Thorns playoff bid ends in 2-1 defeat by Gotham [Video]

HARRISON, N.J. — Rose Lavelle scored in stoppage time and Gotham FC defeated the Portland Thorns 2-1 on Sunday to advance to the semifinals of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs.

Gotham, the defending NWSL champions, will face the second-seeded Washington Spirit next weekend. The Spirit defeated visiting Bay FC 2-1 in extra time earlier on Sunday in the quarterfinals.

It was the final NWSL game for Thorns forward Christine Sinclair, who is retiring after 12 seasons with the club.

A club record 15,540 fans were on hand for the match at Red Bull Arena. Gotham finished the season with the third seed, going 17-4-5.

The Thorns struggled down the stretch but defeated Angel City in the final regular season match to secure the eighth and final seed.

Sophia Smith, who played for the United States at the Olympics this summer, appeared to put the Thorns …