Gift Monday and Croix Bethune each scored on Saturday to lift the Washington Spirit to a 2-0 victory over the Portland Thorns at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., clinching the Spirit a second straight berth in the NWSL Championship.
Washington dominated the match from the opening whistle and Monday scored after 27 minutes, tapping in a pass from Rosemonde Kouassi, who sprinted the length of the field on a play that started with a Thorns corner kick 16 seconds earlier. Bethune added an empty-net tap-in goal in the 83rd minute for an insurance goal.
"I feel like for us, we've been in this steady spot that's been pretty good, and I feel like these past two games, honestly, have been the best soccer that we've played," Bethune said.
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The Spirit will play the winner of Sunday's semifinal between the Orlando Pride and NJ/NY Gotham FC (ABC/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET) in the NWSL Championship on Nov. 22 in San Jose, California.
Spirit forward Trinity Rodman returned to the pitch on Saturday for the first time since spraining the MCL in her right knee on Oct. 15. Rodman entered the match to a roaring sellout crowd of over 19,000 fans in the 90th minute. The USWNT star nearly scored five minutes later, pushing a shot just wide from inside the box.
Rodman's return to the field sets her up to potentially play more of a role in next week's NWSL Championship, the stage at which the Spirit lost to Orlando last season.
"I think it's important to get those minutes to feel that you are a player again on the field," Spirit head coach Adrián González said. "So, getting those minutes has been great for her, also for the team and the fans. That was something important.
"We didn't want to take too much risk, obviously, in terms of minutes, but she's been doing a great job trying to push recovery and being able now to have the opportunity to get some minutes, all the credit on her and also the performance and medical department. That was something important mentally and emotionally for her."
Those might have been Rodman's final few minutes in a Spirit jersey at Audi Field. Rodman is fielding multiple offers from Europe that sources confirmed are significantly more lucrative than what the Spirit and the NWSL can pay under the league's salary cap.
Rodman's current contract ends next month. She will have at least one more game with the Spirit, where she began her career as an 18-year-old out of high school in 2021. She helped Washington win its first NWSL Championship that year.
On Saturday, the Spirit marched on to the final largely without Rodman -- and still did it in dominant fashion.
Kouassi wreaked havoc for the Thorns down the right side, getting behind the Spirit's defense frequently and nearly providing the opening assist of the game after four minutes. Monday, who finished the play, was narrowly offside. The duo eventually combined for a goal that counted for the second straight week.
Spirit full-back Kate Wiesner stepped in for Gabby Carle, who left last week's quarterfinal with a leg injury, and Wiesner balanced out the Spirit's attack with probing runs up the left side. Center-back Tara McKeown started and played the full 90 after leaving last week's quarterfinal in extra time with an ankle injury. McKeown helped anchor a defense that limited the Thorns to fleeting, hopeful chances.
The Spirit finished with 3.11 expected goals to the Thorns' 0.31 xG, per TruMedia.
"I think Spirit is definitely the better team," Thorns captain Sam Coffey said after the match. "I think that can kind of go without being said. They outplayed us, for sure, and I think they definitely have all the pieces to go and win the whole thing.
"I think they're a really talented group. I think we were just outplayed. I think we left it all out there and it wasn't for a lack of effort. I think we were simply outplayed.
"That being said, though, I am so proud of the group and what we've done this season. Just doing our best to come out today fearless and to leave it all out there and play as freely as we could. But it was a really challenging environment and they played a really great game, so credit to them."