As the crowd roared and fireworks filled the sky, groups of players and coaches exchanged hugs before making their way to the stands to celebrate with their fans.
That type of scene has become exceedingly rare for Washington Spirit supporters of late, as the team had lost five of its last six games at Audi Field ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Gotham FC.
So the Spirit would’ve had reason to savor a victory against any team in any manner at home. But on Saturday, Washington gave itself plenty to celebrate as it earned a marquee 1-0 win over its bitter rivals and the league leaders, clinching a spot in the playoffs for the third consecutive year and keeping its NWSL Shield hopes alive.
“It’s a really nice feeling to finally stand in front of the crowd and stand in front of [the media] and have that feeling of, ‘Okay, job accomplished,’” defender Gabrielle Carle said. “We’ve come short so many games in a row now and I think this one was really important for us, of course to clinch [playoffs], but just as a confidence builder … this one was huge for us.”
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Coach Adrián González said the Spirit’s performance was probably its best of the season, with Lucia Di Guglielmo’s 70th-minute goal lifting Washington to back-to-back victories for just the second time since the beginning of August. The result also snapped a five-game streak without a win in regulation against Gotham FC, dating back to June 2024.
“Today we wanted to feel that joy, that energy, that feeling that we are able to beat any team,” González said. “It’s important for us, for the club, for the fans to have a performance like this, and also clinching playoffs for the third season in a row, it’s not easy.”
“Doing it here at home with your people against a great opponent, and also seeing where we were coming from, I think it’s huge. Everyone deserves to have a game like this — the players, the team, staff, fans,” he said.
The victory leaves Washington just three points off first-place Gotham and two points behind second-place San Diego Wave FC with two regular season games remaining.
The Spirit looked the more dangerous team from the start of Saturday’s game. The return of attacking midfielder Leicy Santos, who missed eight matches with an injury, provided a massive boost to an offense that has struggled in her absence. Santos was influential throughout a first half that saw Washington outshoot Gotham FC eight to four, with Trinity Rodman forcing a pair of key saves from Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
Forward Clara Luvanga also made an impact in her first start for the Spirit. She blazed her best chance over the crossbar early on Saturday but provided a target for the Spirit to find directly out of the back, often winning the first ball and gradually improving her hold-up play throughout the match.
“We approached the game with a really strong aggression and that kind of set the tone,” defender Esme Morgan said. “We did a good job out of possession, being front-footed and winning the ball back in their half. And I think with the ball, we did a good job of finding the forward players.”
Mélissa Bethi replaced Santos to start the second half and made the difference for the Spirit after taking some time to get up to game speed. Washington won the ball high up the pitch and, after Gotham rebuffed the Spirit’s first attempt to play through its defense, Bethi’s clipped ball found the advanced run of Di Guglielmo, who calmly took a touch and found the bottom corner in the 70th minute. It was the fullback’s first goal for the Spirit.
“I really felt this game, and this is because of the team, because they made me feel this rivalry,” Di Guglielmo said. “My first goal today is because of all the work I did and we did during the whole season, so I’m really happy, of course, that happened today. It’s kind of a dream.”
Bethi nearly doubled Washington’s lead three minutes later, hitting the crossbar from a shot just outside the penalty box. Santos and Bethi’s contributions to a strong team performance are a very positive sign for Washington, which has largely lacked a true attacking midfielder during their recent inconsistent stretch.
“She’s such a special player,” Carle said of Bethi. “As you’ve seen on the goal, she has an eye for what’s about to happen, she just sees the play develop before it’s even developed.”
The Spirit’s defensive performance matched the energy of its rejuvenated offense. Washington earned its 11th clean sheet of the season by preventing a Gotham team stacked with attacking talent from producing any big chances despite handling a majority of possession.
The Spirit has struggled against Gotham since 2024, failing to score in one draw and three losses, the most notable coming in last year’s NWSL Championship.
“We haven’t had the smoothest sailing at home this year, so to be able to go into some do or die games, like playoffs, and have this big win under our belt against an opponent that we have very deep history with, it feels good,” midfielder Hal Hershfelt said.
Washington will hope to ride the momentum of Saturday’s performance as it approaches its final two regular season games — at the Kansas City Current next week and at home against last-place Chicago on Nov. 1.
“It’s a big statement for us to show that we can beat anyone in this league,” Morgan said. “If we apply ourselves in the right way, we can be a really, really dangerous team into these last, hopefully, five games.”