What They’re Saying After the Spirit’s Dominant 3-0 Win over the Houston Dash

On Sunday, the Washington Spirit defeated the Houston Dash 3-0 at Audi Field. After the match, Head Coach Jonatan Giráldez, forward Ashley Hatch, and midfielder Hal Hershfelt spoke with the media.

 

On controlling the match:

Giráldez: I think we did a good job today, the whole game. The starting players, I think we had control of the game. If we have to say something about the last week, they had 20-25 minutes where they were much better than us. I think one of the different things we were working during the week was about that — be patient in terms of decision. I like when we run, but sometimes we have to be smarter and make better decisions, and today I think we were clinical in the chances that we had and that we created, but at the same time we had the patience that we need for the first goal. We scored a penalty from I don’t know how many passes, but we understood that we have to make more than 10 passes because of how they were defending gave us the opportunity to have big possession phase. After making that, the opposing team is a little bit tired. In terms of transitions, were ready, at the same time, to run. In general, we did a good job today. We scored three goals. We could have scored more goals, but in the end, I think the game was how I expected, and I am proud of the performance we showed today.

 

On how Ashley Hatch’s performance affects herself and other players trying to capitalize on their moments:

Giráldez: You have to be available all the time. If you train in the direction that you have to train, it will be easier to get to that level in the game. Hatchy (Ashley Hatch) is always available and with a good attitude in training. She is doing a good job in possession, out of possession. Today, she scored two goals, but that is not the most important thing. Strikers must score goals, but everything that we asked of her today, especially receiving in pocket and playing the way she faced and after that, running to the goal. She did a good job today playing two-sided identifying the best choice. Without the ball, she did a good job, too. Today, with Leicy Santos was not an easy job because they were defending center back and two base players, 3-v-2 all the time. I think we were very connected in terms of timing and angle of pressure, so I am very happy because of the performance she’s showing, I like. It is not just about Hatchy today. Britt (Brittany Ratcliffe), Lena (Silano), Heather (Stainbrook), Courtney (Brown), Makenna (Morris), other players that maybe they aren’t playing as many minutes but today they had the chance. The way that we finished the game today, I think was a good way to say, ‘Okay, our identity is going high because it doesn’t matter who is playing because we have control of the game.’ Happy with Hatchy and the rest of the players.

 

On the Spirit center backs, Esme Morgan and Tara McKeown:

Giráldez: They had no players today to run because (Michelle) Alozie was playing as a fullback, so with (Diana) Ordóñez we could take more risks in possession, especially attacking the box. I wanted to have a lot of players into the box because I knew we were going to have chances to put the ball into the box. I wanted Casey (Krueger) and Gabby (Carle), especially, to be ready to go high, but at the same time, two center backs – Esme (Morgan) or Tara (McKeown) – has the chance, especially when we are switching the ball, to make sure that we are giving an option to make that switch and then go forward. So sometimes 1-v-1 in the back with the Andi Sullivan — 1-v-1 plus one, be ready there for the transition. We know the characters of the players we have in the back. Today, we wanted to take more risks in possession, adding more players into the box, and I think Tara and Esme they can do both things, but at the same time, they are both good players running back, running behind. When Annaïg (Butel) is playing, she’s a good, good player playing passes, maybe she’s not so physical to run behind. So, today I chose that because the game plan was to have more players in the last meters, especially because the game plan for today. But at the same time, what I wanted was to give chances, give opportunities to other players that maybe they aren’t playing so many minutes. Esme was not available the last games. She was available for the last one, but the feeling in that moment was that she could not play because I didn’t want it for that game, and today she had the chance. For me, I know that I have three center backs available to play. So far in the season, we only had two. For me, it’s good, good news, the performance we saw today, and giving chances to other players means a lot in terms of everyone needs to be available because you never know if you’re going to be important for the team. The players that played today, they were.

 

On Trinity Rodman and her goal:

Giráldez: What she is doing in the last game, especially giving assistance and scoring goals. I think she is an amazing player, but I think she should be able to score almost every game because she has the characteristics for that. The most important thing is not the goal, it’s creating the chance. So, if she is creating chances, for me, that’s enough. I know that you are going to score maybe not the first one, the second one, the third action or the third chance that you create. Today, she gave a good assistance to Hatchy, and she scored the goal in the beginning of the second half. I like when my strikers are angry, when you have the desire to score goals and be there. Not just say, ‘We are winning; that’s enough.’ We start the second half, and we want with the same intensity facing forward and try to score as many goals as possible because you can train on that. She can play on the right. She can play on the left. She feels comfortable in both positions, and for today, for the game plan, we thought that the best for her and for the team is playing on the left because she can go inside to take shots. At the same time, she can go out to put crosses for Hatchy in 1-v-1 into the box. So, I am very happy with the performance she is showing because I think she is one of the best players in the world.

 

On why Casey Krueger came out of the game:

Giráldez: It was just precaution. She felt a cramp, so nothing important. We had one sub available to do, and I decided to do Casey because there is no sense winning the game 3-0 and taking a risk with her.

 

On dominating despite knowing the team had already clinched the playoffs:

Giráldez: It’s like I said in the beginning: Too much good news that we had during the week. I don’t know if that is good or not good. It depends on how you face that. We won the game in the last minute. We qualified. We are playing at home. Orlando and Kansas tied in the last game — too many good things. That’s always welcome, for sure, but we have forbidden to relax. We have to be consistent in the performance and thinking of putting the focus on what we have to do today. So, I am very happy because before starting the game, I was speaking with them in that way. All good news are welcome, but we need to be ready 100% — just thinking what is the game plan and give your best today is the only thing that we have to think. I think we started today, the game was good, we created a lot of chances, we scored goals, and the second half, we had a good start, too. That, for me, is the mentality. The mentality must be maintained for the coming games.

 

On how the Spirit gained control of the game:

Hershfelt: I honestly feel like it’s a mindset thing. In the past, sometimes we have given up late goals, sometimes we’ve given up early goals, or sometimes our games are kind of like this. I feel like our goal through the second half of the season is to just stay consistent, and I think that comes from how we practice, too. Just keeping the same energy and focus. I feel like focus is the big word for that.

Hatch: I feel like she answered that perfectly. It’s something that we’ve been working on,  having patience but also being able to control the game and control the tempo and not move the ball too slow but still be very intentional about it. I feel like our back line and our midfield did a really good job of that from minute one. The players that came in kept that level up, so it was easy for us to start that way and end that way.

 

On the second goal coming off of a long, 11 pass sequence:

Hatch: We had a couple chances like that before, and I wasn’t there or I was a little bit behind. I knew that once Trin (Trinity Rodman) did get it out wide that I needed to get there because I knew she would beat her player 1-v-1. I had a few chances I wish I would have gotten earlier, but I am glad I got that second chance. As it was developing, just making sure that I was on the blindside of the defender’s shoulder and just ready for anything that came across, and Trin sent a great ball, and I just had to get a touch on it.

 

On what her performance in her natural position meant to Hatch:

Hatch: It meant a lot. I obviously love scoring goals, but most importantly, I love playing for this team, so anytime I get on the pitch, I am really excited. I’m just really happy with the team’s performance today. I’m just excited that I was able to contribute. It always means a lot to be able to step on Audi Field with the Spirit.

Hershfelt: It’s just great, not only how talented she is as a player, but also the leadership that she brings and the experience. I think it’s a great attribute that our team has.

 

On the feeling of clinching a playoff berth:

Hershfelt: I think it is a testament to how great our team and our staff is. We’ve had a lot change this season. We had an interim coach. We had new coaches come in, new players, and I feel like we still kept our momentum which says a lot about how much we’ve been working and how hard we’ve been working. So, it’s just really cool, especially for my first year, to be apart of a group like this.

 

On how Hatch feels after the game:

Hatch: I am just excited, lots excitement and energy around. Obviously, clinching playoffs is huge. I think we deserve it. We’ve been working really hard, but the job is not done. It actually just started. I think that was our focus going into this game, and that is going to be our focus going forward. I am excited about the spot that we are in because we are going to continue to improve.

 

On Leicy Santos’ apparent goal being called back:

Hershfelt: Personally, I did not mean to hit that girl in the box. Sorry, Leicy. Us being able to come back and score after that – it was unfortunate. I wish she would’ve gotten the goal. I wish things didn’t happen like that, but I think it was good for us to have a great opportunity like that because it keeps the momentum going for the rest of the game. We were able to get another one, made me feel a little better.

 

On playing with Esme Morgan:

Hershfelt: First of all, she is such a big personality. I feel like she came in here, and she fit right in. She is so great just for the locker room, too. On the field today, I thought she killed it, especially for a first game. I know that’s really hard to come in for such a role where you have to direct traffic. She played 90 minutes, and I thought she killed it. She’s really smart, and I feel like that helps us a lot kind of distributing. I thought she killed it. She did great.

 

On Hatch playing lower in the midfield:

Hatch: Well, I was supposed to be the 10, but I think the way, naturally, that we were moving off each other, there were times when she [Courtney Brown] was a little bit higher than me. Once Lena came in, I dropped into the 10, and I think Courtney and Heather, when they came in, they did a really good job of controlling the midfield. I was kind of tired, so they were running around a lot more, and I was trying to make sure I was supporting them and helping control the game.

 

On how Hershfelt was able to find pockets:

Hershfelt: I’m gonna give the credit back to Esme. I think she’s very smart about how she plays those entry balls in. I feel like she knows and can see when I am making a run and when I actually want the ball versus when I am just trying to move people. I feel like that helped a lot, her picking and choosing when to play those balls in. I also feel like me and Andi (Sullivan) being able to move off of each other, whether we are coming out deeper or trying to find our way behind the line, I think that we’ve been working on that this whole season and it’s cool to see it grow in games like this when we are successful with it.

 

On how this game’s performance stacks up compared to others:

Hatch: It was definitely one of our better games, but like you said, every game presents a different challenge. We did a really good job with this one. Every week, we are preparing for the opponent, and I do feel like we go into every game prepared. I think getting a goal early in the game really helps; it gives us a lot of momentum and helps us settle down. We’ve had some games where we have dominated, but we went into the locker room at half time 0-0, so that kind of drags on the suspense of the game. I think getting a goal early really helped, but we’ve had a lot of really great games. I would say definitely this was one of our better ones in controlling the tempo from minute one to the last minute — like 100-something minute, whatever it was. I am proud of us, and I feel like we will learn a lot from this game and continue to more forward and improve.

 

On Hatch’s head after getting bumped during the game:

Hatch: No, I’m good. I might have a little bump. Don’t look too close, but I think I’m good. Thanks for asking.

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