HARRISON, NJÂ – NJ/NY Gotham FC split points with Seattle Reign FC at Red Bull Arena on Sunday afternoon. Midfielder Rose Lavelle scored against her former team, recording her fourth goal of the season.Â
Within the first minute of the game, Gotham FC immediately created an opportunity. Forward Crystal Dunn’s shot ricocheted and found the feet of forward Ella Stevens. Stevens controlled the ball and fired a shot on target, but Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey deflected it.
In the eighth minute of the match, Gotham FC created another opportunity. Midfielder Delanie Sheehan delivered a precise pass up field to Lavelle, who briefly had a clear shot at an open net. Lavelle struck the ball from near midfield, but Dickey managed to backtrack before it reached the goal.
Gotham FC and Seattle went into halftime scoreless. Gotham FC has held opponents to zero first-half points 11 out of 15 matches this season, which leads the league.
Just moments into the second half, Gotham FC took the lead. Defender Jenna Nighswonger snuck a pass behind Seattle’s backline, where Stevens ran onto the ball. The forward dribbled into the box, heading towards the near post in a one-on-one with the keeper. She then passed to a wide-open Lavelle in the middle of the box, who tucked away the shot on her first touch, making the score 1-0.
However, Seattle even the match in stoppage time. Seattle secured the equalizing goal through an own goal by Gotham FC.
In the draw, Gotham FC led the way in shots (15-8), shots on goal (5-3), and ball possession (53%-47%). This match also marked the last home game before six players from Gotham FC, head to Paris for the Summer Olympics. The players making the trip are Jenna Nighswonger, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett, Rose Lavelle, Crystal Dunn and Lynn Williams (alternate).
Gotham FC will return to action when the team travels to Los Angeles to face Angel City FC on Saturday, July 6, with kickoff set for 10:00 pm ET (ION).
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Key Match Notes
- Gotham FC is now 8-0-2 when scoring first this year and 4-0-1 when scoring first at home this year. The club has not lost in its last 23 matches when scoring first.
- Gotham FC shut out its opponent in the first half for the 11th time in 15 regular season matches.
- Crystal Dunn, Nealy Martin, Jenna Nighswonger, Delanie Sheehan and Emily Sonnett extended their runs of appearing in every match this season.
- Rose Lavelle scored her fourth goal, one short of her single-season career high of five set in 2022 with Seattle. Lavelle’s strike gives Gotham FC’s new additions 11 of the club’s 17 goals (Ella Stevens 5, Lavelle 4, May-cee Bell 1, Crystal Dunn 1). It was Gotham FC’s fourth goal in the first 15 minutes of the second half this year. Lavelle led Gotham with five shots and three shots on goal.
- Sonnett completed 58 of her 62 passes (93.5%) and won possession a game-high 11 times.
- Stevens passed out her second assist of the season and fifth of her regular-season career on Lavelle’s goal.
- Lynn Williams played for the first time since May 19, coming on as a second-half substitute.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Gotham FC Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós
The process of finding the second goal…
I wouldn’t say set pieces were an issue. The issue was we needed to defend the corner better than the one before. I think the last one is just unfortunate… Looking at the game overall, in the first half, we should have been better. We know that we were not up to our standards and it was still a very even game and even on good chances, but we didn’t punish or capitalize. In the second half, the play was brilliant for 45 minutes. I think we dominated and it was hard. We got it all at the beginning, but we should have scored the second one. I think we need to take responsibility for that because if you score the second one it’s game over. We didn’t and we put pressure on ourselves. Obviously, the teams are alive till the end and even if they felt that the game was going away from them, it gets to the last minutes and it’s one play like that and it happened and then we drop two points. It’s something that we need to be better at consistency throughout the 90 minutes and we need to be better in front of them.
What did you say to the team at halftime…
Basically we weren’t being ourselves. We were disconnected in terms of the defending work. When we were shifting, we were shifting aggressively, and all together, we were closing the gaps, we were making individual first more than collective. We know that when we do that defensively, it helps us on the ball and then also to try to find a little bit more of the spare players, the spare gaps and we did that. We came out in total control of the game. I think it’s just a question of how we find the final piece, we need to be a little bit better because I think again today we got up to 15 shots and scored only one goal. We need to be better at that and key games if we want to be up there in the table how we want to be.
Gotham FC forward Lynn Williams
On the fans showing out at Red Bull Arena today…
Especially on a hot, hot day. I know it’s hot out there for us, but just sitting in the stands is hot, too. They show up game in, day in, day out for us, so to be sent off for them is pretty incredible.On the caliber of players at Gotham FC…
Yeah, I think that. We have amazing players. In the offseason, the club signed
amazing players. We knew that we finished in sixth place last year, and we wanted to be better for this club, for ourselves, and we signed amazing players. We brought in Rose Lovelle, Emily, Sonnet, Tierna. The caliber of a players, and the expectation on ourselves has grown and risen. And so I think that’s why we’re so disappointed with the result, even though it’s a tie, but also it shows that we are gonna fight. We’re gonna scrap to the last minute. This is a place that people should want to come and play if they want to play with amazing players.
Gotham FC defender Jenna Nighswonger
On six Gotham FC players traveling to the 2024 Paris Olympics…
I think it’s fun, especially building the on-the-field relationship. To have that with your club teammates, I’m just grateful to play with players like Tierna all the time and build that relationship with her on the left. So I think it’s nice that all of our teammates are so great. So it’s just exciting to get to travel and go to the Olympics with them.
On what was spoken about at halftime…
We needed to be better like the first half, plain and simple, wasn’t good enough. And we needed to bring the energy. So that’s what Juan was telling us. And I think in the second half, we brought a lot more energy. And I think that’s one of the reasons why we got the goal. And that’s something I think we need to do more on a 90 min basis. Especially in the last nine minutes of stoppage time.
MATCH SUMMARY
Gotham FC vs Seattle Reign
June 30, 2024 – Red Bull Arena
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Seattle Reign 0 1 1
Gotham FC 0 1 1
Scoring Summary:
GFC: Rose Lavelle (Ella Stevens) 47′
SEA: Gotham FC (Own goal) 90′
Misconduct Summary:
SEA: YC: Phoebe McClernon 6′
Lineups:
GFC: Ann-Katrin Berger, Jenna Nighswonger, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett, Mandy Freeman, Maitane López (Nealy Martin 46′), Katie Stengel (Lynn Williams 76′), Delanie Sheehan, Rose Lavelle (McCall Zerboni 85′), Crystal Dunn (Bruninha 85′), Ella Stevens (Taryn Torres 90+4′)
SEA: Claudia Dickey, Shae Holmes (Olivia Athens 86′), Alana Cook, Phoebe McClernon (Lily Woodham 60′), Sofia Huerta, Jess Fishlock (Olivia Van der Jagt 66′), Quinn, Jordyn Huitema (Emeri Adames 86′), Ji So-Yun, Tziarra King (Veronica Latsko 65′), Bethany Balcer
