Ashley Hatch made history when she scored her 40th goal for the Washington Spirit on Saturday.
Hatch nailed a penalty kick in the 69th minute of the Spirit’s match against defending champion Gotham FC, helping the Spirit win 2-0.
It was the 47th goal of the former BYU Cougar’s NWSL career. She scored seven goals with the NC Courage as a rookie, according to the NWSL.
How Ashley Hatch made NWSL history
Hatch has made her last 10 penalties, tying Christine Sinclair’s record for the longest perfect penalty streak in the NWSL, according to OptaJack. Saturday’s goal was also her first of the season.
She has taken 11 penalty kicks in her NWSL career and has only missed once, according to Footy Stats.
The goal puts her in elite company. She is now the fifth player to score 40 goals for one club, joining Sinclair, Megan Rapinoe, Jess Fishlock and Lynn Williams, according to the Spirit.
How Ashely Hatch’s penalty shooting could have helped in the 2023 FIFA World Cup
Hatch’s penalty prowess could have been useful to the U.S. women’s national team at last summer’s World Cup as the Equalizer’s Jenna Tonelli pointed out. But she was left off the roster.
Missed penalties were one of the factor’s that led to the U.S. team’s early World Cup exit.
Veteran Alex Morgan, the team’s starting striker, missed a penalty in the team’s first group stage match against Vietnam.
Then in Round 16, the U.S. team’s match against Sweden came down to a penalty shootout.
Andi Sullivan, Lindsey Horan and Kristie Mewis made the first three penalties for the U.S., but Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith and Kelley O’Hara each missed.
The missed penalties — and makes by the other team — resulted in the U.S.’s earliest World Cup exit in history.
How are the Washington Spirit doing this season?
Hatch’s goal helped the Spirit win their fourth-straight game, which is their longest win streak since the end of the 2021 season and beginning of the 2022 season, according to the team.
The Spirit are currently second in the NWSL and only one point behind the KC Current. The team has struggled the past two seasons, failing to make the playoffs since winning the 2021 NWSL championship.