A trio of saves by goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury halted the defending NWSL champion in its tracks, as the Washington Spirit outlasted Gotham FC in a game that went the distance. The Spirit converted its first three attempts in alternating order with Kingsbury’s saves to end the shootout sequence with the fewest rounds necessary.

Washington returns to the NWSL championship for the first time since it won the title in 2021, where it’ll face the winner of Sunday’s other semifinal between the Orlando Pride and the KC Current.

“I just wanted to do whatever I could to help the team win,” Kingsbury told the CBS broadcast after the game. “We’ve been practicing for these, and just to grind out those 120 minutes, I knew they would come through and make them (the penalties). I just did my part.”

It was a result that frankly flips the game on its head from where things stood as it reached second-half stoppage time. At that point, Gotham was carrying a narrow 1-0 lead, earned shortly after halftime. Some nimble interplay between Yazmeen Ryan and Rose Lavelle led to a Ryan cross that fell inch-perfectly to Esther González’s forehead. The Spanish striker’s header lobbed back across Kingsbury’s goal, putting her in an awkward position and making her unable to stop it from falling into her net.

However, Washington pushed hard to bring things level. The Spirit outshot Gotham 9-2 following González’s opener until the end of regulation, keeping the defending champion on their heels as Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós replaced attacking-minded players with defensive alternatives in hopes of icing the game.

Ultimately, Hal Hershfelt was up for the big moment.

The budding USWNT star and Spirit midfielder rose up after a Makenna Morris free kick to tower over Gotham’s zonal marking scheme and power the ball past Ann-Katrin Berger. The majority of the 19,365 fans in attendance met her goal with a near-deafening cry of cathartic jubilation. After another Hershfelt header fell atop Berger’s goal in the 96th minute, it was clear that this game would require extra time.

Now playing without its ideal complement of attackers, Gotham seemed content to attempt counterattacks and keep its shape in hopes of reaching the penalty shootout. Bruninha made that task more difficult in the 101st minute, being sent off after earning a second yellow card to the delight of the crowd following a challenge on Trinity Rodman.

Once the shootout arrived, the 20 minutes of shorthanded soccer appeared to catch up with Gotham. So, too, did the voracity of the support behind Washington; while home crowds are often referred to as a 12th player for soccer teams, that advantage proved to be even more palpable against a Gotham side playing with 10.

“I think it’s more just the confidence and having the fans behind me,” Kingsbury said. “I was really trying to get them into it, because I knew that would give us a great advantage, for their penalty takers coming up and trying to make one in front of that wall of fans. Like, I would be scared.”

The game continues an impressive stretch by the Spirit in the wake of Croix Bethune’s season-ending meniscus tear. Before her knee injury, Bethune was playing at a level that didn’t just land her on Emma Hayes’ squad for the Olympics but had her in pole position for rookie of the year and the NWSL Best XI. Without Bethune (and U.S. international Andi Sullivan, who suffered a torn ACL in October), Washington has leaned into a deep pool of capable if unproven box-to-box midfielders, arguably led by Hershfelt — herself a rookie, as well.

Washington also underwent a coordinated midseason coaching change, as Jonatan Giráldez joined the club in June following the end of FC Barcelona’s season. He inherited a side that was already operating near the top of the NWSL table under interim Adrián González, and to his credit, he kept them whirring at a high level without missing a beat.

To reach the final after missing the playoffs altogether in 2022 and 2023 is no small feat, and Saturday’s test shows Washington will be a tough opponent in the final no matter who advances from the other game. Ultimately, their return to the championship largely has Kingsbury, Hershfelt and a packed Audi Field to thank.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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