With the win, Gotham FC earns its 11th win of the season – a new club record
HARRISON, NJ – NJ/NY Gotham FC secured a thrilling win at Red Bull Arena against the Houston Dash, 2-1. The club also celebrated NWSL icon Sinead Farrelly, who announced her retirement at the end of the season.Â
In the tenth minute of the match, Gotham FC took the lead. After Gotham FC won the ball out of the air, forward Esther executed a no-look backward pass to open midfielder Yazmeen Ryan. Ryan took a couple of dribbles and fired a shot into the near side of the net, putting Gotham FC ahead 1-0.
The Dash leveled the score in the 18th minute. Dash forward Avery Patterson sent a ball to forward Diana Ordonez, who headed it into the goal to equalize.
At halftime, Gotham FC led Houston in possession (55%-45%), shots (5-4), and final third entries (33-24).
Much of the second half was a defensive showdown for both teams. Gotham FC allowed just four shots with none on target.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Gotham FC clinched its victory. In her first match back from the Olympics, forward Lynn Williams received the ball and made a precise cross-box pass to Esther, who took a single touch before sending the ball into the net. This goal gave Gotham FC a 2-1 lead and secured the win.
Gotham FC will face the Seattle Reign at Lumen Field Sept. 16 in its next match. Fans can catch the game on CBS Sports (10:00 p.m. EST).
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Key Notes
- Gotham FC won its 11th regular season match, a club record, and tied a 2017 club record with its sixth home win.
- Gotham FC is 11-0-2 this year when scoring first and 6-0-1 at home.
- Yazmeen Ryan set a new career high with her third regular-season goal. It was the second straight home game that Ryan found the back of the net.
- Esther scored her third goal of the season and first since April in the 93rd minute and passed out her third assist of the season on Ryan’s goal. It was her fourth game-winner out of six goals in all NWSL competitions for Gotham FC. She finished with four shots, two on goal.
- Lynn Williams passed out her first assist of the season and 29th of her NWSL regular season career, tying her with Vanessa DiBernardo for third in league history, two back of Sofia Huerta and Jess McDonald for the league record. She now has an assist in eight of her nine regular seasons in the league (missed all of 2022 season due to injury). She is now tied with Vanessa DiBernardo for third in NWSL history.
- Ann-Katrin Berger made two saves, giving her 46 to pass Abby Smith (45) for fifth in Gotham FC’s all-time regular season save rankings.
- Nealy Martin started her 50th NWSL regular season match.
QUOTES
Gotham FC Head Coach Juan Carlos Amoros
On the tough win at home…
Well, I think the belief these players have in the players themselves, you know. I think we tried to give them a message time. Especially in the second half when we needed to keep going, trusting in the game plan, trusting in what we do, and we were gonna be offensive and more offensive as the game was gonna be going on because we needed to take even more risks.
But I think that’s what the players took really well. We try to go with everything…I think with Mandy and Kelley coming on was very effective, and also not trying to change with the two lines at the end, you know, trying to get Kelly in the game because Kelley is a player that for those minutes is she’s a winner, and and you know, I think everything worked out really well. So the credit needs to go to them…I think today 17 players have to play, and they really gave everything.
Defender Tierna Davidson
On Sinead Farrelly’s impact on the NWSL…
Her impact is so great because this is my 1st year on the team. And, unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to be out on the field with us for many games this year, but just her presence is so warm and so positive and so inviting, that I feel like I’ve known her for years, even though I’ve only really personally known her for this season. And I think that really just speaks volume to who she is, she wants to invite people in. She wants to make people feel cared about, and she genuinely does care about this team, about the players individually, their lives on and off the field. She’s kind of a glue in that way. And it’s so special to have somebody like that in the locker room. So I think to this team and to me personally, she’s just been so welcoming and inviting and inclusive. And you have to have that on the team to to build that chemistry, especially with so much of the roster changing this year.
On the team facing a lot of stoppage time in recent matches…
Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely tough. When you look up at the clock and it says, like 107, you’re like, Oh, I thought we were playing a 90 minute game. But it’s about managing those minutes about making those minutes as least dangerous as possible, because they can definitely get hairy, especially when the score line is so tight. And, as you said, especially with our congested schedule, we certainly have a lot of players accumulating a significant number of minutes in a short amount of time. So it’s about making the game as little as possible, right? Like not making it as open as the other team would want it to be. So trying to keep the ball towards the sidelines, trying to keep the ball in their half, in our offensive half, and limiting opportunities to cause less running for all of our teams. So I think we handled it pretty well this game, and I’m really proud of everybody that was able to sub in and contribute, because that’s definitely a difficult time to come in and lock in right away. So I think we had a great number of people coming off the bench and really helping us push through for the win.
MATCH SUMMARY
Gotham FC vs. Houston Dash
September 8, 2024 – Red Bull Arena
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Gotham FC 1 1 2
Houston Dash 1 0 1
Scoring Summary:
GFC: Yazmeen Ryan (10′), Esther (90+3′)
HOU: Diana Ordonez (18′)
Misconduct Summary:
GFC: YC: Delanie Sheehan (31′), Jessica Silva (79′)
HOU: YC: Tarciane (45′)
Lineups:
GFC: Ann-Katrin Berger, Jenna Nighswonger (Taryn Torres 63′), Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett, Jess Carter (Mandy Freeman 78′), Nealy Martin (Kelley O’Hara 90′), Delanie Sheehan (Lynn Williams 78′), Katie Stengel, Yazmeen Ryan, Crystal Dunn (Jessica Silva 63′), McCall Zerboni 90′), Esther
HOU: Jane Campbell, Paige Nielsen, Tarciane (Havana Solaun 88′), Jyllissa Harris, Michelle Alozie (Allysha Chapman 83′), Sarah Puntigam, Sophie Schmidt (Elin Rubensson 45′), Avery Patterson, Yuki Nagasato (Belle Briede 74′), Andressa Alves, Diana Ordóñez
