LOS ANGELES -- Despite a 2-2 draw, Angel City’s performance against the Washington Spirit on Thursday night was a big step up from recent matches. Rookie Evelyn Shores netted her first NWSL goal in an action-packed first half, and the team showed progress in every part of the field. But with only five games remaining in the regular season, time is running out for ACFC to make its second playoff appearance in club history.
It was nowhere near the same team that played against the North Carolina Courage last Saturday. This time around, Angel City wasted no time in attacking hard or staying on the ball. Although Washington out-possessed 53% to 47% in the first half, Angel City’s utilization of the ball was one of the strongest performances from the team so far.
ACFC started the first twenty minutes with a clear hunger; a strong high press against Washington, coupled with a fiery backline. "I think our press was really working. We were keeping them wide like we wanted to in the first half," said Nealy Martin, who made her first home start with the club after transferring from NY/NJ Gotham two weeks ago.
The Washington Spirit were on the scoreboard first after being awarded a penalty kick in the 11th minute, after forward Trinity Rodman was knocked down by Miyabi Moriya. Rodman’s attempt was originally saved in the bottom right corner by Angel City keeper Angelina Anderson, but Rodman immediately rebounded the shot and sent it flying again into the bottom corner for a goal.
Angel City responded four minutes later when Shores netted her first goal with the club since signing in July. She found herself in the perfect position to receive a cross from Gisele Thompson and shoot the ball into the back of the net.
Sveindís Jónsdóttir ➡️ Gisele Thompson ➡️ Evelyn Shores for her first NWSL goal 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wp3xxbwTnJ
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 19, 2025
The play displayed a team cohesion that seemed missing from previous matches. “The trip on the road [game against North Carolina Courage] and coming back and getting a point was really big for us. I think just building our team culture over the last few months has been huge. I think this point shows a lot. I’m super happy that the fans came out to support us tonight because we really felt them in the stadium,” said Shores.
The former UNC Tarheel spent the evening playing as a six. “That’s a new position for Evelyn, and to be honest, that's the position we recruited for. She played that for [University of] North Carolina, so I was not worried about her. I think she was amazing today, especially in the first half. When she's really calm on the ball, she scores a goal. That's good for a six to come up and score a goal,” said head coach Alex Straus.
“We had control of the game, and we dominated the game. We give away an annoying goal and an annoying penalty that comes out of nothing. But before that, we really put pressure on them. Evelyn was amazing.”
ACFC extended the lead in the 55th minute as rookie Riley Tiernan forced an own-goal by Washington. Tiernan sent a left-footed shot toward the net, and Washington’s Tara McKeown raised her right leg to try to block the shot. The ball deflected off her foot and into the goal.
There was a bit of a struggle defensively in the second half. Washington began changing gears, causing some gaps in Angel City's coverage. “The second half, they (Washington) were dropping into double six (in the midfield) and we were having a little trouble. Credit to them for exploiting our weakness, but we'll watch the film and get better,” said Martin.
The Spirit scored the equalizer in the 71st minute. Forward Leicy Santos lofted a diagonal ball into the box, where midfielder Croix Bethune was making a run. Bethune leapt to make contact with her head at the penalty spot, redirecting it past Anderson and into the goal. Anderson saved a total of eight shots on target throughout the night as Angel City defended the box until the very end.
Despite the draw and two goals allowed, it's clear that something is clicking for Angel City. “I think we wanted to build on our last game at North Carolina, and I think you could see in the first half, we were all over them, and I think it was a lot better from us,” Martin said. “We’re just going to continue to build under Alex’s leadership."
“Today, there was an Angel City team that worked really hard to craft out the points. Now we get a break, we get a little bit of time to heal our wounds, and get ready for it again in nine days,” said Straus.
Thursday's result moves Angel City (6-6-9, 24 points) up to tenth place while Washington remains in second. Angel City's next match is on the road against Racing Louisville on September 27th.