Ashley Hatch wasted no time making her mark on Friday night at Audi Field, scoring twice in a span of three minutes to lead the Washington Spirit to a 2–0 victory over Bay FC. The veteran striker opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, nodding home a pinpoint cross from Leicy Santos to net her 55th career goal, breaking a tie with Jessica McDonald for fifth place in league history. The goal also ended Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz’s shutout streak at 190 minutes—just five minutes after the team had set a new club record for consecutive regular-season minutes without conceding. Bay entered the match with 168 shutout minutes and surpassed their previous record of 185 by getting through the 18th minute unscathed. It was also Hatch’s 20th career game-winner in the NWSL, second only to Lynn Williams Biyendolo.

Moments later, she doubled the lead with a composed finish off a Narumi Miura free kick.

Hatch’s brace powered the Spirit to their second win of the season and handed Bay FC its first defeat of 2025. Despite a strong second-half push from the visitors, Washington’s early advantage held firm. The goals not only showcased Hatch’s sharp instincts inside the box, but also put her on the brink of joining an elite club—only Christine Sinclair (66 goals for Portland Thorns) and Megan Rapinoe (51 goals for Seattle Reign FC) have scored 50 or more goals for a single NWSL team. With 49 career goals for the Spirit currently, Hatch is well on track to be the next.

In other Hatch-related news, the Spirit forward was recently named to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the upcoming April friendlies against Brazil. The two-game series begins April 5 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and continues April 8 at PayPal Park—home of Bay FC—in San Jose. Hatch heads into international duty in stellar form.