Fans at Audi Field chanted for a second goal after the Spirit had scored its first. They chanted for a third after the second and a fourth after the third and a fifth after the fourth. Washington played accordingly. The Spirit opened the NWSL postseason with the attitude that no amount of offense could possibly be enough.
Washington was up 3-0 over Portland before the 40th minute on Sunday. The result was a dominant 4-1 quarterfinal win.
It was the first time the Spirit had scored four or more goals since May. And it was one of the most complete performances from its roster this season, with the potent attack complemented by a crafty midfield, a stout back line and the characteristically strong goalkeeping of Sandy MacIver.
“I can’t remember the last time we scored this early and have been this dominant,” Spirit defender Gabby Carle marveled at the dais afterward. Next to her was star forward Trinity Rodman, fresh off two goals and an assist, who broke in with an estimate: “Like the second or third game of the season!”
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“Well, it’s coming together now,” Carle said. “Which is really all that matters.”
It is all that matters. The regular season was occasionally tumultuous for Washington — with its share of ups and downs and roster turnover. But this was a group that looked as united and focused as it possibly could on Sunday. Now, the Spirit are headed to a third straight NWSL semifinals. And one more performance like this should mean another trip to the championship match.
Rodman, as ever, was a focal point for Washington. She finished the regular season with twice as many goals as any other player on this roster and twice as many assists, too. On Sunday, she began the playoffs with every bit of the intensity suggested by those numbers. Rodman is fully healthy for the postseason for the first time in years. She embraced that with relish.
“When she’s on form, and when she approaches the game with the mentality that she did today, where she’s like, ‘This is my show’ — she’s amazing,” Spirit defender Esme Morgan said. “She’s so dangerous.”
But much of this group performance was driven by new faces. The Spirit got a goal apiece from Mélissa Bethi and Clara Luvanga — a pair of midseason additions who have provided a huge spark for this offense. Both are young and new to the NWSL. (Bethi is 20; Luvanga is 21; neither had played in the league before this summer.) Both highlight a team investment in international scouting. (Bethi is the first Algerian national in the NWSL and came from France’s Première Ligue; Luvanga is the first Tanzanian player and came from the Saudi Women’s Premier League.) And both debuted for this squad only in the last three months.
“Getting new players midseason is really hard, especially on the attacking side,” Rodman said. “Like, to get comfortable and just get used to the pace at which we transition and how fast the attacks are.”
They have quickly made themselves at home.
Bethi has settled into the midfield with ease. She opened up the scoring on Sunday by squaring up a pass from Rodman. At just 5-foot-3, she is among the smallest players on this roster, and she found herself in and out of the lineup as the Spirit tinkered with different formations down the stretch: Bethi started just two of the last five matches for Washington. But a late-season injury to midfielder Hal Hershfelt makes it almost certain that Bethi will be asked to start for the duration of the playoffs.
She needed only six minutes on Sunday to assert herself.
“It’s just how she is,” said Spirit captain Andi Sullivan. “She’s very, like, ‘What? Like it’s hard?’ She just is very cool and confident and does her thing.”
Luvanga, meanwhile, has been a revelation at striker, with a remarkable combination of speed and physicality.
“It’s frightening, to be honest,” MacIver laughed. “I’m glad I’m not on the other side of it.”
Luvanga signed with the Spirit in September and made her first start just a few weeks ago in mid-October. Her intensity can occasionally border on recklessness. But wielded appropriately, there is no match for it, and that was the case on Sunday. Luvanga aggressively pressured Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold — including sweeping in and picking her pocket to score the second goal of the afternoon for Washington. She went on to assist Rodman on both of her goals, too.
“This game was amazing for her,” Rodman said. “Seeing how well she did today, and just getting her feet under her in a game that’s very high-stress, very important — I’m very proud about that.”
Next up for Washington is a semifinal match against Utah. The No. 3 seed Spirit will host the No. 7 seed Royals next Saturday at noon. As it stands, that game would likely be played at Northwest Stadium in Landover. Audi Field is already booked that day for the Secretaries’ Cup, the annual D-III football rivalry game between the Coast Guard and Merchant Marine academies.
That’s not an ideal change for a Spirit team who loves playing at Audi, or a fanbase who has embraced the moniker of “Rowdy Audi.” (Washington announced its seventh sellout of the year on Sunday, with 19,215 in attendance.) But Washington will head into the semifinals with the knowledge that a win there means a trip back to Audi Field for the NWSL Championship.
“We’ve done a good job all season of learning from ups and downs, and I think now we know everything’s on the line,” Sullivan said. “We just want to play one more week together. That’s how we’re acting. We just want to follow up one more week, one more week, and we’re giving everything to do that.”
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