Maiara Niehues nets late win for Angel City over Washington Spirit

Under bright lights and pouring rain in Washington, D.C., Maiara Niehues's goal in the 89th minute gave Angel City Football Club a 1-nil win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday evening at Audi Field. 

Just three minutes after entering the pitch as a substitute, Niehues broke through with a strike from outside the box, finding the top-right corner off a pass from Carina Lageyre to put Angel City ahead after a scoreless 88 minutes in heavy rain.

“Not even in my best dreams did I actually imagine that I was going to have this mark,” Niehues said on the goal. “I’m very happy, especially to help in a very, very important game.”

“[Maiara’s] impact when she came in was fantastic,” Interim Head Coach Leif Smerud said. “We didn’t create many chances, but we had some opportunities, and then you need the quality. Maiara came in and delivered.”

While both sides had chances in the first half, neither capitalized. ACFC captain Sarah Gorden led the defensive performance throughout the night. In the 37th minute, Gorden deflected a Trinity Rodman attempt from inside the box, while Evelyn Shores applied disruptive pressure on Washington’s attack.

Heading into the second half, the Los Angeles side approached with a sharper focus. 

“We didn’t play well enough to the conditions, so that was one of the messages at halftime that we had,” said Smerud. “We had to adapt to players who are not that used to those conditions, and we did that well.

Prisca Chilufya forced a diving save from Washington goalkeeper Sandy MacIver in the 57th minute as Angel City sought to exploit gaps in coverage. 

The victory extends the club's winning streak to three and marks the sixth consecutive match in which ACFC has emerged unbeaten. Niehues made club history with her ninth goal, breaking Angel City's single-season scoring record. It also marks goalkeeper Angelina Anderson's ninth clean sheet of the season. 

"One thing we talk about a lot is to never give up, never give in. To keep on trying and to keep on going even if it's not in our favor," said Niehues. "We just keep on fighting."

Angel City (12-6-8, 42 pts) improved two spots on the league table, entering the night at sixth place and returning to Los Angeles in fourth. The Washington Spirit (14-6-8, 46 pts.) fell to third place. 

With just four games remaining in the National Women's Soccer League's regular season, the race to the playoffs is tightening, and the Los Angeles side is sitting near the top of the table for the first time in a long time. Angel City last reached the playoffs in 2023 but exited after a 1-0 loss to OL Reign in their first appearance. 

ACFC continues its road trip heading up the East Coast to face the NY/NJ Gotham FC on October 4th at 10:00 am PST. Gotham currently leads the league table.