There will be a new National Women's Soccer League champion in 2024.
On Saturday, the Washington Spirit eliminated reigning champion NJ/NY Gotham FC via a penalty shootout in the NWSL semifinals at Audi Field. The dramatic victory was the second consecutive playoff match to go to extra time for the Spirit and the second successive 19,353 sellout.
Gotham had initially taken the lead 11 minutes into the second half when Yazmeen Ryan wafted in an inviting cross for Esther to place into the back of the net with her head subtly. Boos rained down as the Spaniard relished the opportunity to celebrate in front of a packed-out crowd.
The Spirit struggled to find an answer despite dominating play following the Gotham goal. Eventually, in the match's dying moments, Hal Hershfelt popped up with a header from a free kick served up by fellow rookie and Clemson University alumna Makenna Morris. Audi Field once again exploded.
HAL HERSHFELT WE FREAKING LOVE YOU 😍 pic.twitter.com/wfASSErNJH
— Washington Spirit - x (@WashSpirit) November 16, 2024
In extra-time, Gotham was reduced to 10 players when substitute Bruninha was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Trinity Rodman on a counterattack. But the Spirit couldn't make the extra player count, and so the semifinal would be decided on penalties.
The shootout couldn't have gone any more perfectly for the Spirit or any more catastrophic for Gotham. Ashley Hatch, Lena Silano, and Tara McKeown buried all of their chances for the Spirit, while Esther, McCall Zerboni, and Jenna Nighswonger all had their strikes saved by Aubrey Kingsbury.
Watch all the penalties 📺
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 16, 2024
Aubrey Kingsbury put on a clinic to help @WashSpirit secure their #NWSLChampionship spot! pic.twitter.com/t4QBkhLhnL
The Spirit will now head to the NWSL final in Kansas City to face the winner of Sunday's semifinal between the Orlando Price and the KC Current. Washington is searching for their second-ever title since winning the trophy in 2021.
Here are five takeaways from the Spirit's semifinal win over Gotham.
Kingsbury Is Queen
Spirit goalkeeper and club captain Kingsbury was the hero on the day with her impeccable display in the shootout. Goalkeepers are often celebrated if they can save one penalty kick, but saving all three is simply unheard of. A spellbinding moment of dominance.
All three saves were made to Kingsbury's right. The second stop, which came against Zerboni, was perhaps the most impressive. Kingsbury edged towards her left post and then baited Zerboni to shoot towards the right before hurling herself to the right to swallow the ball.
"Wow, what a what a keeper," said Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez. "What she got today is amazing. I don't know if that happened before, but she saved the three penalties. ... She did an amazing job, not only today, also during the rest of the season."
Even before the shootout, Kingsbury had put in an admirable display. She made four saves during the match, which included two fingertip stops to prevent Gotham from sealing out a win when they were in the ascendency.
Rowdy Audi
The Spirit have managed to develop a serious home-field advantage thanks to their raucous home supporters. In both last week's quarterfinal win and this semifinal triumph, Audi Field has been a factor.
Whether it was booing Ann-Katrin Berger while she was timewasting, or singing Casey Krueger's name over and over again after the fullback tackled Jessica Silva, the crowd was interacting with the match constantly.
Washington struggled to assert themselves for much of the second half, but the home fans' voice and belief kept asking the players to dig deeper. Especially on set pieces and stops in play. Those moments would allow the drums and chants to build back up.
The shootout took place down the end of the Spirit's supporter's section. And, with Kingsbury conducting them and spurring them on from the pitch, it turned into utter bedlam when the Gotham takers approached the support. The fans helped get this team to the final in Kansas City.
Rodman Goes 120 (Again)
Spirit's talismanic star player had a quiet match in the semifinal, by her high standards. Rodman created just three chances, had three touches in the Gotham penalty box, attempted two shots (none on target) and amassed an expected goals of 0.05.
Even without managing to make too much, Giráldez opted to keep Rodman on the pitch for all 120 minutes and the penalty shootout. This meant that Rodman has now played 240 minutes across the two playoff matches so far after also persevering against Bay FC.
Could this come back to bite the Spirit? Maybe. Rodman has been dealing with a back issue since coming back from the Olympics and doesn't appear to be 100%. The forward has played a lot of soccer and has shown plenty of signs of fatigue.
All that being said, sometimes you need your best players to dig deep and push through. Rodman has an unbeatable aura about her. She is relentless, tough and confident. This was epitomized when she was brought down by Bruninha, and then proceeded to rise to her feet and stare down the Gotham player in the aftermath.
Gotham Forced Into Changes
Juan Carlos Amorós turned to his bench to try and keep his team alive and turn the semifinal in his favor. But this time, it didn't quite work out that way.
At halftime, Nighswonger replaced Jess Carter, who was on a yellow, at left back. She too picked up a yellow, and was not able to commit as much to challenges. Just after the hour, Bruninha replaced the other Gotham full back, Mandy Freeman, due to injury. The Brazilian found herself taking an early bath after two rash challenges to stop counterattacks.
Gotham's two brightest midfield stars, Rose Lavelle and Ryan, were both removed at the end of normal time. Their replacements, Cece Kizer and Jéssica Silva couldn't build their way into the match and were stopped in their tracks more often than not.
"They [Ryan and Lavelle] were really at their limit. Both of them. They needed to come off," said Amorós. "Maybe we have a lot of other conditions. We had a lot of yellow cards from very early, that really conditioned the game. The injury for Mandy [Freeman], then we'll have another yellow for Bruninha, and then obviously she ends up being sent off. So you know, it was a lot of conditions that go into making substitutions."
Don't Mention the Refs
Amorós was remiss to talk specifically about the red card for Bruninha or any other decisions of referee Matt Thompson on the day. He did more generally ask for better officiating in the NWSL.
"I don't like talking about the referees," Amoros said when asked about the call to send off Bruninha. "I always say the same message: They need to be professional. I want to support them from here because we need better refereeing."
Thompson blew his whistle for 32 fouls during Saturday's semifinal, the most total fouls in any playoff match so far in 2024. The Spirit home fans were quick to boo decisions they didn't agree with, like when Berger gripped onto the ball too long, and players from both sides often disputed which direction throw-ins and corner kicks were given. It was a hostile atmosphere for the officiating crew, to say the least.
"We need to get better referees that can get on with the game and have enough experience to deal with environments like this. To deal with situations like today, because sometimes they influence the games too much. Or, you know, that lack of experience," Amorós said.
Gotham is down to 10 players after Bruninha is issued a second yellow card 😳 pic.twitter.com/xr6U5Wzif7
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) November 16, 2024
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Spirit Eliminate Reigning NWSL Champion Gotham in Semifinal PK Shootout.
