Preview: Washington Spirit Hosts East Coast Rival Gotham FC at Home

Washington, D.C. (04/25/2025) – In a rematch of last season’s semifinal thriller, the Washington Spirit looks to continue its three-match win streak this weekend when it hosts rival Gotham FC. Airing nationwide on CBS, the match will kick off at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday at Audi Field.

 

The Spirit

While injuries have plagued the Spirit early in the season, the team has won four of its first five games and currently sits in third place on the NWSL table.

Washington enters this Saturday’s match on a three-game win streak following a nail-biting victory over the Orlando Pride last weekend. After a tense and scoreless first half spent mostly in the Spirit’s defensive half, Gift Monday, in her first NWSL start, picked off Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to score the lone goal of the match and secure Washington’s first regular season win at Orlando since 2019.

Despite the Pride controlling 62% of the match’s possession, Tara McKeown and the Spirit defense were able to neutralize much of the Pride’s high-powered attack led by Barbra Banda and Marta.

In goal, Aubrey Kingsbury made six saves to secure her 40th career regular season shutout, becoming just the fourth player in NWSL history to do so, and the club’s third consecutive clean sheet. This defensive streak is only the second time (2016) in club history that the Spirit has registered three straight shutouts.

 

The Opponent

Just behind the Spirit on the NWSL table, Gotham FC holds an even 2-2-2 record with wins against Angel City FC and the North Carolina Courage. The New Jersey-based club will come to Audi Field this weekend looking to bounce back from a 1-4 loss to the Portland Thorns this past Tuesday. That defeat ended the club’s ten-match unbeaten streak on the road in all competitions.

Even in the loss, Spanish forward Esther – who scored against the Spirit in last year’s semifinal – found the back of the net for the third match in a row. She now leads the league with five goals this season, just ahead of Ashley Hatch (4).

 

All-Time Series History

The Spirit has a 17-13-10 record across all competitions against Gotham FC with a healthy +12 goal differential (55-43). In its last 20 home matches against Gotham, Washington has lost only once. The Spirit’s seven regular season home wins over Gotham FC is the club’s second-most against any opponent.

The two clubs last faced off in an NWSL semifinal last November that culminated in a penalty shootout. While Gotham took a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute, Hal Hershfelt leveled the match in the third minute of stoppage time off a free kick from Makenna Morris. Neither side was able to score in extra time, leading to a penalty kick shootout. The Spirit dominated the shootout with Kingsbury saving three consecutive penalty kicks and punching the Spirit’s ticket to the championship match.

Saturday’s match will be the last time these two rivals meet until the Spirit travels to Gotham’s Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday August 9. That match will kick off at 12 p.m. EDT.

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