Published August 28, 2026
The Washington Spirit fell 1-0 to Orlando Pride on Sunday, extending the club’s winless streak to four matches — its longest such stretch since September 2023. Haley McCutcheon scored in the third minute off a Barbra Banda assist, and Washington hit the post twice in the opening 12 minutes but couldn’t find an equalizer despite creating the better of the second-half chances.
Key Takeaways
- The Washington Spirit lost 1-0 to Orlando Pride on Sunday, Aug. 23, extending the club’s winless run to four matches — a stretch that includes two losses and a draw since Aug. 2.
- Orlando’s Haley McCutcheon scored in the third minute off a Barbra Banda assist; the result made Orlando just the second team in NWSL history to win four straight regular-season matches at the same opponent’s home venue.
- Washington hit the post twice inside the first 12 minutes, through Sofia Cantore and Tamara Bolt, part of a broader pattern of created-but-unconverted chances across the losing streak.
- Forward Ashley Hatch made her return from maternity leave in the match, adding a veteran attacking option back to Washington’s rotation for the stretch run.
- Despite the loss, Washington remains second in the NWSL table at 37 points, with head coach Adrián González calling the team’s underlying performance encouraging even as results lag behind it.
Washington Spirit’s Winless Streak Grows to Four Matches
Orlando struck early and held on, with Haley McCutcheon converting a Barbra Banda cutback in the third minute for her third goal of the season — the earliest goal Orlando has scored all year. Washington answered immediately with pressure: Sofia Cantore and Tamara Bolt both hit the post from inside the box in the 12th minute, and Trinity Rodman had a good look wide of goal in the 40th after a Bolt cross. None of it produced an equalizer, and Orlando goalkeeper Cosette Morché — making her NWSL debut — closed it out with three saves, including a diving stop in second-half stoppage time.
The loss was Washington’s fourth straight match without a win, following a 0-1 loss to San Diego Wave FC on Aug. 2, a 3-4 loss to North Carolina Courage on Aug. 8, and a 1-1 draw at Angel City FC on Aug. 16. It’s the longest such stretch for the club since September 2023, and it came with an unwanted piece of NWSL history attached: Orlando is now just the second team in league history to win four consecutive regular-season matches at the same opponent’s home stadium.
Why It Matters
This is the same tension flagged on this site when the streak sat at three matches: Washington keeps generating real chances — two posts inside 12 minutes is about as close as a team can come without scoring — without turning that pressure into results. Head coach Adrián González framed it plainly after Sunday’s loss: “I’m very calm and positive because the team is performing well. The reality is that we are creating clear chances. Now it’s just about the finish.”
There’s a real argument in that framing, and a real risk in it too. Underlying process usually does catch up to results over a long enough stretch, but four matches without a win is long enough to cost a team real ground in a compressed playoff race, regardless of how the shots and territory numbers look.
Does Ashley Hatch’s Return Change Washington’s Attack?
Sunday’s match also marked forward Ashley Hatch’s return to the field after maternity leave, adding a proven veteran scoring option back into a Washington rotation that’s mostly relied on Trinity Rodman to carry the attacking burden through this stretch. Hatch’s full integration over the coming weeks — alongside the WAFCON-delayed internationals who rejoined the squad earlier this month — gives Washington more attacking depth than it’s had at any point during the winless run, even if it didn’t change Sunday’s result.
What Comes Next
Washington still sits second in the NWSL table at 37 points and hosts Bay FC on Sunday, Aug. 30, looking to snap the streak at home before a tougher road trip to Portland Thorns FC on Sept. 6. With Hatch back and the club’s full group of internationals now integrated, Washington has more pieces available than it did at any point during this stretch — the question is whether that translates into the finishing the team has been missing.
Conclusion
Four matches without a win is a real number, and it’s fair to ask real questions about a team that spent much of July atop the NWSL table. But Sunday’s match, like the three before it, showed a team generating real chances rather than being outplayed — two shots off the post, a stoppage-time save required to hold the result, a coach pointing to underlying performance rather than panicking. Whether that’s a genuine reason for calm or a pattern that eventually costs Washington playoff positioning is the question the next two weeks should start to answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Washington Spirit’s winless streak?
The Washington Spirit have gone four straight NWSL matches without a win as of Aug. 23, 2026: losses to San Diego Wave FC and North Carolina Courage, a draw at Angel City FC, and a 1-0 loss to Orlando Pride. It’s the club’s longest such stretch since September 2023.
What happened in the Washington Spirit vs. Orlando Pride match?
Orlando’s Haley McCutcheon scored in the third minute off a Barbra Banda assist, and Orlando held on for a 1-0 win despite Washington hitting the post twice in the first 12 minutes. It was Orlando’s fourth straight regular-season win at Washington’s home venue.
Is Ashley Hatch back for the Washington Spirit?
Yes. Hatch returned from maternity leave and featured in Washington’s Aug. 23 match against Orlando Pride, adding a veteran scoring option to the club’s attacking rotation for the stretch run.
Where do the Washington Spirit stand in the NWSL standings?
Washington remains second in the NWSL table at 37 points despite the four-match winless streak, and hosts Bay FC on Aug. 30 looking to end the run.