– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
WASHINGTON — In the most tense moments that any soccer game can create, it just so happens that Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury is at her most calm. And also at her best.
Kingsbury, a penalty-shot stopper extraordinaire, did the trick again from the spot with her team’s season on the line, turning away two penalty kicks during the Spirit’s victory in a penalty shootout against Racing Louisville after the teams played to a 1-1 draw in the quarterfinals of the NWSL Playoffs. Washington buried each of its three spot kicks in the shootout to come away on top 3-1 and clinch a spot in the semifinals.
Kingsbury’s prowess in stopping penalties is written in the record books, as she came into today with the most penalty saves of any other in league history, and she continued to rewrite those books late in the afternoon. After Louisville’s Bethany Balcer and Washington’s Rebeca Bernal exchanged goals to start the shootout, the Spirit first took control when Ellie Jean’s attempt hit the post. Esme Morgan converted for Washington give the Spirit the upper hand.
Kingsbury moved the Spirit closer to victory after stopping Louisville’s Marisa DiGrande, and Washington extended its lead to 3-1 when Hal Hershfelt made her shot. Ary Borges stepped up to make the last effort only for Aubrey Kingsbury to deliver the clinching save, securing the shootout victory for the Spirit.
In her career, Kingsbury has now made nine saves in 26 attempts in shootouts, with a save percentage of 34.6 percent. Every other keeper in the league combined, with 20 saves in 156 attempts, has a save percentage of 12.8 percent.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Terry Mayo Jr. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 44 pictures in total.
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
