Trinity Rodman scored twice and the host Washington Spirit overwhelmed the Portland Thorns 4-1 on Sunday in the quarter-finals of the NWSL playoffs.

The third-seeded Spirit scored twice in two minutes to take a 3-0 lead into half-time against the sixth-seeded Thorns at Audi Field. Washington will face the seventh-seeded Utah Royals in the semi-finals next weekend.

Rodman helped open the scoring in the sixth minute. She stripped Portland defender Carolyn Calzada of the ball deep in the Thorns’ end, dribbled into the penalty area and slipped a low pass through traffic to Mélissa Bethi, who beat goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold.

Clara Luvanga doubled the lead in the 34th minute when Arnold hesitated over a back pass from defender Isabella Obaze. Luvanga closed down Arnold and scored. A minute later, she raced into the box and crossed for Rodman, who finished for her first goal.

Pietra Tordin pulled one back for Portland in the 51st minute. The ball came out to Jessie Fleming after a corner kick, and Fleming sent it back into the box for Tordin to finish.

Luvanga and Rodman answered seven minutes later. Luvanga drove a grounded pass across the penalty area, and Rodman met it with her left foot to restore Washington’s three-goal lead.

Portland’s Jayden Perry was booked in the 47th minute for a tackle on Rodman and was sent off with two minutes left in regulation after earning a second yellow card for pulling Rodman’s arm during another tackle.

Luvanga was booked in the 62nd for shoving Thorns defender Reyna Reyes in the back, and teammate Esme Morgan saw yellow in the 82nd for a rough foul.

Gotham advance after own goal, zero shots on target

Ann-Katrin Berger made three saves and top-seeded Gotham FC ⁠protected a one-goal lead for most of the game, ⁠defeating the ⁠eighth-seeded ​Seattle Reign 1-0 in their quarter-final in Harrison, ⁠New Jersey.

Gotham got on the board in the fourth minute on ⁠an own goal credited to Seattle’s Jordyn Bugg. ​Jaedyn Shaw ‌sent a corner ‌kick toward the near post and Bugg ‌misplayed it, sending it straight past her goalkeeper, Claudia Dickey.

The Shield winners took five shots during the game, but none of them were on target. They had 54% of possession but just 0.16 expected goals (xG) and zero big chances created.

Berger made one save in the first half and two more after half-time. One of the best goalkeepers in the sport, Berger led the league with a 0.85 ⁠goals-against average this season.

Seattle appeared to equalize in the 59th minute when veteran Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock found Nérilia Mondésir in the box. Mondésir finished past Berger, but the goal was ruled out because Fishlock was offside when Maddie Mercado played the ball to her.

Shaw received a yellow card in the 76th minute for grabbing Reign midfielder Sam Meza to stop a Seattle counterattack. In the 90th minute, Gotham defender Leila Ouahabi took a yellow card for a tactical foul that denied Brittany Ratcliffe a clear chance to equalize.

Players and coaches from both Seattle and Gotham criticized the state of the Sports Illustrated Stadium pitch, which was patchy and sandy on Sunday after several weeks of heavy wear-and-tear for soccer and rugby matches.

Gotham, who edged ​the ​San Diego Wave ​by three points for the ​NWSL Shield ‌and home-field advantage ​in ​the first two rounds of the playoffs, will face the fourth-seeded Kansas City Current in the semi-finals next weekend.

Semi-final sites remain uncertain

The dates and venues for the semi-finals have yet to be announced. ESPN reported earlier this week that Gotham and Washington could play their semi-final matches away from their home venues because of scheduling conflicts. MLS’s New York Red Bulls, the primary tenant at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey where Gotham regularly play, have a friendly scheduled for 14 November. A Division III college football game is scheduled for that same afternoon at Audi Field in Washington.

The league will soon announce the dates and venues for the matches.