Ashley Hatch was one win away from winning her second NWSL championship last November.
This year, the forward isn’t wasting any time making an impact in her ninth NWSL season. She scored in the Washington Spirit’s season-opener, a 2-1 win last week.
It was Hatch’s 19th gamewinner of her career — the second-most in NWSL history, according to the game’s broadcast.
“I can’t complain. I feel like it’s a good way to start. Scoring goals and winning games I feel like is always positive. So I think I’m just really excited to start off the year with a goal and a win,” Hatch told the Deseret News on Thursday.
The goal and game were a continuation of her hot streak to close out 2024, when she scored five goals in her team’s last seven regular season games.
Why Ashley Hatch has more confidence this season
Those goals all came after a mid-season benching. In September, Hatch was able to work her way back into the starting lineup before she went on a scoring tear.
That experience is motivating her this season.
“I think it gives me motivation but also just like an extra sense of just belief in myself. I think going through starting and then not starting and then earning a spot again helps me prove to myself that I can do hard things and that I’m a very resilient player, and I can show up even when times are hard or when I’m in a position that I maybe don’t want to be in,” she said.
It also has helped teach her to “never take a starting role or position for granted,” she said.
“I would say everything I experienced last year definitely helps me already this year and is going to continue to help me with whatever is thrown my way this year,” she said.
Hatch’s commitment to improvement
Hatch has scored 54 regular season goals in her NWSL career, tying her with Jessica McDonald, who retired after the 2023 season, for fifth all-time.
Hatch said the key to maintaining her consistency as a veteran striker is “always finding ways to improve.”
This year, she’s concentrating on improving her scoring in and around the box, by positioning herself in “advantageous positions,” whether it’s on the end of crosses or positioning herself for an easy tap in.
She’s also working on her deep shots as well.
“I think as a forward and as a striker, there’s so many different ways that you can contribute to scoring goals,” Hatch said.
Hatch’s role as big sister on the Spirit
Setting a standard of hard work and putting forth her best effort is part of how Hatch leads the Spirit by example in addition to instilling confidence and ensuring the team has a comfortable and inclusive environment, she said.
Her leadership responsibilities extend to diffusing contentious moments on the field with the ref.
Her efforts stem, in part, from the “protective instinct” she has after growing up as the oldest child in her family.
“I feel like all my teammates, especially the younger ones, are like my younger sisters. So, whenever they’re in an argument or the ref’s talking to them, I want to make sure I’m always close by just to have their back, make sure they feel supported and just be there if they need me or need anything,” she said.
What a successful 2025 season looks like for Hatch and the Washington Spirit
For Hatch, a successful 2025 would involve continued improvement and hard work on her part.
“I think for me personally, it’s just consistently doing the things that I want to be doing, showing up every day, working hard, always feeling like I’m getting better or improving every single day,” she said.
She wants to do whatever she can to contribute to the team and its success.
“If that’s scoring goals, let’s score as many goals as I possibly can. If that’s just helping others around me get better, then I want to help everyone else around me get better,” she said.
Hatch believes the Spirit can win the NWSL shield and championship this year.
While those are team goals, you won’t hear those being consistently discussed by the team, Hatch said, because the Spirit know there’s more required to achieve those goals.
“It’s showing up for each other every single day, focusing one game at a time, continuing to improve, continuing to learn from the wins and the losses,” she said.
Hatch acknowledged that each season will present its own challenges, so it’s important to make sure “that we have those values and that foundation that can carry us through the season.”
“If we do all the right things, I think that we can accomplish our goals,” she said.
The Spirit host the Kansas City Current on Saturday in Washington’s second game of the season and first at home.