Gotham FC secures NWSL Shield with shutout over Utah
The top seed locks in home advantage for the playoffs after a 2-0 victory on Decision Day.
By Kwame Silva ·
Gotham FC clinched the NWSL Shield for the best regular-season record with a 2-0 win over the Utah Royals on Sunday.
The result on Decision Day, when all 16 league teams play simultaneously, gives the club a 18-5-7 record. This performance secures the No. 1 seed and home field advantage for all playoff matches.
Guro Reiten and Jaedyn Shaw provided the goals for Gotham. Ann-Katrin Berger recorded her 11th clean sheet of the season with two saves. Shaw noted the team's happiness to finally achieve this milestone.
The San Diego Wave captured the No. 2 seed with a 1-0 road victory over Bay FC. Mimi Van Zanten scored in the ninth minute in San Jose, California. The Wave, now 18-8-4, will host the seventh-seeded Utah Royals on Friday.
Washington Spirit defender Mimi Van Zanten led her team to the top two, but the Spirit themselves secured the No. 3 seed. A 2-0 win over the last-place Chicago Stars at Audi Field locked in their position. Trinity Rodman scored in the 85th minute. Michelle Alozie provided an own goal in the 62nd minute for the lead.
The Kansas City Current took the No. 4 seed after beating Racing Louisville 2-0 in Kentucky. Kayla Sharples and Haley Hopkins both headed in corners from Vanessa DiBernardo. The Current, 16-9-5, will host the No. 5 seed Angel City on Saturday.
North Carolina forward Ashley Sanchez won the league Golden Boot with 20 regular-season goals. This ties the single-season record set by Temwa Chawinga in 2024. It marks the second time a Golden Boot winner will miss the playoffs, the last occurrence being Sam Kerr of Sky Blue FC in 2017.
The Seattle Reign clinched the final playoff spot with a 1-0 home win over the Orlando Pride. Jordyn Bugg scored from a corner kick in the 68th minute. The Reign, 14-11-5, will host Gotham next Sunday in the quarterfinals. The Pride, 11-16-3, lost their final two games to end the season.
Other results included a 1-0 North Carolina Courage win over the Denver Summit, though the Courage missed the playoffs. Sophia Wilson scored twice for Portland, reaching a career-high 15 goals. Angel City defeated Boston 4-1, with Claire Emslie scoring after entering as a substitute.
