In a rematch of the 2024 NWSL Championship, the Washington Spirit claimed their second club trophy on Friday night, edging the reigning 2024 NWSL Champions, the Orlando Pride, in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup final in Orlando, Florida. After a 1-1 draw in regulation, the Spirit secured the title with a 4-2 victory in the penalty shootout, lifting the Challenge Cup for the first time in club history. The victory adds to Washington’s finals history, which includes the 2016 NWSL Championship (lost on penalties to the WNY Flash), the 2021 NWSL Championship (won 2-1 in extra time vs. Chicago), the 2022 Challenge Cup Final (lost 2-1 to North Carolina), and the 2024 NWSL Championship (lost 1-0 to Orlando). Only the Portland Thorns and the North Carolina Courage have participated in as many NWSL finals.

It was a tightly contested match between two sides with recent championship experience. Rafaelle opened the scoring for Orlando in the 41st minute, capitalizing on a Marta free-kick that sent the ball pinging off players in the box before landing at Rafaelle’s feet. The Spirit responded in the 72nd minute when Leicy Santos delivered a stunning free kick past Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse to bring Washington level. In the final minutes of regulation time, Pride defender Kylie Nadaner (formerly Strom) thought she had a game-winner when her diving header trickled past Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury–the first goalkeeper in league history to appear in two Challenge Cup finals–but it was ultimately called offside. The match skipped extra time and went straight to a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, both teams stayed level through the first two rounds, with Julie Doyle and Ashley Hatch converting their penalties, followed by Angelina and Rebeca Bernal. In the third round, Summer Yates' attempt went wide while Narumi Miura found the net despite Anna Moorhouse getting a hand on it. With Washington holding the advantage, Aubrey Kingsbury came up big in the fourth round, denying Ally Lemos to put the Spirit on the brink of victory. Tara McKeown then stepped up and buried the decisive penalty, sealing Washington’s first Challenge Cup title, with Aubrey Kingsbury earning Challenge Cup MVP honors for her penalty shootout heroics.

For the Spirit, who were missing a few key players including 2024 MVP candidate Trinity Rodman and 2024 Rookie and Midfielder of the Year Croix Bethune, it was an ideal way to head into the opening weekend of the 2025 regular season. And for the Pride, its incentive to come back stronger in the regular season as they fight to defend both their NWSL Championship win and their NWSL Shield. Ultimately, the result adds another chapter to the growing rivalry between the two sides, who have now faced each other the past three times NWSL trophies have been lifted.

With Challenge Cup now complete, the 2025 NWSL regular season kicks off next weekend, featuring a full slate of matches. Opening night includes two marquee matchups featuring the Challenge Cup participants:

• Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Stars FC - 8 pm E.T. on Prime Video
• Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit - 8 pm E.T. on NWSL+

The road to the 2025 NWSL Championship begins now!