Summer, Summer, Summertime...And The Living Is Easy

Summer is upon us, and that means the summer of women’s football is here as well. I’m so excited for the Copa America Femenina, the Euros, and WAFCON to happen in July, and I’m equally excited about the last three matchdays of the first half of the NWSL season. The table is tight in the middle and teams can make some movement in the coming weeks that’ll make them feel better about going into the break. Summer also means comings and goings, for players and staff alike. We had a shakeup this week in DC, with the announcement of Jona Giraldez leaving the Spirit in June to join Olympique Lyonnes (I forced myself to type it that way because we respect name changes here, but that’s not French!) with the departure of Joe Montemurro for the Australia WNT. Adrian Gonzalez will take over as permanent head coach for the Spirit. There’s still more information to come on this story, and we’ll have more thoughts and feelings then. But, hug a Spirit fan in your life if you can, it’s been an wild few days.

We have merch!

It’s almost Pride month, and we at Shea Butter want to honor Pride with our first ever kit. Shea Butter Pride 25 is now on sale, in two colors (teal is the goal keeper kit). This kit was done in collaboration with Olive & York (highly recommend), and tells the story of our show and what Pride means to us. We hope this kit honors all of the ways that Shea Butter FC and the LGBTQ+ community matter to you. We think it does. Don’t delay, get yours now!

Don’t forget to check out our newest line of Don’t Play Out The Back shirts, now in tie dye. These are still fresh of the presses, so you can get our most popular shirt in even more colors! We hope you like having even more ways to tell your favorite team Don’t Play Out The Back. Available in multiple color options at the link below (minty rainbow is one of 5 color options)

Match Recaps and Notable Goal Scorers

*_{note, all names listed in italics are players that scored, the number beside their name indicates the minute they scored their goal. (P) = goal scored was a penalty kick}

It was the last week in the NWSL before the May international break, and some matches delivered. The seasons have wrapped up for most other domestic leagues, and the major tournaments do not start until July, so this section will be lean until it’s not. Let’s get into it.

National Women’s Soccer League

San Diego Wave 5, North Carolina Courage 2 - Perle Moronni 65

Racing Louisville 3, Angel City FC 2 - Alyssa Thompson 68 (P)

Houston Dash 2, Bay FC 2 - Messiah Bright 88

Kansas City Current 3, Chicago (Red) Stars 1 - Temwa Chawinga

Orlando Pride 3, Utah Royals 1 - Barbra Banda 6, 37, 38

Notable Goals

We had our first Shea Butter Hattrick of the season in the league, with Barbra Banda only needing 34 minutes to complete the feat and regain her lead in the Golden Boot race. Temwa Chawinga kept pace with her 6th of the season, and international competition gave us Shea Butter bombs from the likes of Sandy Baltimore, Sveindis Jonsdottir, and Barbra Banda, who hope to carry their league forms into their summer tournaments.

Black In Action: Croix Bethune

So, this was later ruled a Shae Holmes own goal, but the point remains, Croix Bethune is back! DC has been devastated by injuries, but the biggest missing piece may have been their all everything midfielder. Her vision, her passing accuracy, and her audacity to attempt passes that most US players wouldn’t gives the Spirit a unique dynamic. It also forces defenses to adjust to the her in game, and often get pulled apart with a pass or run by Bethune for doing so. The Spirit looked the best they have in weeks against a Seattle Reign team that loves to play a 1-0 game week in and week out. The score line was a bit unflattering for DC, who outplayed the Reign, especially in the first half. Bethune isn’t quite at full fitness, but she’s close, and she couldn’t come back at a better time for a club that’s met it’s share of shakeups this week. They’ll need her talent and her leadership for the last three matches before the break to help keep pace at the top of the table. The league missed your Croix, we’re glad you’re back.

Anatomy of a Goal: Barbra Banda

You get a hattrick, I will find a goal to talk about, lol. Barbra Banda scored three very Barbra Banda goals against Utah, from the right(ish), centrally, and from the left. I’m highlighting the last goal because I think it’s her best shot of the night to go in. First of all, the pass to clear the midfield from Haley McCutcheon is fantastic and Banda has plenty of space to gather herself in stride. She challenges the Utah defender by dribbling with the outside of her foot, in control but asking her to step to her. My guess, after the first two goals and the physicality in them, that wasn’t how Utah wanted to be beaten. Banda says fine here, and simply chooses to set her shot up and go for power. It’s not always the best option, but the state of the game likely made her feel better about that shot, and she was correct. A completely superficial thing about this goal, but the sound it makes off the glove and into the back of the net is very satisfying. You can hear all of Banda’s recent frustrations released in that shot. The “slump” is over, and Barbra Banda will make sure she’s in the Golden Boot race again this season. The league is better for it.

Cultural Cuts: AANHPI Month Ends, But Not The Culture

I recently went to the Angel City Training Facility to talk to select players about what AANHPI Month. Check out the article on our website, at the link below.

Spirit Reigns On Seattle’s Parade

by Riss Willett

The Spirit came out victorious again on the road against the Reign this week keeping their away streak alive by winning at Lumen stadium 2-1. Out of 10 games this season this one is probably the best the team has looked thus far. The Spirit had no problem attacking and were able to create chances pretty early on into this game. Rose Kouassi made an effort in on goal minutes into the game and soon after Gift Monday with an effort that was called offside. It was Croix Bethune though who finally got them on the board in the 10th minute with a goal. After the game the goal was changed from the Bethune/Krueger goal to an own goal from Shae Holmes, who in turn scored for the Reign in the 16th minute. The Spirit continued the attack and it led to a goal from Ashley Hatch in the 34th minute making that her sixth consecutive goal for the season. The defense, while still rocky, did hold off the Reign for the remainder of the half .The second half the Spirit remained aggressive with their attack on Seattle’s defense. Although none of those efforts resulted in another goal, they spent most of the second half on their end of the pitch. The Reign did have some chances on the Spirit’s end but the defense was able to hold them off despite some Lynn Biyendolo chances. In the end Washington came out victorious off of a bounce back performance. The Spirit have one game at home in June against the North Carolina Courage until after international duty for a good portion of this Spirit roster. The international break could be a reset for the team before playing at home again where they continue to struggle to win. A win at home before the summer break would be a great way to end the first half of the season before picking back up in August.

Final Thoughts: Short and Sweet, Happy Pride!

There will be more on Pride, and what it means to all of us at Shea Butter FC in the coming weeks, but I wanted to state before we kick of Pride Month, that I love my queer community. The members of SBFC are not perfect, though I truly believe we strive to do good when we can and where we can. Most of all, I hope Shea Butter FC is a place that makes the community feel safe, during Pride and on every other day of the year. As my former classmate used to say, “we love you all, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Happy Pride Squad Members. Stay safe and celebrate who you are, loudly. We’ll be doing the same.