NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Emily Sonnett (6) lifts the NWSL championship trophy after defeating the Washington Spirit in a NWSL women’s championship soccer match, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Rose Lavelle scored in the 80th minute and the eighth-seeded Gotham FC beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 on Saturday night to win their second National Women’s Soccer League championship.

Second-half substitute Bruninha drove into the box on the left wing and sent the ball across to Lavelle, whose left-footed shot sailed past Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury into the bottom corner of the net.

It is the first NWSL championship title for Lavelle, who had scored in the 2023 final when she was playing for the Seattle Reign against Gotham in a 2

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