Trinity Rodman scores twice as Washington beat Portland 4-1 and the NWSL semifinals are set

The NWSL quarterfinals wrapped up on Sunday with two very different games. The Washington Spirit beat the Portland Thorns 4-1 at Audi Field behind a Trinity Rodman brace, while defending champions Gotham FC had to hang on to knock out Seattle Reign 1-0 thanks to an own goal in the fourth minute. The semifinals are set: Gotham against the Kansas City Current and Washington against the Utah Royals.

Washington settled it in 35 minutes

The third-seeded Spirit struck early. In the 6th minute, Rodman delivered a cross that Mélissa Bethi turned into the opener. In the 34th, Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold took too long to clear a back-pass and Clara Luvanga punished the mistake to make it two. Barely a minute and a half later, Luvanga turned provider for Rodman, who finished a quick move for the 3-0 lead the home side took into the break.

Portland responded at the start of the second half and pulled one back in the 51st minute through Pietra Tordin. The hope lasted seven minutes: in the 58th, another Luvanga assist ended in Rodman's second goal, which sealed the 4-1. The forward finished the afternoon with two goals and an assist; Luvanga, with a goal and two assists. Late on, in the 88th minute, defender Jayden Perry picked up a second yellow card and left the Thorns with ten players.

Gotham go through on an own goal

At Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, the top seed and Shield winners did just enough. Four minutes in, a Jaedyn Shaw corner dropped at the near post, Seattle defender Jordyn Bugg tried to clear it and the ball ended up in her own net. It was the only goal of the game. According to Equalizer Soccer, Gotham finished the match without a shot on target.

At the other end, Ann-Katrin Berger protected the lead with three saves, including a leaping stop to tip a Mia Fishel shot over the crossbar early in the second half. In the 59th minute, Nérilia Mondésir put the ball in the net for what looked like the equalizer, but the goal was ruled out because Jess Fishlock was offside in the build-up.

Jess Fishlock says goodbye

The elimination brought Fishlock's career in Seattle to an end. The 39-year-old Welsh midfielder, the club's captain and the last remaining member of its original 2013 squad, had announced she would retire at the end of the 2026 season. She leaves after 14 years in the league.

The semifinal picture

• Gotham FC (1) vs. Kansas City Current (4). Kansas City knocked out Angel City 1-0 in extra time on Saturday, with a Michelle Cooper penalty.
• Washington Spirit (3) vs. Utah Royals (7). Utah arrive after upsetting the San Diego Wave with a Kiana Palacios goal.

The semifinals will be played on the weekend of November 14-15, and the final is set for November 21 at Audi Field in Washington. According to USA Today, the Spirit will not be able to use their home ground for the semifinal: they will host Utah on Saturday the 14th at Northwest Stadium, because Audi Field was already booked for another event. The venue for Gotham's semifinal has yet to be confirmed, according to Equalizer Soccer.

Sources: Equalizer Soccer, AP via ESPN, Seattle Reign FC, Bleacher Report, USA Today.