Lucia Di Guglielmo's first league goal secured a 1-0 victory over first-place Gotham FC at Audi Field, halting the reigning champions from locking up the regular-season crown
Oct 17, 2026 at 5:39 pm ET • 4 min read
The Washington Spirit punched their ticket to the 2026 NWSL playoffs, and the NWSL Shield just got more interesting. The Spirit defeated Gotham FC, the reigning NWSL Championship winners, 1-0, at Audi Field on Saturday.
The two teams gave audiences a glimpse of playoff-caliber action, with high stakes. Gotham FC leads the league table with 55 points but has not yet clinched the NWSL Shield, and the loss means they'll have to try again next weekend. The win keeps Washington Spirit in contention for the NWSL Shield and marks the club's third consecutive postseason return since Michelle Kang's takeover in 2022.
Newly acquired Lucia Di Guglielmo scored the decisive goal; it's the Italian international's first NWSL goal and the Spirit's first against Gotham since November 2024, during the 2024 NWSL semifinals.
Spirit spoil Gotham's shield party
The win carries big implications, and the way the Spirit spoiled Gotham's form and clinched a playoff spot says even more. The scene setter for the Spirit wasn't hard to miss, as Audi Field is often referred to as "rowdy," and consistent effort earns cheers as loud as goals.
Gotham's injury woes appeared to catch up to them with rookie Jordynn Dudley out for the season with a foot fracture, and Jaedyn Shaw as an unused sub. Shaw left USWNT U23 camps early as a precaution following an injury, and was not listed as unavailable for Saturday's match, but was not utilized after warming up at various points of the match. But ultimately, the reigning champions have a deep bench and couldn't generate more offense despite having more of the ball.
Even with a deliberate game plan by Spirit head coach Adrian Gonzalez to absorb more and have less of the ball by design, the Spirit created more shots (13) and more shots on target (six) than Gotham despite losing the possession battle.
"Today [it] was key to be very compact, narrow, protecting the middle a lot. And then I think we've done a good job with Esme [Morgan] with T [Rudd] stepping, jumping to those pockets, and not allowing them to receive comfortably there," Gonzalez said after the game.
"Overall, the team I think has done a great job at different heights. I think, pressing high, forcing them to play long. Anytime that they wanted to play back, I think we've stepped really good, making their attack more uncomfortable. And in a mid-low block situation, I think the team has defended pretty good."
Spirit midfield is healing
From newly acquired players to long-time members of the Spirit, it felt like a turning of the page for the Spirit into a mode of the season they aren't unfamiliar with; the playoff grind.
Tanzania international Clara Luvanga wasn't on the score sheet but was a constant mark for Gotham in the final third, with her hold-up play, distributing the ball wide, and being a threat on goal in the first half. Team captain and Spirit veteran Andi Sullivan is back from maternity leave, getting starting minutes again, and the return of Leicy Santos, even on a minutes restriction, reminded everyone why she was such a missed piece of the equation while on the injury list.
"Obviously we've missed her, all of us. It's been a process, and we've tried to be very cautious and prudent, especially not to push her too hard, because she's accumulated a lot of minutes with us and with the national team. It was especially important for her to reach this final stretch in optimal condition so she could help us, without making the mistake of trying to bring her back too quickly," Gonzalez said.
"She was ready to play 45 minutes today, and I think she gave the team a lot. Once again, she showed her talent. Even after being out for a long time, she has the ability to make an impact in a game like this. In 45 minutes, she showed her quality on the ball, her ability to find the final pass, and her personality in competing and defending. She brings us a great deal. Going forward, we'll continue to be cautious, make sure her progress is right, and gradually see how she settles back in. We'll try to add minutes little by little, knowing that we still have several matches ahead."
Santo's minutes restriction opened the door for Melissa Bethi to have her own impact on the game. The Algerian international was acquired midseason and joined the team following the Women's African Cup of Nations and delivered the game-winning assist to Di Guglielmo.
"I mean, it's like a dream, or even more, because it's kind of the perfect situation, the perfect first goal, perfect win, and everything is special here," Di Guglielmo said after the game.
NWSL Shield race heats up
While Saturday's win clinched another playoff appearance for the Spirit, it also keeps them in the mix for the NWSL Shield. It's one of the more interesting races in league history, as three teams, including the San Diego Wave, are in the hunt with just a few games remaining. The Spirit aren't getting ahead of themselves, though, as Sullivan knows anything can happen and there's always work to be done.
"I'm still focused on this next regular season game; I think that's the attitude we need to have. I think there can be a lot of like narratives about the past two seasons and playoffs and everything, but the most important thing is the week in front of you and putting yourself and your team in the best situation to win the game in front of you ... because you know you can't get too far ahead of yourself too early," Sullivan said.
"That's kind of the messaging that I'll be spreading to the team, and I think that's something that we can always improve on is focusing on the task at hand."
