Riley Tiernan became the hero for Angel City FC as her last-minute goal secured a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League on Friday night. The thrilling clash reached its apex when Tiernan found the back of the net in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, delivering her second goal of the game and sealing the win for Angel City at Audi Field.
The high-scoring encounter kicked off with Tiernan herself opening the scoring. She pulled Angel City ahead with a precise shot from the center of the box just eight minutes into the match. Later, Gisele Thompson doubled the advantage in a historic fashion by scoring through an assist from her sister Alyssa Thompson in the 22nd minute, marking the first time siblings have combined for a goal in NWSL history. However, Washington Spirit retaliated with determination as Esme Morgan netted her first NWSL goal in the 30th minute, and Gift Monday leveled the scoreline by capitalizing on an open net in the 40th minute, sending both teams into halftime tied at 2-2.
Angel City reclaimed the lead in the second half when Katie Zelem fired a left-footed shot in the 72nd minute to make it 3-2. Nonetheless, the Spirit responded once more as Morgan scored her second goal to bring the game to a thrilling standstill. But it was Tiernan again, assisted by Christen Press with a clever flick from a corner kick, who managed to clinch victory with her fifth goal of the season.
Interim head coach Sam Laity of Angel City (3-2-2) was shown a red card following the celebration of the winning goal. This defeat marked a rare consecutive loss for the Washington Spirit (4-3-0), who had not lost back-to-back matches since September 2023.
Elsewhere, Racing Louisville accomplished a stunning comeback against the Houston Dash, claiming a 2-1 victory at Shell Energy Stadium. Emma Sears emerged as the game-changer, netting the decisive goal in the 70th minute following a breakaway counterattack. Although Sears’ shot went directly to Dash’s goalkeeper Jane Campbell, it deflected into the net after bouncing off Campbell.
The match commenced with Houston taking the lead courtesy of Avery Patterson’s impressive strike from the edge of the box in only the eighth minute. However, a lengthy delay due to lightning eventually saw Kayla Fischer equalize for Louisville with a long-range effort in the 20th minute. With this win, Racing Louisville (2-3-2) secures seven points from their last three road games.
Meanwhile, Seattle Reign snatched a narrow 1-0 triumph against Kansas City Current at Lumen Field. Lynn Biyendolo delivered the decisive goal in the 37th minute. Following this, the Reign (3-2-2) strategically focused on defense. Despite Kansas City’s aggressive second-half push, outshooting Reign 10-1 with three shots on target, the equalizer remained elusive.
Kansas City’s head coach, Vlatko Andonovski, sought to turn the tide by introducing the reigning NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga from the bench in the 61st minute, but despite the efforts, they were unable to break through. This result marked the second straight loss for Kansas City (5-2-0), who previously went five weeks unbeaten at the start of the season.