**WASHINGTON, D.C.** – The Washington Spirit bounced back with an emphatic 4-2 win over Gotham FC on Friday night, responding to two Gotham goals in the opening eight minutes with four unanswered goals between the 25 ^th and 70 ^th minutes as forward Ashley Hatch led the way with a brace. The Spirit remain in 3 ^rd with 6 points from five games played, while Gotham are still in 2 ^nd with 7 points from four games played.
Gotham hit early on the attack and would end up opening the scoring after just four minutes through forward Midge Purce. The visitors were moving forward through Delanie Sheehan, whose left foot sent a driving shot toward the center of goal that goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart parried back into play. Waiting in front of goal was Purce, and she powered the ball into the back of the net to give her side the advantage.
Doubling up quickly, Purce then turned from scorer to provider as she set up teammate Jenna Nighswonger in the 8 ^th minute. Purce was on the ball on the right side of the field when she lifted a hanging cross toward the back post where Nighswonger was wrestling for position. Rising above her marker to meet the ball, Nighswonger directed her headed effort into the bottom right corner as Gotham blitzed into a two-goal lead.
However, Washington began their comeback after a brief break in play due to injury with a goal in the 25 ^th minute through the forward Hatch. Teammate Lena Silano slipped Hatch through and in behind the defense as she broke down the center of the field, and she latched onto the ball still outside the 18-yard box. Opting to shoot early, Hatch was able to guide a low, curling effort around Gotham goalkeeper Michelle Betos and in as she pulled one back.
That tally would be the last of the first half, though, with Washington still trailing by a goal at the break.
Into the second half, the Spirit found their equalizing goal in the 55 ^th minute through Camryn Biegalski. Washington had switched the ball from the left to the right as defender Amber Brooks ended up on the ball and in a great amount of space. As Brooks approached the penalty area, she spotted the run of the midfielder Biegalski and played her into the box. Opting to go for goal immediately, Biegalski ripped a shot into the top right corner past Betos to square the match.
Biegalski’s goal was the first domino to fall, too, with the Spirit then finding two goals in seven minutes between the 63 ^rd and 70 ^th minutes through Hatch and young star Chloe Ricketts. First up, Hatch found the back of the net as a Gotham defender failed to settle and distribute a long ball over the top, leaving the forward to nab possession and turn toward goal. From just outside the box, Hatch’s shot took a strong deflection on its way toward goal but eventually dribbled into the bottom left corner as Washington earned their first lead of the evening.
Then, in the 70 ^th minute, Hatch earned an assist to add to her brace as she drew a host of Gotham defenders near the top of the box before reversing a pass to Chloe Ricketts, who was making a run near the center of the penalty area. Ricketts then took that pass and slotted a left-footed shot into the bottom far corner for a bit of cushion heading into the game’s final 20 minutes.
In the end, though Gotham had the higher shot count and significantly higher share of possession, Washington would close out the match with their two-goal lead and earn a big Challenge Cup win with divisional play ending within the next two rounds.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights