Washington Spirit see off Chicago Stars in 2-0 Decision Day win: Match report

The Washington Spirit were hoping to clinch home field advantage throughout the NWSL playoffs Sunday, and though a 2-0 win over the Chicago Stars held up their end of the bargain, results elsewhere meant that the win only guaranteed a quarterfinal at Audi Field.

An own goal from a corner kick scramble provided the game-winner for the Spirit, while Trinity Rodman the victory on ice in the closing minutes with her 12th goal of the season.

The Spirit may have held most of the early possession, but the first save for either goalkeeper came in the 24th minute, when a ball over the top found Mallory Swanson in space. The ex-Washington attacker looked to catch Sandy MacIver by surprise, but the Scotland no. 1 was able to dive left and keep the game scoreless. The hosts got an even bigger scare from an old friend in the 32nd minute, where Sam Staab received a recycled corner kick, only to poke her 14-yard shot wide.

Perhaps that woke the Spirit up. Within two minutes, Leicy Santos side-footed a good look wide, while Gabby Carle blazed over from an angle. Seconds later, Ashley Hatch's goalbound shot was glanced over the bar by Alyssa Naeher.

The late stages of the half came with big misses both ways: Rodman stripped Maitane López at midfield, only to choose a pass towards Hatch that went awry rather than going to goal herself. A minute later, Micayla Johnson got two bites at a loose ball inside the Spirit box, with Lucia Di Guglielmo's block potentially saving a goal. The second attempt from the U.S. under-20 winger could have easily opened the scoring, but zipped wide.

In truth, Washington was having trouble creating the expected chances, but the breakthrough arrived on a scrappy corner kick sequence in the 63rd minute. Lucia Di Guglielmo knocked down Esme Morgan's back-post service, with the ball clipping the unlucky Michelle Alozie on its way towards goal. A scramble ensued, with Andi Sullivan eventually credited for the goal despite telling reporters after the match that she never got a touch.

After entering at halftime, Tamara Bolt was a consistent bright spot, and was unfortunate not to log a 70th-minute assist as her cutback just barely evaded Mélissa Bethi on the doorstep.

Washington still had to ride a bit of luck, as a looping ball into the box caused serious trouble in the 78th minute. Morgan had to lunge to get any contact on it, but Simone Charley still arrived for a good look on goal. Fortunately for the Spirit, the veteran's strike went just a yard high.

Still, the Spirit were having the better of it, and made sure of the win with an 85th-minute finish from Rodman. Clara Luvanga escaped on the right and mimicked Bolt, cutting the ball back to an open Rodman for a first-time finish from 10 yards.

MacIver had to come up with a splendid double save in the 90th minute to preserve the shutout, while Staab curled a stoppage-time free kick over the bar as the Stars looked to find any positives from the end of a difficult campaign.

Combined with the San Diego Wave's victory over Bay FC, the win leaves the Spirit (17-4-9) in 3rd place in the final NWSL standings, which will result in a home quarterfinal against the Portland Thorns. Per the NWSL, Audi Field will host the match next Sunday, November 8 at 3 p.m. ET.

Highlights will be added when they are made available.

Box score — NWSL regular season (game 30)
11/11/2026

Washington Spirit 2 (Alozie 62og, Rodman 85)
Chicago Stars 0

Lineups:
Spirit (433): Sandy MacIver; Lucia Di Guglielmo (Paige Metayer 88), Tara Rudd, Esme Morgan, Gabby Carle; Mélissa Bethi (Sofia Cantore 78), Andi Sullivan (C), Leicy Santos (Monique Ngock 89); Rosemonde Kouassi (Tamara Bolt 46), Ashley Hatch (Clara Luvanga 46), Trinity Rodman

Stars (4231): Alyssa Naeher (C); Michelle Alozie, Maitane López, Sam Staab, Nádia Gomes; Brianna Pinto, Tessa Dellarose (Bea Franklin 92+); Emma Egizii (Taylor Wood 92+), Julia Grosso (Anna Gasper 61), Micayla Johnson (Jenna Bike 76); Mallory Swanson (Simone Charley 61)

Bookings:
Spirit - Hatch 22
Stars - Alozie 55, Dellarose 60

Referee: Shawn Tehini
Weather: Calm, mostly clear, 61°
Attendance: 19,322