Gift Monday and Croix Bethune found the back of the net as the Washington Spirit triumphed over the Portland Thorns with a 2-0 victory on Saturday, securing a spot in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship game.
Following this win, the Spirit are set to compete in their second consecutive NWSL final next weekend in San Jose, California. Their opponent will be determined by the winner of the upcoming semifinal clash between Gotham FC and the Orlando Pride.
This marks the fourth time the Spirit will appear in the NWSL championship. In the previous season, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against the Pride.
The Spirit’s first goal stemmed from a Thorns corner kick in the 27th minute, with Rosemounde Kouassi orchestrating a swift counterattack. Kouassi’s pass allowed Monday to score from close range, putting the Spirit ahead 1-0.
This season, Kouassi has assisted Monday on six occasions, and the duo has now connected in two consecutive playoff matches.
Despite Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold’s commendable efforts, including six saves and a pair of impressive back-to-back saves in the 56th and 57th minutes, she couldn’t prevent the Spirit’s dominance.
In the 69th minute, Spirit forward Sofia Cantore narrowly missed doubling the lead by hitting the post with their best chance of the second half.
Croix Bethune secured the 2-0 victory for the Spirit in the 83rd minute, breaking away from the defense to calmly slot the ball into the net past an onrushing Arnold.
In the 90th minute, U.S. women’s national team forward Trinity Rodman made a comeback from a knee injury, replacing Cantore. Rodman almost extended the lead to 3-0 in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but her shot narrowly missed the target.
The semifinal match drew a 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 sold-out playoff game.