Goals by rookies Hershfelt and Bethune lead to a 2-1 win on a frigid night at Audi
The Spirit (0-1-0) hosted expansion team Bay FC (1-0-0) on a cold and blustery Saturday night at Audi Field in front of an announced 11,734 fans. The Spirit, wearing their home black kits, had a line up that saw the return of Trinity Rodman, who missed the season opener due to a red card in the last game of the 2023 season. Bay FC was without midfielder and captain Alex Loera due to internal team concerns and forward Racheal Kundananji who was out with an injury, but still boasted international superstars Deyna Castellanos (midfielder) and Asisat Oshoala (forward) among their starting XI.
The game started quickly for the Spirit. In the first minute, the ball was sent across the field to Trinity Rodman on the right. Rodman took the ball toward the endline and played the ball across to forward Ouleymata Sarr, who despite being open, wasn’t able to control the ball and kicked it above the crossbar.
The Spirit were able to control the ball far more in the first half this week than they did in their previous game against Seattle Reign but Bay FC did get some promising attacks in. But the Spirit continuously distrupted them and were able to make some penetrating runs on their own. However, Bay FC was able to finally bring the ball along the right side to Oshoala in the eleventh minute. Oshoala reached the endline with little problem and sent the ball back to former Spirit midfield Dorian Bailey. Bailey, who was unmarked, was able to easily slot the ball past goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and Bay FC took the lead.
Oshoala had another chance when she was able to steal the ball from Spirit defender Tara McKeown and then send the ball over Aubrey Kingsbury, who was well off her line. Luckily for the Spirit, the ball was just a little high and hit the crossbar before bouncing up over the goal.
Both teams had a good amount of control in the next few minutes until the twenty-third minute when the Spirit were able to move the ball through the lines to Rodman, who then fed the ball between two defenders to midfielder Hal Hershfelt, who was the on the edge of the box. Hershfelt then turned and hit the ball into the upper left corner of the goal over an outstretched Lysianne Proulx, the Bay FC goalkeeper.
The goal seemed to spur on the Spirit, who controlled the ball more for the rest of the first half, but a few promising attacks were for naught. Unfortunately, Casey Krueger was hurt as she and Hershfelt hit head to head and had to be replaced before halftime by Anna Heilferty, making her first appearance since suffering an ACL tear during the 2023 preseason. Finally, the two teams went into the locker rooms (and the cold fans went to get hot chocolate) all tied up 1-1.
The second half was much like the end of the first, with the Spirit controlling a good deal of the ball but not getting anything for all their efforts, including two very narrow misses by midfielder Croix Bethune. Bay FC also had a number of chances but did not truly threaten Kingsbury as most of their shots were not on goal or were easy stops for the Spirit goalkeeper.
Two players collected yellow cards in the second half. First Scarlett Camberos, in the 48th minute, fouled Trinity Rodman, who had a clear run up the right side. Then Rodman herself received one after tousling with Savy King and, in frustration at the lack of a call, kicked the ball away.
Rodman left the game with an upper right leg injury with seven minutes left of regular time. Before she went down she could be seen beating at that same spot so it did not seem to be a sudden injury but maybe something that had developed earlier and then made it impossible to continue. Rookie Courtney Brown came on as a replacement.
Finally with only a few seconds left of the five minutes of stoppage time, the Spirit won a free kick near midfield. Kingsbury came up to take it, passing the ball to McKeown who then sent the ball straight down the middle to rookie Croix Bethune. Bethune juggled the ball through the defense, with a slight lay off from Hatch, and then sent in a low shot under the goalkeeper to get her first professional goal and win the game for the Spirit.
After the game it was announced that Casey Krueger did not have a concussion but might have broken her cheekbone. Rodman’s injury is not expected to be severe and she was replaced as a precaution.
Post by Kelley Piper
