The Spirit hosted Bay FC in their quarterfinal match at Audi Field in front of a record crowd of 19,215. The game was a tense battle for much of regulation, with the teams going into the locker rooms at the half tied 0-0. In fact, it wasn’t until the 82nd minute when Bay FC struck with a goal by forward Asisat Oshoala. The Spirit didn’t take long to get the equalizer when, after Bay attempted to clear the ball from their box, Spirit centerback (and former forward) Tara McKeown scored from the outer edges of the box in the 86th minute.
The teams were deadlocked at the end of regulation, sending the game into two 15-minute extra time periods. During the first, in the 96th minute, Trinity Rodman sent in a cross that went off Bay defender Caprice Dydasco and into the net, giving the Spirit the 2-1 lead. The home team then fought a strong defensive battle for the last twenty minutes of extra time to come out on top 2-1. They will host Gotham FC in the semifinals on Saturday, November 16th at noon.
