Rodman brace sparks dominant Washington Spirit playoff win over Portland Thorns: Match report

The Washington Spirit have at times had their issues at Audi Field, even with fervent support on Buzzard Point. That was not an issue in the NWSL playoffs Sunday, as the Spirit turned a fast start into a dominant 4-1 win over the Portland Thorns.

Mélissa Bethi's early goal set the Spirit on their way, but the real advantage came thanks to strikes from Clara Luvanga and Trinity Rodman falling within a two-minute span. Pietra Tordin's goal early in the second half gave the Thorns an avenue to mount a comeback attempt, but Rodman's second put those worries to bed.

The other quarterfinals played out as low-event games, with tactical caution and poor execution a factor in each. Washington seemed to have no interest in following suit, pressuring Portland from the jump. The early aggression paid off after just six minutes, with Bethi applying the finishing touch.

The Thorns thought they'd escaped one threat, attempting to build out of the back, but Trinity Rodman pounced on Carolyn Calzada, stripping the defender of the ball. From there it was light work for the U.S. women's national team forward, surging to the endline before cutting the ball back to a wide-open Bethi, who was almost celebrating before she even tapped the ball in.

Clara Luvanga nodded a corner over the bar as Washington continued to have the better of the early exchanges, though Portland offered a threat from Caiya Hanks down the Spirit right.

That danger popped up in the 28th minute, when a Thorns counter broke loose. Sophia Wilson pushed deep into the Spirit half before slipping Hanks in behind, but Sandy MacIver made a brave save at the Canada winger's feet.

Washington nearly had the perfect reply, as barely a minute later Lucia Di Guglielmo's ball over the top put Luvanga in behind. With defenders closing on either shoulder, Luvanga perhaps rushed her shot, skipping the ball wide.

The Tanzania forward wouldn't need to wait long to get on the scoresheet. Luvanga pursued Isabella Obaze's 34th-minute back-pass, which went towards the goalmouth. Mackenzie Arnold tried to turn and clear, but only succeeded in smashing the ball off of the Spirit striker barely a yard off the line, with the rebound crossing the line.

Washington showed no mercy, making it 3-0 within a minute. Bethi won the ball at midfield, with Luvanga and Sofia Cantore swapping spots on the fly. Luvanga, now with more room to operate, crossed low for Rodman, who simply had to beat her marker to the ball to fire into an empty net.

The Thorns, reeling, were compelled to make a pair of tactical substitutions as their game plan had completely unraveled. Nothing changed for the Spirit. Rodman's bid for a second was barely blocked wide by Jessie Fleming, while Cantore's volley arced barely over the bar.

The halftime break brought more intensity for Portland, who got on the board after Washington failed to deal with a corner. The initial ball in was half-cleared, but Fleming got a second chance to serve it back in. Tordin was able to retain her balance after Andi Sullivan's challenge before snapping a 51st-minute shot off that left MacIver with no time to react.

Morgan Weaver's cross from the right nearly put the Thorns within a goal, picking out Tordin for a volley. The contact was awkward, though, which bailed the Spirit out as MacIver gratefully collected what could have been a stunning 58th-minute goal.

If any worry crept in for the hosts, it was quashed within seconds. Tara Rudd stepped into midfield to win the ball back for the Spirit, feeding Luvanga into a 1-v-1 with Jayden Perry. Luvanga left the Thorns center back in the dust before supplying another low ball for Rodman, who ghosted in for a simple finish as Reyna Reyes never saw the danger coming.

Rodman looked a threat for a hat trick, ripping a shot into the side netting after Gabby Carle's splendid turn opened up another transition attack. At the other end, MacIver was only really called into action one more time, but had to come up big to deny Wilson a potential goal after the USWNT star shot on the turn.

Portland's nightmare was made complete in the 88th minute, as Jayden Perry yanked down Rodman, picking up her second booking of the day.

With the first hurdle of the playoffs cleared, the Spirit will move on to a semifinal clash with the 7th-seeded Utah Royals. Due to conflicts with Audi Field and broadcast schedule issues league-wide, the match will have to take place at Northwest Stadium in Landover, MD. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.

Box score — NWSL playoffs (quarterfinal)
11/8/2026

Washington Spirit 4 (Bethi 6; Luvanga 34; Rodman 35, 58)
Portland Thorns 1 (Tordin 51)

Lineups:
Spirit (433): Sandy MacIver; Lucia Di Guglielmo (Paige Metayer 87), Tara Rudd, Esme Morgan, Gabby Carle; Mélissa Bethi (Monique Ngock 77), Andi Sullivan (C), Leicy Santos (Claudia Martínez 87); Sofia Cantore (Rosemonde Kouassi 67), Clara Luvanga (Ashley Hatch 67), Trinity Rodman

Thorns (4231): Mackenzie Arnold; Carolyn Calzada (Reilyn Turner 38), Isabella Obaze (Sam Hiatt 73), Jayden Perry, Reyna Reyes; Nina Nijstad (Morgan Weaver 51), Jessie Fleming (C); Marie Müller (M.A. Vignola 38), Clara Luvan, Pietra Tordin, Caiya Hanks; Sophia Wilson

Bookings:
Spirit - Cantore 62
Thorns - Perry 47, Perry 88

Referee: Nabil Bensalah
Weather: Clear, breezy, 64°
Attendance: 19,215