Washington
Recap: Spirit Takes Down Portland 2-0 to Advance to Club’s Fourth NWSL Championship
Washington, D.C. (11/15/2025) – The Washington Spirit beat Portland Thorns FC 2-0 in the semifinal round of the 2025 NWSL Playoffs this afternoon in front of yet another sellout crowd of 19,365 at Audi Field. With the shutout win, Washington advances to its second consecutive NWSL Championship and fourth in club history.
The Spirit was on the front foot early, generating several quality chances and even finding the back of the net — only for the goal to be ruled offside. After a VAR review, the call was confirmed, keeping the match level.
In the 27th minute, the breakthrough finally came. Following a cleared Portland corner, the Spirit launched a clinical counterattack. Rosemonde Kouassi sprinted down the field, using her pace to drive into the box and squared a perfect ball to Gift Monday, who calmly slotted it home to make it 1-0 for the home side. Kouassi now has seven assists across all competitions this year, six of which have come on goals by Monday.
The Spirit didn’t let up, continuing to apply pressure and called Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold into a pair of strong saves as the first half progressed. Washington went into halftime leading 1-0 as it looked to advance in its sixth straight home playoff match.
Both teams traded opportunities to start the second half, with the Spirit firing on all cylinders, though the hosts’ shots on target went unanswered. The match shifted in the 83rd minute as Croix Bethune found herself charging up from midfield. With Portland’s goalkeeper out of position, Bethune made a move around her and converted on her own, extending the Spirit’s lead with precision and intensity. The match entered seven minutes of stoppage time, with Portland seeking a breakthrough. Met with the Spirit’s defensive momentum, the visitors were unable to create a clear chance.
As the final whistle blew, the Spirit clinched a 2-0 victory and a berth in its second consecutive NWSL Championship, the fourth in club history. The title match will take place at PayPal Park in San Jose, California on Saturday, November 22 at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST and air on CBS.
-NWSL Match Report-
Match: Washington Spirit vs. Portland Thorns FC
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
Venue: Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
Kickoff: 12 p.m. EST
Weather: Cloudy, high-50s
Scoring Summary:
| Goals | 1 | 2 | F |
| Washington | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Portland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
WAS – Gift Monday – 27′ (assisted by Rosemonde Kouassi)
WAS – Croix Bethune – 83’
Lineups:
WAS: 1 – Aubrey Kingsbury; 6 – Kate Wiesner; 9 – Tara McKeown; 4 – Rebeca Bernal; 24 – Esme Morgan; 19 – Rosemonde Kouassi (26 – Paige Metayer, 89’); 7 – Croix Bethune; 17 – Hal Hershfelt; 10 – Leicy Santos (20 – Deborah Abiodun, 72’); 27 – Sofia Cantore (2 – Trinity Rodman, 90’); 21 – Gift Monday
Unused Substitutes: 28 – Sandy MacIver; 5 – Narumi Miura; 13 – Brittany Ratcliffe; 16 – Courtney Brown; 22 – Heather Stainbrook; 25 – Kysha Sylla
POR: 18 – Mackenzie Arnold; 2 – Reyna Reyes; 5 – Isabella Obaze; 16 – Sam Hiatt (24 – Jayden Perry, 86’); 20 – Kaitlyn Torpey (29 – Mallie McKenzie, 63’); 21 – Jessie Fleming; 13 – Olivia Moultrie; 17 – Sam Coffey; 10 – Deyna Castellanos (4 – Laila Harbert 82’); 66 – Reilyn Turner (34 – Daiane, 82’); 77 – Alexa Spaanstra (19 – Pietra Tordin, 63’)
Unused Substitutes: 1 – Bella Bixby; 25 – M.A. Vignola; 33 – Naomi Powell; 88 – Valerin Loboa
Stats Summary: WAS / POR
Shots: 16 / 10
Shots On Goal: 8 / 3
Saves: 3 / 6
Fouls: 11 / 7
Offsides: 2 / 0
Misconduct Summary:
WAS – Rosemonde Kouassi – 44’ – Yellow Card
POR – Jessie Fleming – 67’ – Yellow Card
Washington
19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed
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This story contains descriptions of fatal violence against a transgender person.
The Seattle Police Department are searching for a suspect after a 19-year-old University of Washington student was stabbed to death in an off-campus student apartment complex on May 10.
Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Muñoz told NBC News that the victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female” who was enrolled at the university. The victim has not yet been publicly identified by name. She was found in the housing complex laundry room shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
The housing complex, Nordheim Court, is privately managed but affiliated with the university, located near an upscale shopping center in Seattle’s U-Village neighborhood. According to NBC News, residents received an official alert from UW to stay inside their homes and lock all windows and doors — an alert that was lifted around 1 a.m. with the acknowledgment that “a death investigation remains ongoing.”
According to SPD detective Eric Muñoz, police and the fire department attempted lifesaving measures but ultimately “pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect, believed to be a black male with a beard, 5’6-8” tall, wearing a vest with button up shirt, and blue jeans,” Muñoz wrote in a blotter report.
Muñoz noted that the victim would be identified by the medical examiner’s office in “the coming days.” The SPD did not immediately respond to Them’s request for comment.
This is the seventh known trans person to be violently killed in 2026. In mid-April, 39-year-old transmasculine farmer Luca RedBeard was fatally shot in rural New Mexico. Last week, police in Marion County, Florida opened a homicide investigation into the shooting death of a 29-year-old who went by multiple names and referred to “transitioning” on social media. In Kentucky, an investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old trans college student Murry Foust remains ongoing.
Police are asking anyone with information about the University of Washington case to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, emphasizing that anonymous tips are accepted.
This is a developing story.
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Washington
How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington
On a quiet stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Seattle, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture rises like a long‑overdue acknowledgment. Its brick exterior doesn’t shout; it invites. Inside, the rooms hum with the stories of families who crossed borders, harvested fields, organized classrooms, and built communities across Washington state—often without seeing their histories reflected anywhere on a museum wall.
For Rogelio Riojas, founder and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the museum is a promise kept. “We wanted to make sure the contributions of Latinos in Washington state are recognized and preserved for future generations,” he told The Seattle Times when the museum opened in 2019. It was a simple statement, but one that captured decades of work—both visible and invisible—by the region’s Latino communities.
Walking through the galleries feels like stepping into a living archive. One of the most arresting sights is a pair of original farmworker cabins, transported from Eastern Washington. Their narrow wooden frames and sparse interiors speak volumes about the migrant families who once slept inside after long days in the fields. The cabins are not replicas or artistic interpretations; they are the real thing, weathered by sun, dust, and time. They anchor the museum’s narrative in the physical realities of labor that shaped the state’s agricultural economy.
Sea Mar describes the museum as “dedicated to sharing the history, struggles, and successes of the Latino community in Washington state,” a mission that plays out in photographs, letters, student newspapers, and oral histories contributed by community members themselves. These aren’t artifacts chosen from afar—they’re family treasures, personal archives, and memories entrusted to the museum so they can live beyond the kitchen tables and shoeboxes where they were once kept.
The story extends beyond the museum walls. Just steps away is the Sea Mar Community Center, a sweeping, light‑filled gathering space designed for celebrations, performances, workshops, and community events. With room for nearly 500 people, a full stage, a movie‑theater‑sized screen, and a catering kitchen, the center was built with one purpose: to give the community a place to see itself, gather, and grow. Sea Mar describes it as “a welcoming space for families, organizations, and community groups to gather, celebrate, and learn,” and on any given weekend, it lives up to that promise.
Together, the museum and community center form a cultural campus—part historical archive, part living room for the region’s Latino communities. Students come to learn about the Chicano activists who reshaped the University of Washington in the late 1960s. Families come to see their own histories reflected in the exhibits. Visitors come to understand a story that has long been present in Washington, even if it wasn’t always visible.
The Sea Mar Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering free admission to anyone who walks through its doors. For many, it’s more than a museum—it’s a recognition, a gathering place, and a testament to the people who helped shape the Pacific Northwest.
Preserving Latino History and Community Life in Washington was first published on Washington Latino News (WALN) and republished with permission.
Washington
Mother’s Day Bunch at Lady Madison | Washington DC
Celebrate Mothers Day with à la carte brunch at Lady Madison featuring seafood, entrées, desserts, and premium beverage options.
Celebrate Mothers Day in sophisticated style at Lady Madison, located inside Le Méridien Washington, DC, The Madison. Join us on Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 12:003:00 PM for an elevated à la carte brunch experience in downtown Washington, DC.
Enjoy a refined selection of chef-driven brunch classics, fresh seafood, seasonal salads, and elegant entrées. Highlights include a Build Your Own Omelette, Crab Benedict with lime hollandaise, Chilled Seafood Trio, and signature mains such as Roasted Rack of Lamb, Cedar Plank Sea Bass, and Marinated New York Strip Loin.
End on a sweet note with classic desserts including Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, Fruit Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, and Passion Fruit Cake.
Enhance your experience with beverage offerings, including bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys for $30 with house selections. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is also available by the glass for $16 or by the bottle for $49.
Reserve on OpenTable:
https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1426987&restref=1426987&experienceId=695240&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared
À La Carte Menu
Les ufs & Brunch
Egg White Frittata $24
spinach, tomato, mushrooms, green onion
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Build Your Own Omelette $24
ham, smoked salmon, vegetables, cheeses (choose up to 3)
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Crab Benedict $24
lime hollandaise, salsa cruda
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Brioche French Toast $17
berry compote, whipped butter, maple syrup
Les Froids & Salades
Chilled Seafood Trio $28
Jonah crab claws, shrimp, cocktail sauce
Spring Berry Salad $17
brie, berries, champagne vinaigrette
Golden & Crimson Beet Salad $18
red wine vinaigrette
Add protein: shrimp, salmon, skirt steak +18 | chicken +16
Les Plats Principaux
Roasted Rack of Lamb $42
mint sauce, huckleberry reduction, sweet potato purée, asparagus
Cedar Plank Sea Bass $49
saffron rice, spring vegetables
New York Strip Loin $42
mushroom sauce, truffle croquette potatoes, haricots verts
Les Desserts $14
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Fruit Tart
Strawberry Shortcake
Passion Fruit Cake
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