoe'scorner kick deflected ontoAnna Heilferty's hand, but the referee blew his whistle to end regulation rather than reward OL Reign a penalty kick. Reign players were furious, with Rapinoe later commenting that Heilferty's hand "was out on fucking Jupiter." To determine a victor, the game moved to penalty kicks. Both teams converted in the first seven rounds; both goalkeepers saved the eighth attempt and both teams made their ninth try. In the tenth round,Sam Staab converted a ninth penalty kick for the Spirit andAubrey Kingsbury made a game-winning save.^[52]

The Spirit advanced to the championship game against North Carolina on May 7, 2022. Both teams rescheduled regular season matches to accommodate the final. The Courage took the lead on aKerolin goal in the tenth minute. Washington avoided another penalty kick when another handball foul went uncalled, then equalized when Trinity Rodman passed through to Ashley Hatch for a goal against her former team. In the second half, Sam Staab tackled Kerolin in the box, but no foul was called. On the ensuing corner kick, the ricocheting ball deflected offTaylor Aylmer and into her own goal. Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury's head collided with the post on the save attempt, and she was down for several minutes but remained in the game. Later in the second half, Hatch inadvertently kickedAbby Erceg in the stomach but was not issued a penalty. Finally,Jordan Baggett collided with Kerolin early in second-half stoppage time and suffered an apparent head or neck injury. She was stretchered off the field and taken to the hospital. Both coaches acknowledged team exhaustion following the game.^[53] The Spirit's loss was the first since September 2021 (12–0–8 over that time). As runners-up in the cup, each player received a $5,000 bonus.^[54] On May 12, the NWSL fined Hatch an undisclosed amount for unsportsmanlike conduct during the final.^[55]

The 2022 season of the National Women's Soccer League saw 12 teams play 22 matches: one against every other team, with one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season, the top two teams qualify for first-round byes in theNWSL Playoffs, while four more teams play in an opening playoff round.^[56]

Washington hostedOL Reign on the opening weekend of the regular season in front of more than 10,000 fans atAudi Field. Spirit standoutsAndi Sullivan andKelley O'Hara were unavailable due to injuries.Ashley Sanchez put Washington ahead early. Reign goalkeeperPhallon Tullis-Joyce made nine saves in the first half to keep the lead slim, and Seattle midfielderRose Lavelle equalized after halftime.Ashley Hatch put Washington ahead for good in the 66th minute.^[57] The two teams faced off again in the Challenge Cup semifinals three days later; Washington won but would go on to lose the Challenge Cup final to North Carolina. Expansion teamAngel City FC played at Washington the following weekend in a return to regular season action. Sullivan and O'Hara remained unavailable alongsideJordan Baggett, who had suffered a head injury in the Challenge Cup final.Christen Press opened the scoring late in the first half to put Los Angeles on top. Despite sending in Sanchez andTrinity Rodman in the second half, Washington could not equalize. The Spirit loss ended a 19-game unbeaten streak dating to fall 2021.^[58] In midweek action three days later, Washington managed a draw on the road againstPortland. StrikerSophia Smith put the visitors ahead, but Hatch quickly equalized. During the first half, defenderAmber Brooks passed 10,000 career minutes in the NWSL.^[59] A would-beEmily Sonnett goal was ruledoffside in the second half. Following the match, Ward criticized the offside call, saying the referees "get a failing grade in every sense of the word tonight." He and the club itself were later fined for their comments.^[60]

The Spirit continued up the Pacific coast to face OL Reign yet again on the ensuing weekend. Sullivan and O'Hara made their regular season debuts. After the teams fought to a scoreless draw,Camryn Biegalski said "I'm not even going to lie: I don't want to see them again."^[61] Washington closed out May on the road againstOrlando. Rodman earned her first regular season goal in the 19th minute. Sanchez capitalized on a defensive error by the Pride in the second half, passing to Sanchez who fired pastErin McLeod to put the Spirit up 2–0. The Spirit lead collapsed in second half stoppage time. Second half substituteJordyn Listro earned her first professionalassist after sending a cross toMikayla Cluff, who tipped the ball past Kingsbury. Orlando equalized whenDarian Jenkins sent the ball to the back of the net in the 98th minute.^[62]

Washington began June play atSegra Field againstChicago, whom they had last faced in the2021 championship. After four games in the second half of May, defenderSam Staab noted "this schedule that we've had is insane." They conceded an early goal on anElla Stevens header, but Staab equalized late in the second half to salvage a point for the Spirit.^[63] Traveling north toRed Bull Arena to faceGotham three days later, Kris Ward commented "[f]rankly, we're playing people who are exhausted. There's no other way to say it. They're exhausted. You come in, you've played three games in a week, the other team's played one game in a week, what are you supposed to do?" Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Spirit were without Trinity Rodman or Aubrey Harding. A goal fromMidge Purce was enough to earn Gotham the win, and Washington fell to tenth in the league standings.^[64]

Only a week after earning a draw against the Red Stars in Virginia, the Spirit then traveled to Chicago to face them again on June 8. Ward kept Rodman and Sanchez on the bench, giving Washington rookie Madison Elwell a chance to make her professional debut. After a scoreless first half, Ward sent in Rodman, Sanchez, and Biegalski. The game ended in a draw.^[65] The team returned home to play North Carolina for the first time in the regular season after two draws and a loss in the Challenge Cup final. Making her second start for the Courage after an injury in the Challenge Cup final,Kerolin opened the scoring. CaptainAbby Erceg later doubled the Courage's lead, but Washington found its momentum and drew even on second half goals from Sanchez and Hatch. In stoppage time, a set piece enabledKaleigh Kurtz to send the game-winner past Kingsbury to hand the Spirit another loss.^[66]

Washington played its final June match before an international break at home againstLouisville the following Friday. The Spirit led early with a goal from Rodman. Hatch found Elwell late in the first half, who shot the ball pastKatie Lund to earn her first NWSL goal and give Washington a 2–0 lead. That lead collapsed in the second half afterNadia Nadim scored in the 66th minute and equalized in the 88th minute. The Spirit headed into the international break with just 9 points over 10 regular season games and winless since the May 1 opener.^[67]

During the international break, defender Morgan Goff announced her retirement.^[68]

The Spirit played three matches in July without seven players fulfilling international team duties: Ashley Hatch, Aubrey Kingsbury, Kelley O'Hara, Trinity Rodman, Ashley Sanchez, Emily Sonnett, and captain Andi Sullivan joined theUnited States to compete in the2022 CONCACAF W Championship. Washington signed six players to national team replacement contracts to fill out the roster — forwards Brenna Connell and Jamie Fields, midfielders Andrea Frerker and Katie Murray joined the team for the first time, while forward Audrey Harding and midfielderMarissa Sheva were converted from injury replacement contracts.^[69]

The team resumed play July 3 on the road, facingSan Diego Wave FC for the first time in their inaugural season. Fields, Sheva, and goalkeeperDevon Kerr made their first regular season starts for the club, whileJordan Baggett,Dorian Bailey, andTara McKeown returned from injury. The Wave went ahead 2–0 in the first half on goals fromMakenzy Doniak andBelle Briede. Baggett connected on a cross from McKeown late in second-half stoppage time to cut the lead in half, but the Spirit left San Diego in 11th place.^[70] Following this match, Ward was fined by the league for a second time in 2022, this time for approaching the officials after the game.^[71]

Returning to Segra Field the following week againstKansas City, Washington made several starting changes. They were held scoreless in the first half. In the second half, Kansas City brought onCece Kizer who put the visitors up 1–0 on the Current's first shot on goal. A late foul gaveTinaya Alexander apenalty kick opportunity in second-half stoppage time, butAdrianna Franch saved her attempt.^[72] Back at Audi Field for the first time in two months, Washington played their final shorthanded match withOrlando. The Spirit created several scoring chances throughout the game and outshot the visitors 17–4, but the game ended in a scoreless draw. Despite earning a point, the team remained near the bottom of the league table.^[73]

Nearly two weeks later, the final match of the month was againstNorth Carolina on the road after a league break. The Spirit returned five starters to their lineup after international fixtures, although Sonnett and Hatch were unavailable due to injuries. North Carolina, whose defenderJaelene Daniels was non-rostered after refusing to wear the club's Pride Night jerseys, had defeated the Spirit in May's Challenge Cup final, also atSahlen's Stadium. The Friday night match was delayed in the 24th minute due to lightning and resumed an hour later. Sanchez connected with Rodman to give the Spirit the lead. The Courage equalized a few minutes later whenBrittany Ratcliffe beat two defenders and sent a shot past Kingsbury. In first half stoppage time, Washington took the lead once more when O'Hara's cross provided a header opportunity for McKeown. Shortly after the second half began, North Carolina equalized again whenMeredith Speck sent the ball past Kingsbury for an easy tap-in byDiana Ordoñez. Rodman beat another Courage defender to find the net a second time in the 56th minute to earn the first two-goal match of her NWSL career. A few minutes later, Ratcliffe drew contact while not in possession to earn a controversial foul. Ordoñez converted the ensuing penalty kick to tie the game at 3–3. After six goals in 20 minutes, neither team would convert again, and the game ended in a draw. After the game, O'Hara expressed frustration: "we were up three times, and we blew it."^[74]

On August 22, 2022, the Spirit fired Ward after a1–6–9 record to start the 2022 season.[75] In a press conference on August 25, general managerMark Krikorian cited Ward's record and an incident at a training session as reasons for Ward's firing, and that the club had reported the issues to the league andNWSL Players Association.^[76] Assistant coachAngela Salem replaced Ward in training sessions pending club plans to appoint an interim coach.^[77]

On August 25, the Spirit placedEmily Sonnett on the season-ending injury list to rehabilitate from a foot injury, and signed National Team Replacement players Marissa Sheva and Audrey Harding to the active roster.^[21]

On August 27, the Spirit announced the addition of Mike Bristol, former assistant to Mark Krikorian at Florida State, to an unnamed position on the Spirit's coaching staff. It also announced that Salem would "handle head coaching duties" during the August 27 match againstHouston Dash, but did not name her acting or interim head coach.^[78]

On September 2, the Spirit named formerFC Gold Pride and U.S. under-17 girls' national team coachAlbertin Montoya as interim head coach.^[79]

This section'sfactual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2023)

Washington has used a total of 27 players during the 2022 season and there have been 8 different goal scorers. There have also been three squad members who have not made a first-team appearance in the campaign.

The team has scored a total of 27 goals in all competitions. The highest scorer has been Hatch, with 10 goals, followed by Rodman who has scored 8 goals.

Key

Numbers in parentheses denote appearances assubstitute. Players with name struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.

Player statistics

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Challenge Cup		NWSL		Total		Discipline
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Aubrey Kingsbury	7 (1)	0	11	0	18 (1)	0	1	0
2	FW		Trinity Rodman	8	4	9 (1)	4	17 (1)	8	5	0
3	DF		Sam Staab	7	0	14	1	21	1	3	0
4	DF		Karina Rodríguez	3 (1)	0	4 (1)	0	7 (2)	0	1	0
5	DF		Kelley O'Hara	8	0	1 (4)	0	9 (4)	0	1	0
6	DF		Emily Sonnett	4 (1)	0	9 (1)	0	13 (2)	0	1	0
7	MF		Taylor Aylmer	5 (2)	0	8 (6)	0	13 (8)	0	3	0
8	FW		Averie Collins	0	0	(1)	0	(1)	0	0	0
9	FW		Tara McKeown	2	0	3 (1)	1	5 (1)	1	0	0
10	FW		Ashley Sanchez	8	2	9 (2)	2	17 (2)	4	1	0
11	MF		Jordan Baggett	(3)	0	3 (1)	1	3 (4)	1	0	0
12	MF		Andi Sullivan	4	1	4 (2)	0	8 (2)	1	1	0
13	MF		Bayley Feist	1 (3)	0	9 (5)	0	10 (8)	0	1	0
14	DF		Morgan Goff†	(4)	0	3 (4)	0	3 (8)	0	1	0
16	DF		Julia Roddar	7 (1)	0	12	0	19 (1)	0	4	0
17	FW		Tinaya Alexander†	1 (4)	0	1 (7)	0	2 (11)	0	1	0
18	GK		Devon Kerr	1	0	3	0	4	0	0	0
19	MF		Dorian Bailey	2 (1)	0	5 (1)	0	7 (2)	0	1	0
20	MF		Gaby Vincent	1 (1)	0	(1)	0	1 (2)	0	0	0
21	MF		Anna Heilferty	5 (3)	0	12 (2)	0	17 (5)	0	1	0
22	DF		Amber Brooks	3 (1)	0	5 (5)	0	8 (6)	0	3	1
25	MF		Marissa Sheva	0	0	3 (1)	0	3 (1)	0	0	0
27	FW		Audrey Harding	(1)	0	4 (5)	0	4 (6)	0	0	0
29	MF		Madison Elwell	0	0	4 (5)	1	4 (5)	1	1	0
30	DF		Camryn Biegalski	4 (4)	0	8 (3)	0	12 (7)	0	1	0
33	FW		Ashley Hatch	7 (1)	6	9 (1)	4	16 (2)	10	1	0
34	FW		Jamia Fields	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0

Source:^[83][84]

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