Joanna Lohman and Allie Long during last season’s match up against the Spirit (Photo Credit: Jeff Wong)

Of all the scenarios that Washington Spirit supporters could have thought of with regards to their 2017 season this is most certainly the darkest timeline. While the losses of Ali Krieger, Crystal Dunn, Diane Matheson, and Christine Nairn certainly dimmed expectations coming into this campaign their was some level of hope that this side would put up a fair number of results and have a puncher’s chance at a playoffs spot. But even as the losses continue to pile up there is still hope within the Spirit.

“We tried to reset and come out and win the second half and I think for the most part we hung in there,” said Gabarra after the club’s 4-0 loss to the Portland Thorns on Saturday. “But you know we were playing against a side that has been sitting here all week [the Spirit had a midweek home match against the North Carolina Courage]and fresh while are beyond the back end of our roster. It is about not stopping or being broken. It is about continuing to fight.”

Saturday’s loss was not the first instance of a difficult showing from the 2016 NWSL Championship finalist. 2017 has been a steady stream of injuries, disappointment, injuries, and disappointment. The Spirit currently sit at the bottom of the NWSL standings with a 4-13-4 record with just 16 points on the season.

We use the term ‘disappointment’ loosely here not as a condemnation of their style but rather that results just have not gone their way. While 13 losses is certainly a rather large ugly number very few blowouts. Of the 13 defeats the Spirit were within a goal of securing at least a point in nine of them. Sides that are having a terrible season very rarely are in this many matches.

Despite boasting one of the youngest rosters in the NWSL the Spirit have often played above their weight against some of the league’s best. But for one reason or another (a bad mistake, a key injury, depth) the results have just not gone their way this season.

Of all the reasons injuries and a lack of depth seem to have played the biggest role to this season’s slide. Their injury report currently features seven players (Yanara Aedo, Stephanie Labbe, Francisca Ordega, Estelle Johnson, Estefania Banini, Line Jensen, Joanna Lohman, and Arielle Shipp) out for the rest of the season, the most among any side in the NWSL.

“That’s the hard thing about this league,” said Gabarra. “You can be at the bottom of the table but your play can say that you are at the middle or the top of the table.”

But, as evident by their recent run of matches, this side doesn’t appear to be giving up even if results do not go in their favor. With three matches left in the season the Spirit still find themselves very much in the thick of things in the NWSL. Two of their final three opponents (Sky Blue FC on Saturday and the Seattle Reign FC on September 30)still have playoff aspirations this season. Furthermore, their third match is against the Boston Breakers at home on September 23. The Breakers and Spirit are currently tied on points in the NWSL Standings.

“Games in this league are precious. Just ask any player who tears their ACL and cannot play. I have never been through anything as brutal as this in my 30 years of coaching. But we are not looking towards next year. We are not looking to finish last. We want to win our final three games and get some momentum going into next year.”