San Jose, Calif. (04/04/2026) – The Washington Spirit will journey to the west coast this weekend for an away match towards Bay FC at San Jose’s PayPal Park. Kicking off at 5 p.m. EDT, the match will broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
The Spirit
Washington enters Sunday’s matchup with Bay FC nonetheless in the hunt for the group’s first win of the season. Despite its problem getting within the win column to date, the Spirit has collected factors in three straight matches, drawing Louisville, Utah and Denver over the previous two weeks. Washington at the moment sits simply three factors again of the playoff line and 9 factors from the highest of the desk with 26 matches to go.
Last weekend, the Spirit earned a hard-fought level in a scoreless draw with enlargement facet Denver Summit FC within the group’s first-ever residence match. In entrance of a brand new NWSL document 63,004 followers at Empower Field at Mile High, goalkeeper Sandy MacIver tallied her first profession common season clear sheet as Washington introduced a degree again to DC.
The Spirit carries an ideal 5-0-0 all-time document towards Bay FC into this weekend’s matchup, sweeping every of the previous two common season sequence and taking a 2-1 win within the sides’ 2024 quarterfinal assembly. Washington can also be unbeaten on the highway towards Bay FC because it gained its first journey to San Jose two years in the past with a resound 3-0 win earlier than profitable 3-2 at San Francisco’s Oracle Park final August in entrance of a then-record 40,091 followers.
While the Spirit trails Bay FC in targets and assists up to now in 2026, it leads the facet in photographs, photographs heading in the right direction, fee of possession and complete massive probabilities. With 6.5 anticipated targets for and simply three targets scored this yr, Washington has the worst distinction in anticipated vs precise targets, exhibiting the facet’s robust capacity to create probabilities on the assault however unfavorable ending fee via 4 matches. Watch for the Spirit assault to return out robust in seeking to break via this weekend. With a win by two or extra targets this weekend, the Spirit can vault itself above the playoff line into eighth place on the desk heading into the worldwide break.
Following Sunday’s match, the NWSL will break from play as gamers head out for worldwide responsibility. Once common season motion resumes, the Spirit will host the defending Shield winner Kansas City Current at Audi Field on Friday, April 24. Information on tickets might be discovered HERE.
The Opponent
Bay FC approaches Sunday’s assembly off its finest three-match begin to a season in membership historical past with two wins and one loss. Last weekend, the facet bested the North Carolina Courage with a powerful 3-1 win on the highway through which it took a commanding 3-0 lead within the first 34 minutes of motion.
With a win this weekend, Bay FC would attain the nine-point mark after simply 4 matches, in comparison with its first two campaigns when the facet didn’t attain the edge till matches ten and 9, respectively. In order to succeed in this mark earlier than subsequent week’s worldwide break, the northern California-based facet wants to interrupt its five-match drought towards Washington and get its first-ever win within the sequence.
In distinction to the Spirit, Bay FC has seen a optimistic distinction between targets for and anticipated targets for, with a +2.2 margin, good for second-best within the league. Through the primary three weeks of standard season motion, Bay FC has not created as many attacking probabilities as Washington however has been in a position to end at a a lot greater fee.
Sunday’s match may also see two forwards that took the league by storm of their teenagers face off. The Spirit’s Trinity Rodman and Bay FC’s Alex Pfeiffer each entered the NWSL as youngsters and have become rapid contributors on the attacking finish. With her objective and help efficiency final week, Pfeiffer joined Rodman and world star Sam Kerr as the one three gamers in league historical past to document a number of matches with a objective and an help earlier than turning 21.
Following tomorrow’s match and the worldwide break, Bay FC will journey to New Jersey to face Gotham FC on Saturday, April 25 at 1 p.m. EDT.
All-Time Series History
The Spirit holds an ideal 5-0-0 document towards Bay FC with a +8 objective differential (12-4) throughout all competitions. Since the beginning of Bay FC’s inaugural season in 2024, Washington has swept each common season sequence towards the facet and gained a quarterfinal matchup with the San Jose-based membership in November 2024.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the premier skilled girls’s soccer group primarily based in Washington, D.C. and performs at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was based on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the quickest rising sports activities league within the US. The membership is residence to a few of the finest gamers on the earth who’ve gained championships for each membership and nation. For extra details about the Spirit, go to WashingtonSpirit.com and comply with the membership on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
