BOYDS, MARYLAND (June 16, 2018) — Aubrey Bledsoe has had her work cut out for her this NWSL season.
Bledsoe was named the clear number one goalkeeper for the Washington Spirit. Head Coach Jim Gabarra has been vocal about his commitment to Bledsoe in net, despite the low-standing ranking of the team.
Aubrey Bledsoe Shines in Washington Spirit Draw Against Seattle Reign
The 26-year-old goalkeeper from Cincinnati, OH, was dealt a big challenge on Saturday, facing the Seattle Reign. The west coast club boasts top goal scorer Megan Rapinoe and veteran attackers like Allie Long, Jodie Taylor, and Beverly Yanez.
“It’s a good point,” Bledsoe said after the match. “We’re happy to take away a point out of that one. Obviously, we want to win and get three points. We had our chances, so hopefully looking forward we can build off our defensive performance and add some goals.”
Bledsoe said that against Seattle luck was in her favor.
“They were coming at us,” Bledsoe said. “It’s just kind of staying calm, reading the game and seeing where they’re going to hurt us. Luckily, I was able to come up with some big-time saves to keep us in it today. It was just me kind of feeding off the energy of the team.”
Despite only earning a point, Seattle still remains in second place. Meanwhile, the Spirit remains in eighth place with 10 points. They are four points shy away from reaching seventh-place Houston.
Highlights from tonight's defensive battle. #WeWill // #WASvSEA pic.twitter.com/Ray9EmjVDS
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) June 17, 2018
Three Takeaways
- Bledsoe looked ready for something more: What does “something more” entirely mean in terms of soccer? Bledsoe is ready to be seriously looked at by Jill Ellis and the U.S. Women’s National Team. Ellis has a tendency to stick with Ashlyn Harris and Alyssa Naeher. Even during the last USWNT friendlies, those two started over Abby Smith and Casey Murphy. It’s time for Ellis to turn her head to the Spirit goalkeeper.
- What does Yanara Aedo have to do?: Maybe when the USWNT play against Chile in September coach Gabarra will start paying attention to Aedo. The Chilean forward still hasn’t received any playing time for the Washington Spirit this season. She’s a talented young forward but is constantly being overlooked. If Washington isn’t playing well with what they have, why not throw Aedo in and see what she has to offer.
- Yanez deserves more starts: She’s not a household name by any means, but Beverly Yanez has been relatively consistent for the Seattle Reign. Yanez didn’t score, but she did have a shot on Bledsoe.
🔊 Postgame Sound with @ToriHuster following her 90 minute performance in tonight's clean sheet effort.#WeWill // #WASvSEA pic.twitter.com/CyALDhSZ95
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) June 17, 2018
