Gotham FC wins NWSL Shield after 2-0 Decision Day victory
The top seed earns home field advantage in the playoffs and will host Seattle Reign next Sunday.
By Giulia Marshall ·
Gotham FC finished the regular season with a record of 18 wins, five losses, and seven draws, a mark that secured the league's best finish and the NWSL Shield.
The team locked in the trophy with a 2-0 win over the Utah Royals on Sunday. All 16 teams in the league played their final matches at the same time on this Decision Day.
Guro Reiten and Jaedyn Shaw put Gotham ahead. Ann-Katrin Berger made two saves in the win to record her 11th clean sheet of the season.
Shaw said the group was happy to finally achieve this milestone. The shield gives Gotham home field advantage for every playoff game. The team will host the No. 8 seed Seattle Reign in the quarterfinals next Sunday.
San Diego Wave defender Mimi Van Zanten scored in the ninth minute to lead her team to a 1-0 win over Bay FC in San Jose. The result gave the Wave the second seed. They will host the Royals on Friday.
The Washington Spirit took the No. 3 seed with a 2-0 win over the last-place Chicago Stars. Trinity Rodman scored in the 85th minute after finishing a pass from Clara Luvanga. An own goal by Michelle Alozie gave the Spirit an earlier lead. Washington will host the sixth-seeded Portland Thorns next Sunday.
The Kansas City Current earned the No. 4 seed with a 2-0 win over Racing Louisville in Kentucky. Kayla Sharples and Haley Hopkins each headed in a corner kick from Vanessa DiBernardo. The Current will host Angel City on Saturday.
North Carolina forward Ashley Sanchez won the Golden Boot with 20 regular season goals. She tied the single season record set by Temwa Chawinga in 2024. This is the second time a Golden Boot winner will miss the playoffs. Sam Kerr of Sky Blue FC achieved the feat in 2017.
Jordyn Bugg scored the only goal of the match for Seattle Reign to secure the final playoff spot. She broke the deadlock off a corner kick in the 68th minute against the Orlando Pride. Claudia Dickey recorded her ninth clean sheet of the season. The Reign will play in the quarterfinals.
Sophia Wilson scored twice to help the Portland Thorns defeat the Houston Dash 2-0. Her goals brought her season total to 15, a career high. She is the first NWSL player to score more than 10 goals in four separate seasons.
The Seattle Reign and Portland Thorns will join the other top seeds in the playoff bracket. The remaining matches on Decision Day involved teams already eliminated from postseason contention.
