Washington Spirit clinch NWSL playoff berth as Gotham miss chance to seal Shield

The Washington Spirit secured an NWSL playoff berth with a 1-0 win over Gotham FC on Saturday, as Lucia Di Guglielmo scored for her first league goal. Mélissa Bethi’s lobbed pass set up the 70th-minute strike, which she tucked past Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver recorded two saves for her 10th clean sheet of the season, and Leicy Santos returned from injury to start after missing since Aug. 8. The loss denied Gotham a chance to clinch the NWSL Shield and ended their four-match unbeaten run. San Diego also clinched a top-four seed by beating North Carolina 2-1, while Angel City erased a two-goal deficit to defeat Denver 3-2. Kansas City topped Utah 2-0.