For the third time in five seasons, Washington Spirit are headed to the NWSL Championship. Even better, they made getting there look so damn fun in Saturday’s 2-0 match against the Portland Thorns.

Throughout the match, the Spirit played with joy and confidence, stringing together attack after attack and quickly regaining the ball on Portland possessions. They outshot their opponents 10 to two in the first half, and the combination of Hal Hershfelt, Leicy Santos, and Croix Bethune was able to manage the formidable Thorns midfield, while the Spirit’s dominance on the wings left Portland’s wingers uncertain.

“We spoke before the game about just starting fast and kind of putting the hammer down early, and it felt like we did that,” Esme Morgan said.

Their quick start almost resulted in a fourth minute goal, when Morgan picked out a long-range pass to Gift Monday, who slanted it into the goal at the far post, but the attempt was ruled offside.

On a corner kick by the Thorns, Hershfelt got the first touch and headed the ball out and away for Rose Kouassi. Kouassi sprinted to receive it before it could go out, then stayed strong, running all the way down the field and into the box. Her approach drew out Mackenzie Arnold, but she found space to pass to the other side of the goal for Monday to tap the ball in.

Asked about Kouassi after the match, teammates Morgan and Bethune were quick with praise.

“Queen,” Morgan said, and Bethune immediately followed with, “Baller.”

“No one can match her, Morgan continued. “Like, no one can match her in the league. She’s just got such brilliant timing for knowing when to turn on her pace and blitz past someone.”

Portland adjusted their formation in the second half, allowing them to exert a little more control in the midfield and double their shot total (to four) in the first 10 minutes. The Spirit quickly adjusted to the change, though, and recommenced their attack. They forced five more corners and a few diving saves from Arnold, nearly scoring when a shot by Sofia Cantore hit the post.

Finally, Bethune scored the second goal the team had been seeking. Finding herself in a one-on-one situation with Arnold, Bethune got past her with a quick movement, and, with no defenders in front of her, slowed down to bring the ball to the mouth of the goal and shoot across her body with a flourish.

Feeling like she’d missed a “gimme” earlier in the game and that goal-scoring has been a missing component of her game this year, Bethune said she knew as soon as she was clear that “yeah, I’m rocketing this in the back of the net.”

The Spirit’s defensive strength and overall coordination brought them their first shut-out in several weeks and their first home playoff game to end in regulation time. The game attracted a sell-out crowd of 19,365 fans who were typically rowdy throughout the match but absolutely electric in the moments surrounding the final whistle.

“We all love this city so much,” Morgan said, “and we feel the passion that the people from the DMV have for this place and for this team that represents them… Obviously it’s been a difficult year for the area; so much has happened, and I feel like we feel a responsibility as the Spirit to bring joy to people and be an event that people can look forward to.”

Next up: Washington will play in the NWSL Championship on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. ET in San Jose, CA.

Three takeaways 

• Finals opponents. The second team in the finals won’t be decided until tomorrow’s 3 p.m. match between Orlando Pride and NJ/NY Gotham FC — two teams with whom the Spirit have a lot of history. When asked who they would rather face in the championship match, Spirit players weren’t picking sides. Morgan said, “I have a lot of reasons for wanting to beat both of them,” while Bethune would prefer” whoever’s scared to play us.”
• A farewell to Rodman? If there was a bittersweet taste to the match, it came from the news early on Saturday that Trinity Rodman’s contract negotiations with the league have stalled. While the team that played the first 89 minutes of the match showed that they don’t need Rodman to win, the fan response when she finally took the field, returning from a knee injury suffered last month for what could be her last time at Audi Field, was plenty of reminder that her departure would be a real loss for the team.
• The secret ingredient is love. One thing that makes the Spirit so special is the relationships between the players, which are displayed both on the field and in social media videos. Morgan summed it up after this match: “Ever since I came to the Spirit last year, I’ve felt like I had a whole squad of sisters. Like, we’re so close; we have such a laugh together. We care about each other so much, and I think that translates to the energy that you see us bring on the pitch because you just want to fight for the person next to you.” Similarly, when asked about the on-field chemistry between Kouassi and Monday, which has resulted in a goal in both playoff games, Adrián González said, “They love each other, so that’s why.”

Box Score

NWSL Playoffs –  Semifinals

Washington Spirit 2 (Monday 28′, Bethune 84′)

Portland Thorns FC 0

Lineups

Washington Spirit (4231): Aubrey Kingsbury (C); Rebeca Bernal, Kate Wiesner, Tara McKeown, Esme Morgan; Croix Bethune, Leicy Santos (Deb Abiodun 72′), Hal Hershfelt; Rose Kouassi (Paige Metayer 89′), Gift Monday, Sofia Cantore (Trinity Rodman 89′)

Portland Thorns FC (433): Mackenzie Arnold; Isabella Obaze, Kaitlyn Torpey (Mallie Mckenzie 63′), Reyna Reyes, Sam Hiatt (Jayden Perry 86′); Sam Coffey (C), Jessie Fleming, Olivia Moultrie; Alexa Spaanstra (Pietra Tordin 63′), Deyna Castellanos (Layla Harbert 82′), Reilyn Turner (Daiane 82′)

Misconduct Summary

Washington Spirit:  Kouassi 44′
Portland Thorns FC:  Fleming 67′