Washington beat seventh-seed Utah 2-1 at Audi Field to become the first non-relocated franchise to reach five NWSL championships.
The Washington Spirit are once again doing things the hard way. On Saturday they beat the Utah Royals 2-1 at Audi Field to punch their ticket to the NWSL Championship, and as usual they had to come from behind to get there.
Utah, the seventh seed playing in their first ever playoff appearance, stunned the crowd early when Cloé Lacasse scored off an Olimpico in the second minute. Washington answered before long with a tap-in equalizer from Sofia Cantore, showing off the kind of squad depth that has carried them all year. Striker Clara Luvanga then pounced on a Utah defensive mistake to put the Spirit ahead for good.
The win makes Washington the first team in NWSL history to reach five championships without ever relocating. It also continues a frustrating recent trend: the Spirit have now made the last three championship games, having lost the previous two. They will have home-field advantage again this time and will face the winner of Gotham versus the Current for the title.