Washington, D.C. (11/14/2026) – In front of its sixth straight playoff sellout crowd, the Washington Spirit defeated the Utah Royals FC, 2-1 at Rowdy Audi to advance to the team's third straight NWSL Championship, which will be hosted next Saturday, November 21 at 8 p.m. at Audi Field.
The NWSL chooses a site for their championship game and before the season it was announced that Audi Field would be the venue. This will give Washington that homefield advantage as they face will face the winner of Sunday's semifinal match between No. 1 seed Gotham FC and No. 4 seed Kansas City Current.
The third straight semifinal at Audi brought electric energy to DC crowd. Despite the excitement, the Spirit started with a quick 1-0 deficit as Utah scored quickly in Olimpico style, the Utah corner kick curved, took one bounce and landed in the net. That kick was not well-defended but that was all of the scoring for Utah in this game.
While the home crowd had to be a little nervous, the Spirit got to work on their own offense. Washington's Trinity Rodman served up a cross for Sofia Cantore near the end line and Cantore flicked the ball in the net with a backheel shot to put the Spirit on the board and tie the game. The goal was Cantore’s seventh of the year across regular season and playoffs and Rodman’s tenth assist.
The second half started deadlocked 1-1, and the pressure was on for both teams. The Spirit came out strong, taking up space in the Royals’ final third. Quickly, the home side’s pressure paid-off as a full team press forced a Utah defender to pass back to goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn but the pass didn't find its mark. Clara Luvanga got to the loose ball before the keeper reached it, and Luvanga flicked the ball over McGlynn and into the net for the lead and what turned out to be the game winner.
The goal by Luvanga was her fourth of the year and the fourth straight match in which she’s provided a goal contribution. Remember, she was acquired by the Spirit just two months ago on September 9, 2026 via international transfer from Tanzania.
With the lead, the Spirit needed to play a little more conservative to protec the lead and get more defensive. Tamara Bolt and Monique Ngock subbed in for the team on the field for Cantore and Leicy Santos, respectively. Washington's goalkeeper, Sandy MacIver, came up with a big save at the 78th minute mark, shutting down a Royals attempt.
In the final moments of the match, the Spirit held it down, shutting down almost every attempt by Utah to go past midfield. After just four minutes of stoppage time, the whistle blew sending the Spirit to the NWSL Championship match at Audi Field next week.
The Washington Spirit punched their ticket to the 2026 NWSL Championship after defeating the Utah Royals 2-1 at Audi Field. They will host the championship match on Saturday, November 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET against the winner of today's semifinal matchup between NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current.
Lineups:
WAS: 18 - Sandy MacIver; 14 - Gabrielle Carle; 24 - Esme Morgan; 9 - Tara Rudd; 13 - Lucia Di Guglielmo; 10 - Leicy Santos (8 - Monique Ngock 74’); 12 - Andi Sullivan; 7 - Mélissa Bethi; 2 - Trinity Rodman; 25 - Clara Luvanga; 27 - Sofia Cantore (16 - Tamara Bolt 74’)
Unused Substitutes: 28 - Sara Wojdelko; 5 - Élisabeth Tsé; 11 - Claudia Martínez; 19 - Rosemonde Kouassi; 26 - Paige Metayer; 33 - Ashley Hatch; 35 - Madison Haugen
Photo by Alan Kotok for Talk DC Sports