With three points from four goals against OL Reign, Gotham FC now sits in first place in league standings with a third of the NWSL season behind them.
It’s been a long time coming, but NJ/NY Gotham FC has for the second time in league history found themselves atop the National Women’s Soccer League table following a decisive 4-1 win on the road against OL Reign. With this road win, Gotham FC now have 16 points total and sit just one point ahead of the Portland Thorns.
First Half Goal Fest
Fans could not have asked for a better performance as Gotham wasted no time getting on the board. In the tenth minute, Jenna Nighswonger received the ball from Kristie Mewis and launched its from a distance to get the first goal.
“I think that when I’m having joy in playing, I play my best soccer, and I think that that was happening tonight. I say this all the time: ‘With soccer, no matter how much pressure we put on ourselves and how much stress we put on ourselves, at the end of the day it’s a child’s game, it’s supposed to be played with joy and happiness,” Williams explained after the match.
Energized by the momentum of the opening goal, Lynn Williams was ready to score a birthday goal as she caught a defender sleeping and got the ball around the keeper to put Gotham up 2-0.
While Gotham’s offense was an absolute force, Gotham’s Abby Smith’s efforts in net cannot go unnoticed. As OL Reign battled to get the ball to the net on multiple occasions, Abby Smith held strong and made several key saves to help Gotham stay in the lead.
Gotham kept things rolling before the end of the first half as Taylor Smith received a quick pass from Delanie Sheehan and sent it home for a 3-0 lead.
Second Half, Stay Secure
In the second half, Gotham FC picked up a fourth goal scored by defender Bruninha. The Brazilian’s first league goal came from an effort to win the ball back in the box and beat Phallon Tullis-Joyce in net.
OL Reign’s lone goal scorer Jordyn Huitema gets a late goal past Abby Smith, but the team was unable to bounce back allowing Gotham to see out the match.
Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós praised the hard work his players have put in each practice. “There were a lot of changes. We always talk about how competitive our training environment is, how much the players fight for those positions, and I think today was a clear example of that,” he said.
After this win, Gotham FC head right back to the drawing board as they prepare for their second away match in two weeks against the Washington Spirit. The team will return home on June 4th where they will host their annual Pride Night celebration and take on the visiting San Diego Wave.