Let’s hope everyone has fun
The Starting XIs are out!
Gotham:
30 Ann-Katrin Berger
4 Lilly Reale
27 Jess Carter
6 Emily Sonnett
22 Mandy Freeman (C)
16 Rose Lavelle
7 Jaelin Howell
11 Sarah Schupansky
2 Jaedyn Shaw
9 Esther Gonzalez
23 Midge Purce
Substitutions: Hogan, Bruninha, Hasbo, Geyse, Stevens, Portilho, Duran, Cook, Stengel
5:12
The teams are taking the field! The music is swelling, the fireworks are popping, the planes are flying uncomfortably close to the stadium. Let’s have a match!
5:13
Mickey Guyton is singing the National Anthem, accompanied by two ASL interpreters.
5:18
We’re kicking off for REAL this time! Spirit fans appear to be winning the numbers game. It helps to be dressed in highlighter yellow.
1’: A cheeky kickoff on goal for Gotham, but it goes wide.
4’: Teams are going AT each other early, and you have to applaud the effort. The Spirit can seemingly pull a fast break out of thin air, and Gotham wants to get on the board early. The result? Early chaos and fun.
5’: Midge Purce dribbles in from wide but can’t get past Kingsbury.
5’: Shaw feeds Esther at the spot, and Esther finds the back of the net but the play is called offside.
16’: Gotham’s had the upper hand in the last ten minutes or so. Lilly Reale is doing an excellent job keeping the ball away from Gift Monday and Rose Kouassi.
30’: Gotham isn’t giving an inch in the midfield, and the Spirit are starting to find their footing. Not in the literal sense, as the grass monster at PayPal Park is feasting.
35’: A free kick opportunity for the Spirit! It’s a direct shot and Berger snuffs the chance.
39’: Hal Hershfelt beats Midge Purce to the ball, but Purce trips over Hershfelt’s follow through. She stayed down for a moment but gets back up.
42’: Temperature’s rising on the pitch as we close in on halftime. Tackles are starting to look a little harder but the fouls are getting called.
43’: Free kick from the danger zone for Gotham. Rose Lavelle sends it left and it works out to corner kick fro gotham.
44’: Lavelle for the corner but it gets headed away. Gotham tries to recycle but Kingsbury takes control.
45+3’: Gift Monday with a nifty bit of dribbling and she gets pulled down by Lilly Reale. Reale earns the first yellow card of the match.
45+3’: Halftime at the championship! We’re scoreless in the Bay, and the Washington Spirit still have yet to score on Gotham in 2025.
50’: We’re back for the second half! The facilities at the press box level appear to also be shared with the general public seated up top and it’s not ideal!
51’: Free DC chant rings out in the stadium
55’: Trinity Rodman straps her shin guards on and appears to be getting ready to come on.
56’ leicy Santos gets Spirit’s best chance of the match so far, but Emily Sonnett intervenes
57’: Rodman makes her way onto the pitch to a raucous ovation. Cantore off for the Spirit.
59’: Lilly Reale takes down Rose Kouassi, and Adrian Gonzalez is not happy about it. Looks like it’s Reale’s last warning for the day.
62’: Bruninha comes on for Lilly Reale, who was one footrace away from a red card.
64’: Rose Lavelle’s outswinger corner gets to a chaos spot, but Gotham can’t put it away.
67’: Croix Bethune sits down Emily Sonnett but it’s a few touches too many and she can’t take a clean shot.
74’: Hal Hershfelt goes down at the top of the defensive box, and she’s being evaluated by the training staff.
77’: Hershfelt is on the far sideline now getting taped up, looks like she’s gonna try to have a go at it.
78’: Esther breaks with a clean strike on net, but Kingsbury snags it easily.
79’: Hershfelt comes back on, Spirit have Deb Abiodun getting instructions on the sideline.
79’: Rose Lavelle RIPS a shot from the top of the box and it curls past Kingsbury to make it 1-0 late.
87’: Gotham in no rush to get this free kick off from the left side.
90+3’: Bruninha takes a yellow card and it’s a free kick for spirit. Now or never time.
90+3’: Kick makes it way out wide, and Berger in no hurry to get this kick out.
90+4’: Free kick for Gotham now, time slipping away for Spirit.
90+6’ Rodman down for the Spirit. She remains in the game.
Full time! Gotham take the 2025 championship!