Are you not entertained?
It was gritty. It was tense. But in the end, they got it done: Gotham FC are your 2025 NWSL Champions.
In what has to be one of the most roller coaster endings to a season, the Bats win the title for the second time in three years.
Gotham’s Rose Lavelle put away the lone goal of the match late into the second half with an assist from Bruninha, a crowning triumph for the 30-year-old veteran who takes home her first NWSL Championship just two years after she was on the losing side when the Bats beat Seattle Reign in 2023.
Gotham came into the playoffs without the spark that had propelled them over the summer. The Bats’ last win prior to the playoffs came in September with a 3-0 win against the Portland Thorns. A slew of losses and ties saw the club fall to eighth in the table, barely nabbing a playoff spot in October.
But Playoffs Gotham looked nothing like Regular Season Gotham. The Bats shocked Kansas City Current in the quarterfinals before defeating reigning NWSL champions Orlando Pride in the semifinals. The Washington Spirit looked to have an easier path to the finals, overcoming Racing Louisville with penalties before comfortably moving past the Portland Thorns.
But it was eighth-seeded Gotham who won tonight in front of a capacity crowd of 18,000 at PayPal Park in San Jose, not second-seeded Washington. Here are four thoughts about a win that cements Gotham's emergence as an NWSL powerhouse.
Michael Battista
1. If not Lavelle, then who?
Nearly 80 minutes on the pitch with no goals, and it looked like both sides were gearing up for extra time. The pace was slowing down, and the Spirit were holding down the goal like their lives depended on it.
God forbid Lavelle let that stop her. A run up the field by Bruninha in the 79th minute past a slew of Spirit defenders put several Gotham forwards in position. The Brazilian national sent a clean cross that missed Midge Purce by inches, but in a split-second decision, Lavelle stepped forward with a strike that made Gotham NWSL champions once more.
Rose Lavelle with a moment of magic for Gotham FC | Courtesy NWSL
And what a way to do it for her first title. The midfielder earned the 2025 NWSL Championship MVP title for her efforts, an award more than worthy of her accomplishments, given her game-tying goal against Racing Louisville that sent Gotham into the playoffs.
Another angle of Rose Lavelle's goal | Courtesy NWSL
2. Tensions run high
If it wasn’t obvious you were watching an NWSL Championship, you’d more than likely be able to tell by the passion displayed on the field.
It was a night full of hard tackles and roughhousing as the Bats tussled back and forth with the Spirit for control. The Spirit’s Hal Hershfelt sent Midge Purce tumbling over herself in a tackle that had her down for nearly a minute. Not long after, Jaedyn Shaw and Croix Bethune had a nasty collision. Hershfelt herself was forced off the pitch after a tackle by Lavelle sent both players sprawling on the grass in obvious pain late in the second half.
Lilly Reale was certainly feeling the heat of the moment. The 2025 NWSL Rookie of the Year picked up a yellow right at the halftime call for pulling on Bethune’s jersey while attempting to stay on top of Rosemonde Kouassi. The 23-year-old forward took full advantage of Reale’s yellow in the second half, pushing past the defender to send a cross to Bethune early in the second half. Kouassi was the key to the Spirit’s more aggressive approach, a tactic Reale recognized early on as she attempted to counter Kouassi’s runs up the left field as often as she was able.
Hudson River Blue Staff
3. The Spirit lacked spirit
Washington looked lackluster in the opening 15 minutes of the match, and struggled to gain their footing. Gotham took full advantage, scoring a goal just four minutes in that was called offside. The Bats appeared to be the stronger team throughout the first half, controlling possession while earning the only two corners of the first 45 minutes. Gotham forced the Spirit to play a more reactive game rather than dictate the pace, forcing Spirit standouts like Sofia Cantore on the back foot.
Gotham earned the first three corners of the match, making every effort possible to slot a ball somewhere near goal. Neither of the three attempts at a set piece came to fruition with the brick wall built by the Spirit’s back line. Several attempts to run up the field by both Esther González and Jaedyn Shaw were thwarted early on, with the closest attempt coming from González caught by the Spirit’s Audrey Kingsbury in goal.
Although the Spirit picked up the pace in the second half, it wasn’t enough to dim Gotham’s grit. Trinity Rodman subbed on for Cantore in the hopes of bringing more aggression to the pitch; however, Gotham’s Jess Carter and Mandy Freeman did well to sideline a majority of her play in the midfield. Rodman and Kouassi switched midway through the second half in an attempt to diversify the Spirit’s play, but Gotham stuck to their guns, keeping Bruninha and Freeman in position.
4. Just one goal in 270'
Games are won by the attack, but lost by the defense. Gotham's run to the title came on the backs of three one-goal games, with the Bats winning 2-1, 1-0, and 1-0.
Looking at those scorelines, you can make two observations. One, the attack did just enough to get it done. They scored in every game, but they never posted a blowout. Two, the defense was superb, shutting out Washington tonight and Orlando last week, and allowing a Kansas City that scored 49 goals in 26 league games just a single goal.
Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger didn't have to make a save tonight, but her presence on the field brings a mystique to the backline: Not only do you have to be the defenders, you have to find a way past AKB. But Washington couldn't find a way past the defenders. The Spirit's most promising attack was snuffed out by Emily Sonnett, whose sliding tackle intercepted a shot taken from the top of the box.
A clean sheet like this one belongs to the entire team, and the 2025 NWSL Championship trophy belongs to the defense as much as the attack.
