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The Washington Spirit are into the final of the Concacaf W Champions Cup after edging host CF Pachuca Femenil 1-0 in a semifinal Wednesday night at Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico.
Substitute forward Claudia Martínez settled it in the 81st minute. Off a through ball from Lucia Di Guglielmo, Martínez's shot was deflected into the air by Pachuca goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras, and the forward followed up to knock the loose ball into the net as it dropped.
The result extended a dominant tournament run for the D.C.-area club: goalkeeper Sandy MacIver has kept a clean sheet in all five of the Spirit's matches in the competition, and the team has outscored its opponents 16-0 along the way.
Pachuca carried much of the play — the home side outshot Washington 13-6 — but managed only two shots on target. The Spirit put five of their six attempts on frame. MacIver preserved the win in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, diving to deny Charlyn Corral after a long ball sprung the Pachuca forward into the box.
Washington had its own chances throughout, particularly before halftime. Trinity Rodman struck the post during a late first-half flurry that also saw Rosemonde Kouassi denied from point-blank range and Leicy Santos turned away on a free kick. Pachuca's lone caution was a yellow card to Yirleidis Minota in the 32nd minute.
Next is a meeting with another Liga MX Femenil side, Club América Femenil, in Saturday's final. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. Eastern, with the match airing in the U.S. on Paramount+ in English and ESPN+ in Spanish.
The continental run comes amid a banner year at the gate. On Tuesday, the Spirit announced that their May 30 home match against Seattle Reign FC had sold out — the earliest sellout in franchise history, 11 days before kickoff, and the club's third weekend home sellout of 2026, matching a single-season record with at least 10 home dates still to play. On the field, Washington sits third in the NWSL at 5-2-3, with a league-best plus-8 goal differential, behind only San Diego Wave FC and Portland Thorns FC.
That May 30 game, the club's Spirit Rising Youth Night, will be Washington's first match back at Audi Field since an April 29 win over Racing Louisville, and a rematch with a Seattle side the Spirit beat 1-0 at Lumen Field on May 10. It kicks off at 6:30 p.m. in Buzzard Point. The club says a half-season ticket plan is now the only guaranteed way in.
