Angel City FC battled back late to earn a 1-1 draw against the Washington Spirit on Sunday, August 16, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Ally Sentnor provided the decisive moment for the hosts with an 85th-minute equalizer, answering a 65th-minute goal from Washington star Trinity Rodman. The result gave Angel City a third consecutive draw as the club continued its push for a place in the NWSL playoffs.
Angel City entered the match determined to make an impact in front of its home supporters and created several promising opportunities during the opening stages. Prisca Chilufya, making her first start of the season, immediately caused problems for the Washington defense. She fired narrowly over the crossbar in the fifth minute before sending another close-range opportunity just wide in the 12th.
Washington also threatened during an evenly contested first half. Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson was called into action in the 29th minute when Hal Hershfelt found space close to goal, with Anderson getting down quickly to prevent the Spirit midfielder from breaking the deadlock. Although Washington controlled more of the possession, Angel City remained dangerous when it was able to move forward.
The hosts thought they had taken the lead in the 37th minute when Sentnor fired past Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver and into the right side of the net. The celebration was short-lived, however, as a VAR review determined that Chilufya had committed a handball earlier in the buildup. The goal was overturned, sending the teams into halftime still searching for the breakthrough.
Washington eventually found it in the 65th minute through Rodman. Tara Rudd drove toward the Angel City defense before slipping a pass into Rodman’s path. The forward surged into the penalty area and lifted her finish over Anderson to put Washington ahead 1-0. The goal was Rodman’s 10th of the NWSL season and once again demonstrated her ability to turn a tight match with a single attacking sequence.
Angel City responded by increasing the pressure on the Spirit goal. Sentnor forced MacIver into a two-handed save in the 71st minute before causing more trouble with an inswinging delivery from a corner several minutes later. She then created an opportunity for Taylor Suarez in the 81st minute, only for Washington to make a crucial sliding challenge before Suarez could finish.
The pressure finally produced a reward in the 85th minute. Savy King, making her first Angel City appearance since April 3 after returning from injury, found Sentnor near the left side of the penalty area. Sentnor moved laterally across the edge of the box before unleashing a curling effort that sailed into the top-right corner beyond MacIver. It was Sentnor’s first goal for Angel City and a memorable way to open her scoring account with the club.
King also played an important defensive role after helping create the equalizer, making a sliding intervention near the right post in the 90th minute to cut out a dangerous Washington cross. Angel City held firm through the remaining minutes to protect the point. The night also included another significant milestone as captain Sarah Gorden made her 150th NWSL start, while Sydney Leroux returned to the field in second-half stoppage time for her first Angel City appearance since the 2024 season.
While Angel City could have viewed the overturned first-half goal and several missed opportunities as reasons for frustration, the late response provided another encouraging sign for interim head coach Leif Smerud’s team. Against a Washington side featuring one of the league’s most dangerous attackers in Rodman, Angel City stayed within striking distance and continued pushing until Sentnor delivered. The 1-1 draw kept the club’s playoff pursuit moving forward while giving Sentnor a potentially important breakthrough moment as the season entered its decisive stretch.
