In a semifinal with an unbelievably dramatic finish, U.S. women's national team forward Jaedyn Shaw extended a remarkable playoff run for NJ/NY Gotham FC, sending them to the 2025 NWSL Championship thanks to her last-minute free kick to down reigning champs Orlando Pride.
Now they'll face last year's runners-up, Washington Spirit, on Saturday, and fans can watch all the NWSL Championship action on CBS and on Paramount+ (Nov. 22, 8 p.m. ET).
As for Shaw, she'll be one to watch in the final as she continues to contribute, this time delivering the crucial game-winning goal. The USWNT player was traded to the club late in September, and her late arrival is clearly paying off in the playoffs.
"I mean, this team is so gritty. This team fights to the very end. This team plays for each other, and it's contagious," Shaw said after the game. "I love this team so much, and I would literally do anything on the field to get the points at the end of the day. I'm just so happy to be going to the finals."
Shaw scored the opening goal during the quarterfinal against Kansas City Current, NWSL Shield winners and the first-place team, and can now add a game-winning semifinal free-kick goal. Take a look at this strike:
"I mean, I just knew I prepared myself for that moment. I have been working tirelessly on my free kicks since I got here, and I think the staff has done a really good job making me feel really confident in taking those," Shaw said.
"Me and Rose [Lavelle] just waited to see, like, what the picture was gonna look like, to see who was gonna take it. And ultimately, I live for these moments, and I'm just really happy that I could make an impact for our team. I love this team so much. I'm just really happy to have whatever I do on the practice field come out into these big moments."
The stoppage time winner extends a storybook postseason for the eighth-place side, who have now upset the top-seeded Kansas City, and Orlando. Gotham FC are just two years removed from winning the NWSL Championship. The club lifted the trophy in 2023, and now they have an opportunity to cement their elite status with another in just a short turnaround. Now they have an extra clutch performer in Shaw.
"Credit to the staff, all my teammates, I think, like I said before, they made me feel so comfortable in this environment, and they really pushed me to be the best version of myself, and vice versa. And ultimately, I think the biggest realization for me is just like, I know that God has placed me here for a reason. I know that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be," she said.
