Gotham FC are NWSL champions for the second time in three years.
Rose Lavelle scored in the 80th minute of Saturday’s championship game against the Washington Spirit to clinch the title with a 1-0 victory.
This marks the first NWSL championship for Lavelle, who signed with Gotham after the team’s championship run in 2023. She was named 2025 NWSL Championship MVP after the win.
Gotham has entered each of its title runs as underdogs. After getting seeded No. 6 in a six-team 2023 postseason, Gotham FC ended up claiming a 2-1 title championship over the Seattle Reign.
This year, Gotham entered the postseason as the No. 8 seed in an eight-team playoff picture, setting the team on track for a quarterfinals matchup with the top-seeded Kansas City Current.
After upsetting the Current, Gotham claimed a 1-0 semifinal win over the Orlando Pride thanks to a last-minute free kick from Jaedyn Shaw to make it back to the championship game.
During Saturday’s title game, Shaw forced Washington goaltender Aubrey Kingsbury to make a save early when she got a shot on net in the sixth minute.
The score remained tied at 0-0 when Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, who has been limited during the playoffs amid her recovery from a knee injury, subbed into the game in the 57th minute.
Rodman, whose future in the NWSL is uncertain amid rumors of interest from England and the USL Super League, appeared hurt after taking a hard fall late in the game.
It was Lavelle who finished the championship game as hero with her 80th-minute goal.
The Spirit finished the game without a shot on goal, and Gotham FC led 13-7 on shot attempts. Kingsbury made two saves in the loss.
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