**WASHINGTON, D.C.** – The Washington Spirit became the first side in UKG NWSL Challenge Cup history to score four goals from outside the box in the same game on Wednesday night as they defeated the Orlando Pride, 4-2, at Audi Field. After Orlando’s early lead, the Spirit responded with three goals in the first half before securing all three points thanks to a stoppage time goal via forward Ashley Sanchez to seal the result.
An action-packed opening 45 minutes first saw Orlando take the lead, when they were awarded a corner kick and capitalized amongst the chaos in the box. As the ball was swung in, a cluster of players gathered right on the line of the six-yard box where they fought for possession one way or another. The ball eventually fell at the feet of defender Tori Hansen, who did all she could to sweep the ball into the back of the net and open the scoring as the Pride took advantage of early momentum.
The Pride would hold that lead for around 20 minutes before Washington scored off a set-piece of their own, but not directly from the dead ball delivery as Spirit forward Lena Silano eventually powered home a low effort from 19 yards out to beat Orlando goalkeeper Kaylie Collins. The set piece in was initially cleared by the Pride defense, but the ball was worked Silano’s way after Washington settled in possession in the midfield area. Silano was positioned just outside the top of the box near the center of goal where she then fired on Collins’s goal. Her drive across the frame of goal then found the bottom corner as Washington equalized in the 33 ^rd minute.
Then, just four minutes later, another set piece chance for Washington resulted in their second goal of the night. Defender Sam Staab was on the ball some 23 yards out from goal and parallel with the line on the right edge of the 18-yard box. As the Spirit players prepared to attack her ball in, she instead opted for goal and watched as the delivery soared over Collins and into the back of the net to give her side their first lead of the night.
The goals continued to roll from there as an unbelievable strike from midfielder Marissa Sheva was clipped over Collins and into the top right corner for the hosts’ third goal in nine minutes. Sheva had received a pass from teammate Chloe Ricketts just to the left of the center of goal in and from a similar distance as Staab’s earlier goal. Opting to shoot, an unbalanced Sheva lifted the ball over the defense and Collins alike, and though the goalkeeper gave her best efforts to leap and attempt to tip it over the line, the strike was too sweet and nestled into that top corner to help add to a now commanding lead.
The second half did bring a bit of life for Orlando early on as Challenge Cup specialist Ally Watt found a goal of her own in the 49 ^th minute to draw the Pride back within one. Watt was played in through teammate Summer Yates down the left side, and she did well to race onto the ball ahead of the Spirit defenders and take it down. Sprinting into the penalty area, Watt then curled a low right-footed effort around Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and in to potentially spark a comeback.
However, any attempt at that would fall short from Orlando, and instead the Spirit added a fourth on the night after an error by the goalkeeper Collins left attacker Ashley Sanchez with a near wide open net from 27 yards out. Collins had collected possession deep in her own territory, but her ball distributed out landed directly at the feet of Sanchez as Collins scrambled to get back into place. Sanchez did well to send her shot toward the right side of goal where Collins could not reach it though, and she capped off an impressive Spirit win in the third minute of added time.
After an opening loss to Gotham in the competition in April, Washington secured their first Challenge Cup win in their second match. Meanwhile, Orlando dropped their first Challenge Cup match of the year after a 1-1 draw with North Carolina to kick off their run in the competition, also in April.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights