Claudia Martínez nets the winning goal late in Seattle! | Spirit at Reign FC Highlights | 05.10.26

The Washington Spirit earned its fifth straight win Sunday night thanks to a late goal from standout newcomer Claudia Martínez. Kicking off a four-match away stretch with three points, the Spirit currently sits second on the NWSL table and just a point off first place.

Seattle controlled possession through the early minutes of the match, getting a solid chance in the attack in the fourth minute. Reign FC’s Maddie Mercado took a shot inside the box that was blocked into the bar and out for a corner. Seattle managed three more shots in the ensuing 20 minutes but neither side was able to land a shot on target before the halftime whistle.

In the 30th minute, forward Trinity Rodman found herself with possession in the final third and made a spin move before driving toward the box and firing a shot wide of the frame. Six minutes later, midfielder Rebeca Bernal took the ball and made a move to split two defenders near midfield and push toward goal but Seattle was able to thwart the attack.

Forward Claudia Martínez and defender Paige Metayer subbed on for Washington to start the second half, replacing Rosemonde Kouassi and Kate Wiesner, respectively. Coming out of the locker rooms for the final 45, Reign FC landed two attempts on frame early. In the 54th minute, forward Nerilia Mondesir connected on a cross in the box with a header on target but Spirit keeper Sandy MacIver got in front to make the save. Ten minutes later, Mercado shot a header of her own in the box toward the bottom corner of the goal but MacIver was again up to the task.

Midfielder Andi Sullivan and forward Gift Monday came on in the 67th minute as Washington searched for a goal. The Spirit found its first shot on target in the 81st minute when Metayer connected with her right foot from inside the box but Seattle keeper Claudia Dickey made the save. Three minutes later, however, Sullivan started an attack with a feed to Metayer who found Gabrielle Carle running down the sideline. Carle delivered a cross through traffic to Martínez in the box who fired a one-time shot into the bottom right corner of the goal for the late 1-0 lead.

Through the final minutes of the match, the Spirit defending third stood tall with MacIver making one more save before the final whistle blew. With the 1-0 win, Washington tied its club record for consecutive regular season wins at five and earned its fifth clean sheet of the season.

Next up, the Spirit will stay on the road, traveling south for a meeting with San Diego Wave FC on Friday, May 15. Kicking off at 10 p.m. EDT, the match will air on Victory+.

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About The Washington Spirit

The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest-growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. In 2024, the Spirit drafted an epic class of rookies who are already breaking records and wowing fans.

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