Defender Lucia Di Guglielmo scored her first NWSL goal and the Washington Spirit clinched a playoff spot with a 1-0 victory over Gotham FC on Saturday. It was the first win for the Spirit (16-8-4) over Gotham since June 23, 2024. The road loss at Audi Field denied Gotham (16-5-7) a chance to clinch the NWSL Shield and snapped a four-match unbeaten streak.
In the 70th minute, Spirit midfielder Melissa Bethi delivered a pinpoint lob pass to Di Guglielmo. She snuck her shot past Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger for the lead and game-winner. Spirit goalkeeper Sandy Mac Iver made two saves for her 10th clean sheet of the season.
Midfielder Leicy Santos returned from injury and started for the Spirit in her first appearance since Aug. 8. After her contract termination with the Chicago Stars, Gotham defender Leila Ouahabi started in her debut for her new club. United States star Trinity Rodman leads the Spirit in both goals (11) and assists (eight) this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing