The Washington Spirit lost a hard-fought NWSL Championship 0-1 to Gotham FC on Saturday night. Gotham’s Rose Lavelle netted the game-winner in the 80th minute. Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger earned a clean sheet on the night.
The Spirit will feel hard done after the night’s loss. Goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury earned the nickname “The Wall” for a reason, as she has countless clean sheets and made multiple saves during a penalty shootout in the first round of the playoffs. Any other day, Kingsbury would’ve blocked Lavelle’s shot, but the final simply didn’t work in the Spirit’s favor.
Gotham FC struck first and sealed the match in the 80th minute. Substitute Bruninha found Rose Lavelle near the top of the box, where Lavelle buried a one-timed shot in the far corner.
Although the match went back and forth in the first half and most of the second, a momentum swing in the opening minutes overshadowed the match. Gotham FC’s Esther González scored in the first five minutes of the match, but her goal was called offside. After that, there was just a feeling that things would go their way.
Ultimately, the Spirit lost because they played arguably their worst match of the season. The duo of Rosemonde Kouassi and Gift Monday, who had scorched defenders through the second half of the season, failed to make an impact. Both Sofia Cantore and Trinity Rodman had a difficult evening, with the latter forced to leave the match with an injury. The ladies ended the match without a single shot on target.
With the final whistle, Gotham FC captured its second championship as Washington finished the 2025 season as runner-up.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Courtesy of Spirit