Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury saved all three penalties she faced as the Spirit defeated reigning champion NJ/NY Gotham FC in a 3-0 penalty shootout on Saturday at Audi Field to advance to next week's NWSL championship.

The 2024 NWSL regular season has concluded and the playoffs are officially underway. League leaders Orlando Pride hosted Chicago Red Stars to kick off the quarterfinal round. The 2024 NWSL Shield winners defeated Chicago 4-1 and will face Kansas City Current in the semifinal after the Current eliminated North Carolina Courage.

Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury had three massive saves in the shootout to secure the semifinal win and send Washington to the championship.

WASHINGTON (7News) — The Washington Spirit is heading to the NWSL Finals! In front of a sold-out Audi Field, the team defeated defending champion NJ/NY Gotham FC in a match that had to be decided in a penalty shootout on Saturday.

By the time the final whistle blew at Red Bull Arena on Sunday marking the end of the last NWSL quarterfinal, the most unsurprising semifinal bracket was set. The top four teams i

The Spirit took down defending champion, New York's Gotham FC, in a shootout in front of a sold-out crowd at Audi Field on Saturday. Washington’s Hal Hershfelt scored the equalizer in stoppage time, and goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury stopped all 3 shots she faced in the shootout to help the Spirit advance to the title game.

Prior to the shootout, Esther Gonzalez scored in the 56th minute for Gotham. The goal held up until Washington's Hal Hershfelt scored on a header to knot the score in the third minute of second-half stoppage time. Sending Audi Field into a frenzy! #TeamPixel | @MadeByGoogle pic.twitter.com/bvV6jHZnCW