On a cool autumn day in Washington, D.C., NJ/NY Gotham FC were mere minutes away from making it to back-to-back NWSL championship appearances. All that stood in their way was a penalty shootout with their east coast rivals, the Washington Spirit.
A storied veteran with World Cup experience, Spanish international Esther stepped up to the spot first for the visitors. With her right foot, she shuttled the ball towards the bottom left corner of the net, but Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury was there to make the save. Gotham would not score a single penalty in the shootout, harshly ending the dreams of a second championship.
