Rosemonde Kouassi scored the winning goal in the dying moments and the Washington Spirit defeated the San Diego Wave 2-1 on Sunday in the National Women’s Soccer League.
With stoppage time ticking into its eighth minute, Kouassi unleashed a curling shot from 30 yards out. The ball soared over Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and into the net to seal the victory.
Elsewhere in the NWSL on Sunday, Gotham FC were held to a 0-0 draw at home against the Seattle Reign, and the Chicago Stars fought back to earn a 2-2 tie against the Utah Royals.
Kouassi’s dramatic match-winning strike came just 171 seconds after Delphine Cascarino brought the Wave level at 1-1 in the fifth minute stoppage time.
Kyra Carusa split the Spirit backline with a pass and Cascarino burst into the box to flick the ball beyond goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury with one touch.
Kouassi also scored the opening goal of the match on a header in the ninth minute. She has four goals this season.
The Spirit (12-4-7) were undefeated in 11 matches and were second in the standings. The Wave (8-8-7) were winless in seven matches and dropped to eighth, the final playoff spot.
Dominant Gotham draws blank against defensive Reign
Gotham FC could not find a way past a stubborn defensive stand by the visiting Seattle Reign in a scoreless draw.
Sitting in third place, Gotham (9-6-8) extended its undefeated run to seven matches and edged closer to clinching a playoff spot.
The Reign (9-7-7) remained in fifth but increased their cushion above the playoff line to six points.
Rose Lavelle crashed the crossbar for Gotham with a chipped shot from the edge of the box in the 31st minute.
Esther Gonzalez thought she had the winning goal for Gotham when she redirected a cross by Midge Purce inches wide of the post in the 87th.
Gotham controlled possession 64% to 36%, and limited the Reign to a single shot across the 90 minutes. Gotham finished the match with 10 shots, with four on target.
Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey finished the game with five saves and picked up her seventh shutout of the season.
Stars stage late comeback
The Chicago Stars scored twice in the final 10 minutes to tie the visiting Utah Royals.
For the 12th place Royals (5-11-7), the tie extended their team-record undefeated streak to eight games.
While already eliminated from the playoffs, the last-place Stars (2-11-10) have not lost at home since May.
Utah coach Jimmy Coenraets was forced into an early change when defender Kaleigh Riehl limped off in the ninth minute. Imani Dorsey came off the bench as her replacement.
Coenraets also made an early tactical change during halftime and switched out Ana Tejada for Aria Nagai in the Royals’ midfield.
Mina Tanaka scored twice in the second half to put the Royals up 2-0. Her first came from just inside the box in the 59th minute.
After the Royals were awarded a penalty for a handball by Bea Franklin, Tanaka converted the spot kick calmly in the 66th to make it 2-0.
Ivonne Chacon ignited the comeback for the Stars in the 83rd minute. The Colombian forward tapped in from a few yards out for her first NWSL goal.
Teenager Micayla Johnson added her first professional goal in the 86th. Johnson scored just inside the post to bring things back level at 2-2.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
By THEO LLOYD-HUGHES
Associated Press
