Fishlock Goal Secures 1-1 Draw With Spirit

A Jess Fishlock goal in the 77th minute earned Reign FC a point at home in a 1-1 draw against the Washington Spirit on Saturday night. The draw extended Reign FC’s unbeaten streak to five matches.

“It was an interesting game,” Reign FC head coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “I was very happy with the performance of the players. I thought once again that we were the better opponent and we created enough opportunities to score more than one. But it seems like that has been one of the problems this season. We create a lot of opportunities but we don’t capitalize on all of them.”

Andi Sullivan put the Spirit on the board in the 62nd minute, taking on three defenders before firing a low shot under Reign FC keeper Casey Murphy from a wide angle to record her first NWSL goal.

15 minutes later, Reign FC found the equalizer. Fishlock pounced on a loose ball that Washington was trying to clear from the penalty area and rifled a left-footed shot past Aubrey Bledsoe to score her first goal of the season.

Fishlock earned Player of the Match honors. The Welsh international took 11 shots—four on target—and made eight recoveries in 90 minutes.

Despite holding only 51 percent of the possession, Reign FC outshot the visitors 24-10, including a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Spirit dug deep defensively, blocking seven shots and clearing the ball 26 times.

Reign FC plays its next four matches on the road, beginning with the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, June 23 at 3:00 p.m. PT.

Andonovski emphasized the importance of finishing for his young players as the season progresses.

“We created opportunities,” Andonovski said. “We didn’t finish them, but that’s part of the game. This is a fairly young team, there are young three forwards that we have. Besides being young they’re young in the league too. I think they’re doing well and if we keep creating as much as we did, I think we’ll be just fine.”