Washington Spirit Clinch Playoff Berth With Victory Over Gotham FC
AI-generated image · US National Wire
A late goal from Lucia Di Guglielmo secures a postseason spot for the Spirit and denies Gotham FC a chance to seal the NWSL Shield.
The Washington Spirit secured a place in the NWSL playoffs on Saturday following a 1-0 victory over Gotham FC at Audi Field, as reported by The Guardian.
In the 70th minute, midfielder Mélissa Bethi provided a precise lobbed pass to Lucia Di Guglielmo, who scored her first NWSL goal by beating Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. The victory marked the first win for the Spirit (16-8-4) against Gotham since June 23, 2024. Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver contributed to the result with two saves, earning her 10th clean sheet of the season. The match also saw the return of Leicy Santos, who started in her first appearance since August 8, while defender Leila Ouahabi made her debut for Gotham after her contract was terminated by the Chicago Stars.
The loss snapped a four-match unbeaten run for Gotham (16-5-7) and prevented the club from clinching the NWSL Shield.
In other league action reported by The Guardian, the San Diego Wave (17-8-3) secured a top-four playoff seed with a 2-1 road win over the North Carolina Courage. San Diego forward Melanie Barcenas scored a long-range goal in the fourth minute, marking her seventh of the season and setting a new NWSL single-season record for goals by a teenager. Trinity Byars added a second goal following a through-ball from Gia Corley, while Vilde Bőe Risa scored a late goal for the Courage (13-12-3).
Additionally, Angel City (13-8-7) completed a 3-2 comeback victory against the Denver Summit (10-10-8) with goals from Sveindís Jónsdóttir, Taylor Suarez, and Ally Sentnor. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Current (14-9-5) defeated the Utah Royals (14-10-4) 2-0, led by two goals from Haley Hopkins.