The Washington Spirit secured a 2-0 victory over the Portland Thorns, with Gift Monday and Croix Bethune finding the net, propelling the Spirit into the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship game. This win sets up the Spirit for their second consecutive NWSL final appearance in San Jose, California next weekend, where they will meet the victor of the Gotham FC versus Orlando Pride semifinal match on Sunday.
This marks the Spirit’s fourth championship showdown in their history, following their 1-0 defeat against the Pride in the previous season. The opening goal for the Spirit was initiated by Rosemonde Kouassi, who dashed 80 yards on a counterattack from a Thorns corner kick in the 27th minute, setting up Monday for a close-range finish to take the lead.
Kouassi’s assist to Monday marked the sixth time this season they combined for a goal, continuing their effective partnership in the playoffs. Despite Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold’s commendable efforts with six saves, including two remarkable back-to-back saves in the 56th and 57th minutes, the Spirit extended their lead when Bethune capitalized on a space in the 83rd minute, breezing past Arnold to secure the 2-0 victory with a composed finish.
Spirit forward Sofia Cantore had a chance to extend the lead in the 69th minute but hit the post with the best opportunity of the second half. U.S. women’s national team forward Trinity Rodman made a comeback from a knee injury in the 90th minute, replacing Cantore. Rodman came close to adding a third goal in stoppage time of the second half but narrowly missed the target with a low strike from inside the box.
The NWSL semifinal clash drew a full-capacity crowd of 19,365 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., marking the Spirit’s second consecutive year hosting an NWSL Playoff semifinal and their fourth consecutive sell-out playoff game.