WASHINGTON, D.C. — It was essentially a wire-to-wire win for the 3rd-seeded Washington Spirit on Sunday, as a Mélissa Bethi goal in the 6th minute and back-to-back goals from Clara Luvanga and Trinity Rodman before halftime quickly put the game out of reach for the visiting 6th-seeded Portland Thorns.
After a trio of low-scoring NWSL quarterfinals — three goals across three games — the Spirit matched that total just 35 minutes into the final quarterfinal matchup.
“It’s one thing to start strong and get the first goal, but to keep your foot on the pedal was really, really important,” Spirit midfielder and captain Andi Sullivan told reporters postgame. “I think that really helped us send a message.”
In Portland’s final two games, the Thorns seemed to settle on a stable back line after a season of cycling through seven different starting defenders. The foursome of left back Reyna Reyes, center backs Jayden Perry and Isabella Obaze, and right back Carolyn Calzada ended the regular season with back-to-back clean sheets.
But the Spirit were able to force the Thorns back line into struggles that they converted into goals.
On Bethi’s first goal, the Spirit’s possession started when Rodman picked off Calzada and dribbled down to the end line before finding Bethi.
Luvanga’s goal came after she pressured Thorns keeper Mackenzie Arnold, who had struggled to hold onto a back pass from Obaze.
That second goal echoed a problem the Thorns have seen all season.
“I think a lot of teams were able to press our back line and our goalkeeper a lot more than we did to other teams, and I think that’s something definitely we all need to work on: ‘How can we put other teams in danger in that spot?’ Because when teams do it to us, it’s hard. It’s hard to get out of those little pressure spots, and I think we need to do a better job at handling that,” Thorns forward Morgan Weaver said after the game.
And on Rodman’s goal, Obaze and Calzada were pulled to the left side of the field, allowing Rodman ample space to make the run that led to the goal.
The Thorns made several adjustments late in the first half, subbing on full back MA Vignola and winger Reilyn Turner before the break to shift into more of an attacking formation, and then bringing Weaver on early in the second half.
Pietra Tordin snuck in a nimble finish in the 51st minute when Jessie Fleming had a second chance to get the ball in the box off a corner kick.
The Spirit clearly recognized the potential for the Thorns to do to them what the Spirit did to the North Carolina Courage in August, netting three second-half goals at Audi Field to come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Spirit ultimately lost 4-3.
Spirit fullback Gabrielle Carle said she felt the potential for some déjà vu. “Not gonna lie, those few minutes were a bit scary,” Carle said. “We did that to North Carolina, like a 3-0 and coming back.”
Rodman, sitting next to her at the press conference, chimed in, “It’s very doable.”
But it took all of seven minutes for the Spirit to get the goal back, with Rodman notching a second for her first career playoff brace.
And for a Spirit squad that has struggled to score goals at times in the second half of this season, all of those goals proved to be a momentum builder.
“It helps the confidence so much,” Rodman said postgame. “And then, even just like, the goals we scored. I think, not to say they’re easy, but when you’re able to score goals like, when I’m able to tap it in on the back post, or [Luvanga’s] able to press and it goes in, I think it just shows the work rate and it gives more confidence that it doesn’t just have to be, like, a scramble, or it doesn’t have to be a crazy outside shot banger.”
After the final whistle, the Spirit celebrated in a way that matched Audi Field’s “rowdy” reputation.
Rodman made her way into the Spirit Squadron supporters’ group, waving a Spirit flag in the crowd.
There were ample chants as well for goalkeeper Sandy MacIver, who made six saves on Sunday, including five in the second-half.
The Scottish international, in her second season in the league, stepped in for longtime Spirit keeper Aubrey Kingsbury after the captain went on maternity leave. With a league-high 12 clean sheets this season, MacIver has made up for some notable early errors to win over the crowd.
After the game, she made clear that the love between her and Spirit fans is a two-way street. “Thank you to the fans for kind of sticking with me, sticking with the team all season,” MacIver said. “You can’t really explain moments like this. So hopefully we can just repeat that next weekend.”
The semifinal next weekend may be shaping up into a keepers’ duel, as the 7th-seeded Utah Royals pulled the upset over the 2nd-seeded San Diego Wave on the back of dazzling performance from goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn.
With the Spirit holding a higher seed, they will host the game next weekend in DC. Reporting from ESPN indicated the Spirit would be at risk of having to host their semifinal at Northwest Stadium, the Maryland home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. But in the hours following the final whistle, the Spirit announced that they were able to secure the relocation of a previously-scheduled Division III football matchup between two service academies to guarantee that the Spirit will be able to host their semifinal at Audi Field on Saturday.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
