Nothing could stop Gotham from earning their third win of the National Women’s Soccer League season Saturday night: not a lightning delay after the first half; not rain in the second; and certainly not the visiting, two-time NWSL Champions, North Carolina Courage.
Waiting out another two-hour delay after the first half, Gotham’s lone goal would eventually arrive in the 80th minute from none other than Lynn Williams. Her third this season, Williams’ goal also became her 60th goal in the NWSL, the second-most goals any player has ever scored in the history of the league, currently tied with Portland’s Christine Sinclair.
Playing in their third game in just eight days, Gotham relied heavily on the strong performance of a number of players to secure the win. Juan Carlos Amorós has not been shy to rotate players in and out of line-ups, constantly evaluating player’s conditions, player’s minutes, and specific match-day tactics.
As for the Courage, the team had struggled to gain wins in their last few matches. Since their home opener, the Courage faced tough defeats to San Diego and Washington, but managed to conserve a last-minute tie to Orlando in the Challenge Cup on Wednesday. Despite losing strong veteran talents Debinha, Carson Pickett and Abby Erceg, the Courage entered the game versus Gotham as one of the best possession-based teams in the league, relying on Denise O’Sullivan and Narumi Miura in the midfield.
Gotham’s Strong Offensive First Half
With five personnel changes from Wednesday’s win over the Spirit, Gotham fielded, arguably, their strongest starting XI to date. Allie Long started in the defensive midfield position, winning and disrupting all play funneling through the middle of the field. Kristen Edmonds and Kelley O’Hara both returned to play in the fullback positions, helping maintain possession and serving as attack beacons for the team, taking two shots apiece. On the front-line, the combination of Williams, Ifeoma Onumonu, and Yazmeen Ryan worked extremely well together, executing a press when Gotham lost possession, as well as taking their own chances on goal.
Solid in the back, Gotham felt comfortable taking an offensive start to the game. McCall Zerboni and Kristie Mewis were key in distributing and facilitating the point of attack for the team. Often, when possession drew in Courage players to one side of the field, Mewis would look to find a teammate on the other side, allowing Gotham to quickly build an attack.
One of Gotham’s best plays in the half would materialize in this way. In the 19th minute, Williams checked in for a throw-in, drawing a number of defenders with her. Williams then laid the ball off to Mewis, who immediately sought out Ryan on the right side of the field, virtually open and with ample space to attack. Taking on a defender one-vs-one on the right side of the box, Ryan laid the ball off to an incoming O’Hara sprinting in. Though O’Hara’s shot unluckily hit the top right post and deflected out of bounds, the play marked an overtly offensive and calculative mindset to find space to attack for Gotham.
The Courage were not without their own chances, though their quality and effectiveness were strongly offset by Gotham’s defense. In the 8th minute, Miura played a corner and a second cross into Gotham’s box. The ball would eventually find Kerolin on the left side, who played a nice lofted ball to Clara Robbins. However, with limited pace on the pass, Robbins’ header was left with little power, a comfortable save for Gotham’s goalkeeper, Abby Smith.
Second Half Strikes … Eventually
All of Gotham’s goals this season have come in the second half, with this game being no exception. However, frustratingly enough for the home team, their goal would have to wait a bit longer than usual.
The second half of the game was delayed by thunder and lightning in the area, the second time this season to happen at Red Bull Arena. Fans were advised to shelter indoors, and the teams remained off the pitch for about two hours as weather conditions cleared up.
Kick-off resumed around 10:30 pm, and fans who stayed were not disappointed. Despite the slippery conditions and rain continuing to fall, Gotham remained poised and focused. In the 58th minute, a deflected shot from Miura landed at the feet of Brittany Ratcliffe. Ratcliffe would take two shots in front of goal, but both were strongly saved by Smith.
Ultimately, the game was always Gotham’s for the taking, and they eventually did just that. In the 80th minute, Long played a beautiful long ball to Ryan on the right side. Taking her defender on one-vs-one again, Ryan paused slightly before exploding into space and moving past her defender. Coming across the box on the goal-line, Ryan found Williams, who calmly placed her shot into goal.
What’s Next for Gotham?
With a strong 1-0 win at Red Bull Arena, Gotham FC earned their third straight win in all competitions. Gotham will look to continue this momentum as they go on the road to face the Kansas City Current and Chicago Red Stars, and North Carolina again in the Challenge Cup. For more information, visit GothamFC.com.