Aubrey Kingsbury, Hal Hershfelt, revamp have Washington Spirit feeling like NWSL glory is their 'destiny'

The Washington Spirit are back in the NWSL Championship after winning the title in 2021, beating NJ/NY Gotham FC in penalty kicks on Saturday. The Spirit needed an equalizer and got one from rookie Hal Hershfelt, and then in a penalty shootout, long-time goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury delivered a heroic three-save performance to ensure the Spirit's return to the title Game. The Spirit are fully back, but the roster, and the circumstances, are much different than a few years ago. 

New ownership, new coaches, new players, a defined home field, and the first steps of a potential rebrand are all part of the Spirit's journey back to the NWSL Championship. 

The same, but different

The Spirit still have several recognizable faces on their squad from their 2021 title run. Kingsbury, alongside Andi Sullivan, Trinity Rodman, and Tara McKeown are just a few that were part of the roster. However, the storylines around the team in 2021 were more chaotic, as the team found themselves playing through the chaos around them instead of celebrating a run of form. 

The franchise was constantly in the headlines around dueling ownership, team investigations, and coaching changes. At one point, players penned a letter to former majority Steve Balwdin about their lack of trust in his ability to lead to change and signaled their endorsement of future majority owner Michelle Kang. After Kang purchased the Spirit, the franchise struggled to return to the postseason in 2022 and 2023, but there were tangible changes including a permanent home at Audi Field moving forward, and slight tweaks to their crest and colors. 

There was also the arrival of a major head coaching hire, former FC Barcelona manager Jonatan Giraldez, free agent signing Casey Krueger, and a slew of rookie talents to reshape the 2024 season. 

Who is Hal Hershfelt?

In case you've been living under a rock, the rookie midfielder has been a key figure in the starting lineups this season. The first year played was drafted out of Clemson ahead of the 2024 season. She also was part of the U.S. women's national team Olympic roster and featured as an alternate for the team during their gold medal run. 

Veteran Spirit midfielder and co-captain Sullivan suffered an ACL injury toward the end of the regular season and the coaching staff have relied on her down the stretch of the playoffs. Hershfelt carries the demeanor of an old-school defensive mid, more rough less tumble, and puts the crunch in challenges at times. 

Her header off a set-piece corner ended up being a Game-changing equalizer for the Spirit. Giraldez believes she's just getting started in her development and growing with each Game.

"We were practicing a lot this week ... and she [didn't have] very good feelings in the beginning of the week, but she has a big personality, especially when she commits a mistake," Giraldez said after the semifinal.

The head coach describes his rookie as someone with the type of mentality that is always looking ahead and never staying too low. A perspective that comes more when a player gets older and has more experience. He wants to see more adjustments for her in possession but is adamant that her efforts in training are getting her the confidence to deliver in big moments.

"She's amazing. The way that she prepares herself because she has a big intensity for her," he said. "It's not a coincidence. Everything she's doing in the training sessions, in the way that she believes in the training, how she develops her skills in the training, and everything that she's doing, she deserves it ... She did an amazing job today."

Aubrey Kingsbury's steady gloves

With the semifinal deadlocked at 1-1, the match was determined by a dreaded penalty shootout. Another sell-out crowd was roaring for their home team during a high-pressure moment. Kingsbury, the Spirit's goalkeeper, saved three consecutive attempts to shut out Gotham FC and get the Spirit back into the championship final.

"All of us goalkeepers have worked on penalties consistently throughout the year. Especially with VAR in the league, it's such an important part of the Game. We conceded plenty of penalties in the early days, started by conceding a penalty in 20 seconds into the season," Kingsbury said.

"So just one of those moments of the Game that you have to prepare for. So we work on them pretty consistently throughout the season, not just in the postseason, but just got a good read. And I think it's more just the confidence and having the fans behind me, I was really trying to get them into it, because I knew that would give us a great advantage for their penalty takers coming up and trying to make one in front of that wall of fans like I would be scared."

Kingsbury is no stranger to navigating playoff scenarios in extra time. The 2021 NWSL Championship was decided in extras, and the goalkeeper feels a sense of familiarity with what felt like destiny in 2021 to a new era of Spirit football in 2024. 

"I have similar feelings, honestly, as '21, kind of like that, felt like destiny. And I would say the same thing. Obviously, we don't have the media circus and all the chaotic energy around us that we did back in '21 but on the flip side, it's all the positive stuff. We're well supported, from the owner down to our support staff, everyone in this organization," she said postGame.

"Being motivated from, like, a really positive place has created a sustainable team. Back then, it clearly wasn't sustainable, because after '21 we kind of tanked, but you've seen us continue to grow all season. This stadium has become a fortress. Our players individually have developed so much. As a team, we've developed so much. And again, there's just this belief, similarly as '21, this belief that we're never out of it, that whatever you throw at us, we're going to find a way to win."

Look ahead 

Washington Spirit will head to Kansas City to face either Orlando Pride or Kansas City Current in the NWSL Championship. CPKC Stadium was a previously selected neutral site. Fans can watch the NWSL Championship, on Saturday, Nov. 23, on CBS.