In this week’s women’s soccer news, we got the NWSL Championship matchup; Atlanta was awarded an NWSL expansion team; Jaedyn Shaw came up huge for Gotham; and more!
High of the Week
It all comes down to two teams, with the Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC clashing to see who will take home the 2025 NWSL Championship.
The Spirit has been consistently at the top of the table all season long, and with that form, they were able to secure home-field advantage for the quarterfinals and semifinals, which turned into a huge advantage. Washington hosted Racing Louisville in the quarterfinal, and Louisville gave them a real test, forcing the game to penalty kicks, but goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe proved to be the hero and sent them to the semifinals. In front of a sold-out crowd, they dominated the Portland Thorns and got a 2-0 win to send them to their second straight NWSL Championship.
In the NWSL, there aren’t really underdogs with any team being able to beat anyone on any given day but if there was to be one, it would be Gotham. They were the last team in the playoffs and had to travel to take on the Kansas City Current, who were the league leaders, and they didn’t back down. Gotham scored first but conceded to the Current late to send it to extra time. In extra time, Katie Stengel found the game-winner to secure the upset win. Gotham then had to travel to the Orlando Pride and take on the defending champions. The game stayed locked at 0-0 until Jaedyn Shaw scored the game-winner off a free kick in stoppage time of the second half.
Gotham and Washington’s last meeting was a scoreless draw back in August. In their first meeting this season, Gotham got a 3-0 win in April.
Low of the Week
Unfortunately, during Atlético de Madrid’s match against Juventus, Andrea Medina suffered a really terrifying injury. She took a tough collision that gave her a traumatic brain injury, and she was unconscious for a moment. It was a truly terrifying scene, and the game probably should have been stopped after she went down, but it was finished. The defender was transported to a hospital for evaluation after receiving treatment on the field. The latest update from the club said that she underwent tests at the hospital, which all looked okay, and she was discharged and will be under concussion protocol.
News of the Week
This week, the NWSL announced that Atlanta would be getting an expansion team. They will begin playing in 2028 and will play their home games at Mercedes Benz Stadium and will be the 17th team in the league. The club will be owned by Arthur M. Blank, who also owns the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United. They also plan to build a training ground that’s dedicated to the NWSL club.
Signing of the Week
The North Carolina Courage announced that their iron woman, Kaleigh Kurtz, would be entering free agency after spending eight seasons with the Courage. It was later announced that Kurtz signed with Denver Summit FC, the expansion side is set to begin play in 2026. Kurtz is a huge signing for Denver, and she brings so much experience to their backline. Adding a player of her caliber is massive for an expansion side that is looking to compete right away. Kurtz is their fourth official player signing, joining Ally Watt, Lourdes Bosch, and Nahikari Garcia.
Player of the Week
Jaedyn Shaw has proved to be an absolutely massive signing for Gotham midseason. She has scored in both playoff games, including the game-winner in the semifinals. She stepped up to take the free kick in stoppage time and sent it curling into the net, sending Gotham to the Championship.
Goal of the Week
Alyssa Thompson is on a tear with Chelsea, having scored three goals in their last four games. Against Liverpool, she scored an impressive goal to secure the draw for Chelsea. Thompson dribbled the ball into the box, cut inside the defender, and then sent the ball into the far side of the net.
Upset of the Week
Lipscomb knocked off 6 sixth-seeded Mississippi State to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It’s just the second time in school history that Lipscomb has advanced. Lipscomb scored the game-winner in the 28th minute and from there was able to keep the lead.
Save of the Week
Ann-Katrin Berger made the biggest save of the match to send Gotham to the Championship. Orlando was down to their last chance with a free kick that was sent into the box and headed on frame, but Berger was able to get a hand on it and push it over the bar to secure the win.
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