NWSL playoffs quarterfinals are on the books, but there will be some moments we won’t forget.
Which ones? Here’s our top five:
Luana’s perfect comeback
Last year, we learned about Orlando Pride’s Luana being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s
lymphoma and more than a year of treatment later, she made her comeback last September in the match against Chicago Stars.
However, she made an even greater comeback last Saturday when she scored the PK that secured their semifinal ticket.
“One year ago I didn’t even know if I would be playing again and today I’m here,” Luana said after the game, holding back tears. “Nothing is impossible.”
Gotham knocked out Kansas City Current
Even though everybody thought Kansas was going to reap the Shield and the Championship this year, Gotham said “Not so fast.”
To everyone’s shock, Katie Stengel scored in the dying minutes of extra time to send the Bats to the semifinal.
It was pure NWSL After Dark energy but in the afternoon.
Aubrey Kingsbury’s heroics sent Washington Spirit to the semifinal
The battle between the Washington Spirit and Racing Louisville was closer than people thought. After both teams went scoreless for 73 minutes, Gift Monday broke the deadlock.
And then, in stoppage time, Kayla Fisher made history when she scored the first goal for Racing Louisville in a playoff.
However, after both teams not getting the win in extra time, it was up to the goalkeepers to step up. Jordyn Bloomer was on one side and Aubrey Kingsbury on the other, with the Spirit keeper prevailing.
It wasn’t a surprise, though. After all, Kingsbury is the league’s best when it comes to stopping shootouts. While every other keeper has a 12.8%, she holds a 34.6%, meaning that she stops more than one out of three attempts.
Marta aging like fine wine
We already pointed out Luana’s fairy tale but what about the Pride’s captain, Marta? After Orlando lived under the Current’s shade the whole 2025 season, Marta and the rest of Orlando kept pushing despite not being that team that surprised everybody in 2024.
Regardless, Orlando found its rhythm in the last stretch of the season and a lot had to do with Marta. In the quarterfinals against Seattle, the 39-year-old made a fantastic run that got the PK that Luana buried in the back of the net.
Negative comments against her team have done nothing but fuel her with a new energy that will drive her in the semifinal against Gotham next Sunday. And we have seen that an angry Marta is always dangerous.
Against all odds, the Thorns are in the semis
Seeing Portland in a playoff is not uncommon. Actually, the opposite is out of the ordinary. However, this team was written off by pretty much everybody and the amount of injuries they had to deal with didn’t make things easier.
Nonetheless, the club knew it was up to them to prove everybody wrong and that’s what they did. With an Olivia Moultrie that refused to quit all season long and a hard-working Reylin Turner, they created the goal that secured the ticket for the semifinals.
This Cinderella story continues next Saturday when they play the Washington Spirit at Audi Field.
