On Saturday, February 25th, NJ/NY Gotham FC faced off against Florida State University in a preseason scrimmage held in Florida, winning 4-0.
Gotham put on a dominant performance over the Seminoles. The NJ/NY side opened up the scoring in the first half with a goal from trialist Sinead Farrelly assisted by McCall Zerboni. The three second half goals came from Midge Purce, Victoria Pickett, and Taylor Smith.
Farrelly’s goal came in 39th minute after McCall Zerboni sent a cross into her path, allowing her to slot the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
In the second half, Purce scored in the 52nd minute, when she received the ball in the final third and cut left past a defender to slot the finish into the bottom right corner.
The third goal from Pickett in the 82nd minute was assisted by Icelandic forward Svava Rós Guðmundsdóttir, who forced a turnover in the opposing penalty area and found Victoria Pickett.
Taylor Smith, who played both defender and forward in the match, collected a rebound in the dying minutes of the scrimmage to secure Gotham FC’s fourth and final goal.
After the scrimmage, head coach Juan Carlos Amorós commended the team’s overall performance, four goals, and clean sheet. “That means a lot today because four goals scorers were different, and we work a lot in making sure that everyone knows their role when we get into the final zone,” he said. “I’m very, very pleased for everyone that obviously found the back of the net, but they were able to do it because of the work out of the back, so very pleased. Those goals – they always have a name. But for me, they have the whole team behind them today.”
Gotham’s starting line up featured newcomer Kristen Edmonds, and Gotham veterans Naho Kawasumi, Imani Dorsey, and Mandy Freeman. Allie Long, whose return to the field has been highly anticipated, also featured. The full line up is available below:
Starters: Michelle Betos, Imani Dorsey, Kristen Edmonds, Mandy Freeman, Taylor Smith, Allie Long, McCall Zerboni, Delanie Sheehan, Sabrina Flores, Nahomi Kawasumi, and Sinead Farrelly.
Substitutes: Abby Smith, Mandy Haught, Nealy Martin, Iliana Hocking, Ellie Jean, Ali Krieger, Bruninha, Victoria Pickett, Jenna Nighswonger, Midge Purce, Svava Rós Gudmundsdóttir, and Smith (Taylor).
The win against FSU comes just days after Gotham lost 2-0 in their first preseason scrimmage against the Orlando Pride. The club will play a planned scrimmage against the Chicago Red Stars on March 2nd, wrapping up their preseason at IMG Academy in Florida on March 3rd.
Gotham FC will begin their regular season away at Angel City on March 26th with their home opener on April 1st against OL Reign. Single game tickets are on sale starting February 28th.