Washington Face Off Against the Flash in the NWSL Championship
WNY Flash take on the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Championship as both clubs aim to hoist the title for the first time in franchise history. The Spirit are led by defender and captain Ali Krieger who scored the opening goal in the semifinal match, while Lynn Williams recorded two overtime goals to push the Flash to the finals.
NWSL Soccer News: The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Championship is set as the Washington Spirit and the Western New York Flash both are looking to claim their first title on Sunday in Houston. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET and will broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.
Road to the Final
The Washington Spirit advanced to the NWSL Championship for the first time in club history after defeating the Chicago Red Stars in the first semifinal match held last weekend.
In an end-to-end matchup at Maryland SoccerPlex, the Spirit were able to book their ticket to the final in extra time as regulation ended deadlocked at 1-1.
The WNY Flash reached the finals after edging the Portland Thorns in a thrilling 4-3 matchup at Providence Park on Sunday. With the score tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, the traveling squad were able to advance in stoppage time thanks to 2016 NWSL Golden Boot winner Lynn Williams.
NWSL Championship Matchup
The Flash earned the final spot in the NWSL Playoffs during the last week of the regular season and have recorded a 10-5-6 record during the entire 2016 NWSL campaign.
WNY entered the playoffs as just the third team to average at least two goals per match for an entire NWSL season after scoring 40 times in 20 regular-season games for a 2.00 GPG.
Williams and Jessica McDonald are at the forefront of a strong attacking side for WNY, with the duo tallying 21 goals for the Flash during the 2016 regular season. Williams notched two goals in overtime versus the Red Stars last weekend, while McDonald tallied one assist on the night.
The pair has managed 13 total assists between them (McDonald 7, Williams 5) along with Williams receiving NWSL Golden Boot honors for the 2016 campaign.
The Flash are led by head coach Paul Riley who joined the club during the offseason and has exceeded expectations in his first season.
“It was easy for us to head into the season knowing there was only one place for us to go,” stated defender Abby Erceg said. “Paul came in and developed this belief within the group that we could do great things and he got us all believing in it.”
The Washington Spirit ended a two-match losing streak with their win over the Red Stars last week. The Spirit played Chicago in a rematch of their last regular-season match, which they lost 3-1 on the road.
Washington’s record on the year is 13-5-3, with the club just falling out of reach of the NWSL Shield in the last week of the regular season to the Portland Thorns.
The Spirit are led by strong team chemistry with U.S. international and captain Ali Krieger highlighting the core of the Washington side. Krieger rushed back to her hometown club after the U.S. Women’s National Team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
She was the first Olympic team member to return to play and made it back in time to play 90 minutes and help Washington win a makeup game against the Houston Dash on Aug. 18.
“It was something that came from her and her attitude was I want to get back to the team as quick as possible, I want to get back to playing,” Spirit coach Jim Gabarra said.
Washington has put together one of the most diversified attacks in the NWSL this campaign with seven players scoring three goals or more during the regular season – highlighted by midfielder Estefania Banini’s five tallies.
All eyes will be on FOX Sports 1 as top talent in the NWSL face off in the fourth edition of the NWSL Championship.
