The Washington Spirit got their revenge Friday night against the Orlando Pride at Inter&Co Stadium in Florida, winning the 2025 Challenge Cup in penalty kicks. While it won’t erase the loss in the 2024 NWSL championship, Friday’s win was a solid start with a trophy to boot ahead of the start of the regular season.

In a rematch of the 2024 NWSL championship final, the Washington Spirit defeated the Pride 4-2 in penalties after the game ended 1-1 to claim this year's Challenge Cup at Inter&Co Stadium. Tara McKeown scored the game-winning penalty to secure Washington's first Challenge Cup trophy.

Friday, March 7, 2025—the stage was set for the NWSL Challenge Cup final between Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit. For Spirit, this match carried a clear mission: revenge. After failing to secure a win in three previous encounters against Pride and missing out on both the NWSL Shield and Championship title,