Virginia sportsbooks have embraced the upcoming 2021 National Women’s Soccer League regular season, particularly with regards to the Washington Spirit betting odds. These odds favor Washington, DC’s club to potentially spoil the Orlando Pride’s home opener on Saturday.
Despite a respectable performance in the Challenge Cup tournament, Washington seems to have garnered favor from VA sports betting apps to sustain their momentum. However, it is worth noting that their Sunday opponent actually outperformed them in the tournament.
Washington Spirit betting odds for Sunday’s match
The Spirit will enter the pitch on Sunday (6 p.m. on Paramount+) as the frontrunners with the lowest odds of winning on the three-way moneyline. BetRivers Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, and Unibet Sportsbook all offer Washington +125 as the favored outcome in this market.
If you want further proof of oddsmakers’ favoritism towards the Spirit, take a look at other markets offered by the same bookmakers. For instance, BetRivers provides odds of +380 for Washington to win and both clubs to score. Meanwhile, DraftKings sets the Spirit at -150 in a Draw No Bet line.
Unibet offers a prop bet on the game, where you can wager on Washington to be in the lead at the end of both halves. If the Spirit fulfill this condition, the payout would be +265. However, how probable is this outcome? Interestingly, this same matchup occurred just under a month ago.
Spirit at Pride, Part 1
In the third out of four Challenge Cup matches, Washington traveled to Orlando on April 21. Despite Washington’s 19-8 advantage in shots, Orlando emerged victorious with a 1-0 win, primarily due to an exceptional performance by their goalkeeper, Ashlyn Harris. Harris made an impressive nine saves, effectively preventing the Spirit from scoring.
Despite having several opportunities, the Spirit were unable to overcome the challenge posed by Harris on this specific evening. Leroux and Morgan’s presence in the defensive zone created enough difficulties to prevent Washington from earning any points.
In the 11th minute, Morgan discovered Leroux positioned in the center of the field. From there, Leroux skillfully maneuvered to launch the ball beyond Spirit keeper Aubrey Bledsoe. Although Bledsoe fiercely competed with Harris throughout the remaining match, the irreversible damage had already been inflicted.
Will Harris be able to maintain composure on Sunday, or will Washington’s forwards finally find a way to overcome? The outcome may hinge on the adaptability of the Spirit formation’s leading players.
Spirit offense trending in wrong direction
Washington scored three goals in their first two Challenge Cup matches, but failed to score in their last two matches. One notable difference in the box scores was the impact made by forward Ashley Sanchez.
Sanchez managed to achieve a total of six shots, resulting in one goal, during Washington’s initial two Challenge Cup matches, which resulted in a win and a draw. However, in the subsequent two matches, Orlando and Gotham FC were able to effectively control her performance, restricting her to only three shots, with just one being on target.
Sanchez plays a crucial role in the Spirit’s strategy of pressuring opponents, which allows other forwards like Ashley Hatch, Trinity Rodman (the youngest domestic player to score in the NWSL and the daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman), and Kumi Yokoyama to have more freedom in their attacking play.
It is reasonable for VA sportsbooks to not anticipate Harris to perform as exceptionally against an imbalanced attack once again. Nevertheless, Washington is still under pressure to recreate that onslaught. Failing to do so could result in a similar outcome as the loss experienced in April.
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