Gift Monday and Croix Bethune scored and the Washington Spirit beat the Portland Thorns 2-0 on Saturday to advance to the National Women’s Soccer League championship game.
With the win, the Spirit will play in their second consecutive NWSL final next weekend in San Jose, California. They will face the winner of Sunday’s semi-final between Gotham FC and the Orlando Pride.
It will be the fourth championship appearance in Spirit history. Last season, the Spirit were defeated 1-0 by the Pride.
The Spirit’s opening goal was sparked by a Thorns corner kick in the 27th minute. The counterattack was created by Rosemounde Kouassi, who sprinted 80 yards before laying the ball off for Monday to tap in from a yard out to make it 1-0.
It was the sixth time this season that Kouassi had assisted Monday, and also the second consecutive playoff game the duo have combined.
Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold did her best to keep the score down for the visitors and finished with six saves, including two athletic back-to-back saves in the 56th and 57th minutes.
Spirit forward Sofia Cantore missed an opportunity to make it 2-0 when she hit the post with the Spirit’s best chance of the second half in the 69th minute.
But Bethune sealed the 2-0 win when she broke free in space in the 83rd. Just inside the Thorns half, the 24-year-old midfielder took a touch past an onrushing Arnold and dribbled through onto the empty net to finish with an easy strike.
US women’s national team forward Trinity Rodman made her return from a knee injury in the 90th minute, subbing in for Cantore. Rodman almost made it 3-0 in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time, but her low strike from inside the box went just wide of the post.
The semi-final was played in front of a sell-out crowd of 19,365 at Audi Field in Washington DC. It is the second consecutive year the Spirit has hosted a NWSL playoff semifinal, and the fourth consecutive playoff game the team has had a sell-out.
Rodman’s return also came amid fresh uncertainty about her future with the Spirit. The 23-year-old is out of contract next month and, according to ESPN, has been weighing significantly higher offers from Europe since the summer.
NWSL teams are restricted by a $3.5m salary cap, limiting what Washington can put on the table. Several top clubs abroad face no such constraints and are prepared to offer far larger deals. Negotiations to keep Rodman in the league have stalled as a result.
ESPN reported that Rodman’s representatives have spoken directly with NWSL leadership about possible cap-workarounds to retain marquee players. Any change would require approval from team owners and is not considered close.
For Washington, it means Saturday may have been Rodman’s final home appearance unless an agreement is reached. Her late cameo after a month out was greeted with one of the loudest ovations of the night, a reminder of both her value to the Spirit and the stakes surrounding her next move.
