Ally Sentnor's Late Stunner, Her First Angel City Goal, Earns 1-1 Draw With Washington Spirit

Ally Sentnor had already been robbed once. In the 37th minute she buried a shot past Sandy MacIver, only for VAR to wipe it out. So with five minutes left and Angel City trailing, she simply did it again, and this time nobody could take it away.

Sentnor's curling strike from outside the box in the 85th minute earned Angel City FC a 1-1 draw with the Washington Spirit on Sunday night at BMO Stadium. Trinity Rodman had put the Spirit ahead in the 65th minute with her 10th goal of the season, but Sentnor's first goal for Angel City, set up by substitute Savy King, made sure the points were split.

A Fast Start, a Post and a Phantom Goal

Angel City came out swinging. Claire Emslie and Prisca Chilufya both went close inside the first five minutes, Chilufya, in her first start of the season, missed narrowly again in the 12th, and Sentnor dragged a left-footer wide in the 16th. The Spirit's own recap counted four Angel City shots in the opening 15 minutes.

Washington then took over the ball. In the 24th minute, Rodman broke into the box and smacked a right-footed shot off the left post, and five minutes later Angelina Anderson got down to stop Hal Hershfelt's close-range effort. Sofia Cantore pulled one just wide in the 31st.

Then came the moment that will live in Angel City's group chat. In the 37th minute, Sentnor fired past MacIver and the BMO crowd erupted, but a video review flagged a handball by Chilufya in the buildup and the goal was chalked off. Ary Borges and Tamara Bolt traded near misses deep in first-half stoppage time, and it was scoreless at the break.

Rodman Strikes, Sentnor Answers

Washington brought on Esme Morgan for Gabrielle Carle at halftime and squeezed the life out of the game for a stretch. According to the Spirit, they held 78 percent of possession over the first 15 minutes of the second half. Rodman fired high in the 51st and had another effort blocked in the 57th, and Tara Rudd had a header blocked a minute later.

The breakthrough came in the 65th. Rudd sprung Rodman into the final third, Rodman drove into the box and smashed a left-footed shot into the top left corner. Ten goals on the season, and the Spirit were on their way to a road win.

Angel City interim head coach Leif Smerud responded immediately, sending on King and Riley Tiernan in the 66th, and the hosts spent the next 20 minutes laying siege. MacIver saved a Sentnor shot in the 71st. Carina Lageyre had two efforts in the 76th. Sarah Gorden headed wide off a corner in the 78th. Sentnor tested MacIver again from distance in the 82nd. And then, in the 85th, King slipped the ball to Sentnor out on the left side of the area, and Sentnor carried it inside before whipping a right-footed shot into the top right corner. Unstoppable.

Washington nearly won it anyway. Anderson stopped Rudd from point-blank range in the first minute of stoppage time, and in the closing stages Ashley Hatch and Rodman both fired just wide.

Sentnor's Night

Sentnor finished with four shots, three on target and the goal, and she was the best attacker on the field in the second half. Her coach had no doubts about where this was heading.

"The way [Sentnor has] been focused on improving and working on what she can control has impressed me," Smerud said. "She can shoot like very few players, and we saw it today."

Sentnor credited the group for giving her freedom. "I honestly just felt a lot of momentum in this game," she said.

King deserves a mention too. Per Angel City, it was her first match for the club since April 3 and her first-ever goal contribution for ACFC, and she also made a sliding block on a dangerous Paige Metayer cross late on. Gorden, meanwhile, made her 150th start, which the club said makes her one of 30 players in NWSL history to reach that mark.

For Washington, Rodman took five shots and found the net once, and the club noted that Hatch, its all-time leading scorer with 59 regular-season goals, made her first appearance in nearly 15 months off the bench.

The Turning Point

Smerud's double change in the 66th minute. One minute after falling behind, Angel City sent on King and Tiernan, and the hosts took over. Both of Sentnor's second-half shots before the goal came after the switch, and it was King who delivered the final ball for the equalizer.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Angel City 17, Washington 16.
• Shots on goal: 3 apiece, with each keeper making two saves.
• Possession: Washington 54.6 percent.
• Tackles: Washington made 31 to Angel City's 17.
• Clearances: Washington 33, Angel City 17.

What It Means

Angel City moves to 7-4-7 with 25 points, and the club noted it was a third straight draw after 1-1 at Kansas City and 2-2 at Seattle. That also makes it four matches without a win since a 2-1 home loss to Racing Louisville on July 26. Smerud liked what he saw anyway. "Our performance today is very promising, and I'm proud of the way we played," he said.

Washington is now 11-4-5 with 37 points and, per the club, moved back into second place. The draw ended a two-game losing skid after home losses to San Diego, 1-0, and North Carolina, 4-3. Next up, the Spirit host the Orlando Pride on Aug. 23, while Angel City welcomes Gotham FC to BMO Stadium the same day.

Closing Take

Sentnor's night played out like a sequel that actually beats the original. The first goal got taken away by a replay, the second was too good for anyone to argue with. Angel City still needs wins, not just character points, but if Sentnor keeps shooting like this, the draws will start turning into something better.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by AngelCity.com; additional details from WashingtonSpirit.com.