Rodman scores winner in return from injury in Spirit's win over Thorns

Trinity Rodman scored in stoppage time of her first game since April to give the Washington Spirit a 2-1 victory over the Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League on Sunday.

Rodman was on the bench to begin the game before entering to the roar of the crowd at Audi Field in the 76th minute. Rodman had not played since April 12 because of a nagging back issue.

Rodman, who won a gold medal with the United States at the Olympics last summer, buried her head in her hands and sobbed after the goal, her first for the Spirit since last Sept. 15.

“That was the hardest thing I've had to go through, with the injury and everything. So being back, especially at the home stadium with the crowd behind me, scoring a goal like that, you saw I buried it, was not going to miss it,” she said afterward. “I'm just really happy to be back. I missed the team, I missed doing what I love, so just joy.”

The Spirit (8-4-2) moved into third place in the standings as the team returned from the league's six-week summer break. In Sunday's late match, the Orlando Pride hung onto second place in the standings with a 1-1 draw with the Utah Royals.

The Thorns (6-4-4) had won their last two matches before the break.

Gift Monday put the Spirit in front in the 17th minute, taking a well-placed cross from Rosemonde Kouassi and easily putting it past Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold. Monday has five goals this season.

Although the Spirit dominated early on, Portland tied it up in first-half stoppage time on Olivia Moultrie’s bolt from the top of the box.

Adrián González, who was the Spirit's interim head coach last year before Jonatan Girladez took over last summer, became the team's permanent head coach last month during the NWSL break when Giraldez was named coach of Lyon in France's top league.

Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury surpassed former Spirit player Tori Huster for most minutes played with the club in the second half.

Royals earn road point

Prisca Chilufya’s goal in the 72nd minute pulled the Pride into a 1-1 draw with the Royals in Orlando. The match was marked by a 30-minute weather delay late in the first half.

Utah (1-10-3) went up early on Mina Tanaka’s goal from distance in the fifth minute that went above Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse’s head.

After Chilufya's goal, the Pride nearly went ahead in the 89th minute but Utah's Kate Del Fava headed away Simone Jackson's attempt. The Royals were resilient throughout in one of their best performances of the season.

The match came two days after the Royals traded midfielder Ally Sentnor to the Kansas City Current for of $600,000 in intra-league transfer funds.

The Pride (8-4-2) saw the return of Simone Charley, who did not play last season and missed nearly all of the 2023 season because of Achilles injuries. Charley came in as a substitute late in the game.

Orlando midfielder Luana, who hasn't played since April 2024 because of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was available off the bench for the first time but did not play.

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