Ashley Sanchez's brilliant back-heel flick to assist the Washington Spirit's late-game equalizer may be the best play of the NWSL Challenge Cup so far

• The Washington Spirit have been an unexpected force to be reckoned with thus far at the National Women's Soccer League Challenge Cup.
• In their Sunday-night matchup against the perennial powerhouse Portland Thorns, the Spirit scored a late-game equalizer thanks to a brilliant assist from Ashley Sanchez.
• The rookie forward used a mind-boggling back-heel flick to save a corner kick from sailing out of bounds, lofting the ball into the box for Washington defender Sam Staab to head the ball into the back of the net.
• The Spirit went on to finish the match with a 1-1 draw to move them into a three-way tie for second place in the NWSL Challenge Cup standings.

The National Women's Soccer League's Challenge Cup —the first professional contact sports event to return in the US since the coronavirus pandemic began — has been full of surprise success stories through its first few games, and the Washington Spirit certainly qualify as one.

The DC-based team has risen from one of the league's weakest contenders to NWSL frontrunners — and the young squad has done so in style.

Sunday night's matchup against the perennial powerhouse Portland Thorns was no exception.

Mere minutes after USWNT star midfielder Lindsey Horan put the Thorns on the board with a diving header off of a set piece, the Spirit answered back with a late-game equalizer. Though Washington defender Sam Staab was the one to knock the ball into the back of the net with a header of her own, Spirit striker Ashley Sanchez walked off the pitch with the highlight of the night — and maybe of the whole tournament — thanks to her flashy assist on the play.

The rookie out of UCLA used an improbable back-heel flick to save a corner kick from hitting the side netting in the 77th minute of play. The ball soared into the box, where Staab rose up for the finish to tie the game at one goal apiece.

Check out the mind-boggling play below:

—Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) July 6, 2020

It's even more impressive from this angle:

—Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) July 6, 2020

After the match — which ended in a 1-1 draw to move the Spirit into a three-way tie for second place in the NWSL Challenge Cup standings — Sanchez said she had "no idea" how she managed to pull off the flick for the assist. Washington coach Richie Burke, meanwhile, said that his young star's impressive play "was more like a kung-fu move."

"I don't know what Sanchez thought, but that was not a rehearsed play, and that was not something that we expected," Burke said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Tannenwald. "I don't think she expected it. ... But, you know, we'll take it under the circumstances."

"[Sanchez is] obviously a bright young talent," Burke added. "We're loving what she's doing for our football club. She's one of the kids I think is really benefitting from these matches."

The Spirit will play their final match of the NWSL Challenge Cup qualification round on Sunday, when they'll take on the surging Houston Dash in one of the most highly-anticipated matches thus far.

• Read more:
• Julie Ertz and US women's national team, Chicago Red Stars teammate Casey Short took a knee, held each other, and cried during the national anthem at their first game in 8 months
• Every single NWSL player kneeled during the national anthem at the first professional contact sports game to return in the US since the coronavirus pandemic began
• Here's your viewing guide for the NWSL — the first American professional contact sports league to return since the coronavirus pandemic began
• An entire team in the top women's soccer league dropped out of their return to action after 6 players tested positive for coronavirus following trip to local bar