Washington Spirit Secures Spot in NWSL Final with Dominant Win
On Saturday, the Washington Spirit defeated the Portland Thorns 2-0 at Audi Field, thanks to goals from Gift Monday and Croix Bethune. This victory marks the Spirit’s consecutive appearance in the NWSL Championship.
From the start, Washington displayed a commanding performance, with Monday scoring in the 27th minute. She capitalized on a pass from Rosemonde Kouassi, who made an impressive run from the other end of the field following a Thorns corner kick. In the 83rd minute, Bethune secured the win with an empty-net goal.
Reflecting on the team’s progress, Bethune stated, “I feel like for us, we’ve been in this steady spot that’s been pretty good, and I feel like these past two games, honestly, have been the best soccer that we’ve played.”
The Spirit is set to face the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between the Orlando Pride and NJ/NY Gotham FC on November 22 in San Jose, California.
Notably, Spirit forward Trinity Rodman made her return to the field on Saturday after recovering from an MCL sprain in her right knee. Rodman entered the match in the 90th minute to a cheering crowd of over 19,000 fans and almost scored shortly after her entry.
Rodman’s return is promising as she might play a significant role in the upcoming championship match, a stage where the Spirit were defeated by Orlando in the previous season.
Coach Adrián González expressed the significance of Rodman’s minutes on the pitch: “So, getting those minutes has been great for her, also for the team and the fans. That was something important.”
These minutes could be among Rodman’s last in a Spirit uniform at Audi Field, as she is reportedly considering several lucrative offers from European clubs as her current contract expires next month.
Despite the absence of Rodman for much of the season, the Spirit triumphed decisively on Saturday. Kouassi consistently threatened the Thorns’ defense, partnering well with Monday, who narrowly missed an early chance before they both combined for the opening goal.
Full-back Kate Wiesner filled in admirably for the injured Gabby Carle, complementing the Spirit’s offensive efforts with dynamic runs up the left flank. Center-back Tara McKeown contributed significantly to the defense, ensuring the Thorns had limited scoring opportunities.
The Spirit’s performance reflected their dominance with a projected 3.11 expected goals compared to the Thorns’ 0.31.
After the match, Thorns captain Sam Coffey acknowledged the superiority of the Spirit, saying, “I think Spirit is definitely the better team. They outplayed us, for sure, and I think they definitely have all the pieces to go and win the whole thing.”
Despite the loss, Coffey expressed pride in her team’s season achievements, emphasizing their efforts to play fearlessly and leave everything on the field.
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