Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman endured a difficult evening in the NWSL championship final as her team fell 1-0 to Gotham FC at PayPal Park. Rose Lavelle’s decisive strike in the 80th minute sealed the victory, leaving the Spirit without reward for their efforts. Rodman, who had been battling a sprained MCL, was introduced in the 57th minute but struggled to make an impact, failing to register a shot.
Emotional support from Ben Shelton
After the final whistle, Rodman was visibly distraught and was comforted by her boyfriend, tennis star Ben Shelton. The 23-year-old was seen embracing her over the advertising boards, offering support in a moment of disappointment. Rodman later explained the importance of having him by her side. “It was sad, and I feel like you obviously have your team the entire year, but sometimes you just need your outside supporters and Ben is that for me,” said Rodman.
Rodman reflects on her performance
Rodman admitted that her limited preparation time due to injury affected her confidence and performance. “I think naturally only having nine minutes going into a final is not ideal. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I still don’t feel like I was my full self tonight, which sucks,” she said. She added that this was the second consecutive year she had gone into a final without feeling at her best, acknowledging her frustration. “For me, I was just trying to go out there and do what I could. I definitely underperformed,” said Rodman.
A relationship in the spotlight
Rodman and Shelton went public with their relationship in March. Since then, she has been a regular presence at his matches, including Wimbledon in July. Shelton has also spoken about her commitment to supporting him throughout his season. “She’s been grinding to pull up to a lot of tournaments this year. At the beginning of the year we’re like: ‘We’re not really going to see each other.’ And she’s been to Munich, Madrid, Paris, Wimbledon, Mallorca, D.C., Cincy, here. We doing alright,” said Shelton.
Despite the disappointment of the final, Rodman emphasized the effort her team put in throughout the season and the importance of celebrating their achievements. “It’s all the work we put into it and it’s nice to get that reward at the end, but at the end of the day we can still celebrate because we did so much,” she said. For Rodman, the support of Shelton and her teammates will be crucial as she recovers from injury and prepares for the challenges ahead.
Ben Shelton in 2025
LLLLWWWLWL Ranked world no.9, Ben played his last match on the 14th of November when he was defeated by world no.5 Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6 7-6(7) 7-5 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Currently, during this year Ben owns an overall 40-24 match record. This year, Ben lifted the trophy in Toronto. The American was the finalist in Munich.
