The Washington Spirit move on in the playoffs

There’s probably no moment more nerve wracking for a goalkeeper than a penalty shootout, but Aubrey Kingsbury sounds downright nonchalant about the solo showdown.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the keeper, but there is more on the kickers. They are expected to make the kick,” says the 33-year-old goalie. “If a keeper saves one, you would say they have done their job. It’s our time to shine.”

And Kingsbury certainly shined last Saturday at Audi Field, saving two penalty kicks in a marathon nailbiter of a win over Racing Louisville. That victory sent the Washington Spirit to the semifinals of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs, which will be played this Saturday at home against the Portland Thorns.

Leading the Spirit will be Kingsbury, the squad’s captain and one of the longest-serving players.

When she joined the team in 2018, the Spirit were almost a footnote among D.C.’s professional sports teams; their games weren’t even played in the city, but rather at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown. (Capacity: 5,000 fans.)

“It was a very amateur operation,” she recalls. “Much of the league was. There was different ownership, very minimal investment in facilities and staffing. It didn’t feel like we were a D.C. team at all.”

That’s changed significantly. Current owner Michele Kang took control of the team in 2022, the same year it moved all of its home games to Audi Field. “One of [Kang’s] goals is to be one of the best teams in the world, and she has put her money where her mouth is,” Kingsbury says.

The Spirit won the NWSL championship in 2021 and came in second last year. The team’s run included a penalty shootout in the semi-finals, where Kingsbury made three critical saves. (Across all of her penalty shootouts, she has posted a 35% save rate – almost three times the league average.)

The excitement around the Spirit has built throughout this season, which the team finished second in the standings. Last week’s game at what’s lovingly known as Rowdy Audi was at capacity, and the stadium’s 20,000 seats for this Saturday’s game sold out in record time.

“They’re loud, they’re engaged, and they know soccer,” says Kingsbury of the Spirit’s fanbase. “Some of the first games [this season] at Audi, it felt like the stadium was about to shake. When we score, it’s deafening.” (Fans have also continued the “Free D.C.” chant at the 51st minute of every game, which began during President Trump’s takeover in August.)

Still, the Spirit’s first-round win was unexpectedly difficult, even more so when you consider that Racing Louisville was the second lowest-ranked team to sneak through to the playoffs. Kingsbury admits the game was “emotional, long, and exhausting,” and things will only ramp up from here. “I was always expecting three difficult games,” she says.

The Spirit faces the rest of the playoffs as the league’s top team, since first seed Kansas City lost in a surprise defeat last weekend. One remaining question – and a critical one – remains whether injured star forward Trinity Rodman will be able to play. Defenders Tara McKeown and Gabby Carle also left the Louisville game with injuries, potentially leaving a significant hole in the team’s backline this weekend.

Until the Spirit take the field again on Saturday, Kingsbury says she’s resting and mentally preparing. She’s one for taking her dog on walks in local parks and forests (Rock Creek Park and Scott’s Run in Virginia are favorites), scoping out the best baked goods in the region (Arlington’s Livin’ the Pie Life gets top ranks for cookies, while D.C.’s Baked and Wired beats out Georgetown Cupcake, she says), and just being “an average DMV Costco shopper.”

But come Saturday, Kingsbury has one message for the Spirit faithful. “Prepare to lose your voice,” she says. “Be as rowdy as you’ve ever been.”