NJ/NY Gotham FC’s post-season journey started Sunday at Red Bull Arena, where they faced off against the Portland Thorns. On the road to their second consecutive NWSL Championship, Gotham had to get through their first home quarterfinal at Red Bull Arena.
The game started with both teams going back and forth in the midfield. Gotham applied high pressure, like they have been doing, winning back the ball before the Thorns could get into their attacking third. The Bats built up well to goal but did not have many opportunities to test the Portland keeper until a Rose Lavelle shot in the 12th minute. In the attacking half, Gotham had many half chances but not much on goal.
On the defensive side, Gotham was solid in the first half. Any build-up from Portland was dealt with before it could reach Ann Katrin-Berger. Portland’s Sophia Smith had a shot on goal that actually did go in, but she was called offside. The score going into halftime would remain 0-0.
The second half started with Gotham more on the front foot. The Bats had two shots consecutively in the first ten minutes, but one would fly just over and the other straight to the goalkeeper. In the 59th minute, however, there would be shouts for a penalty as Becky Sauerbrunn’s arm got hit with the ball as she slide-tackled a cross. After checking with VAR, there would be no penalty, much to the dismay of Gotham fans.
Not even ten minutes later, Gotham would get a free kick in the middle of their attacking third. The angle was perfect for hitting a cross, which they did, and eventually, the ball would drop to Tierna Davidson’s feet. She would get her shot off and watch it hit the back of the net. The Bats went up 1-0 to the cheers of over 15,000 fans.
In the 75th minute, though, Jess Carter committed a foul in the left corner of the 18-yard box, earning her a yellow card. The mistake proved costly, as the Thorns scored their goal off the cross from the free kick, tying the game up at 1-1.
A tied game opened the game up and both teams dug deep to find the second one. Chances would come in both ends, but nothing came until the seventh minute of the 12 minutes of stoppage time. An excellent build-up down the right side of the pitch saw Delanie Sheehan open space and hit the ball back to Lavelle for her goal. Gotham went up 2-1, and after another breathless seven minutes, the game would end, seeing Gotham through to the semifinals.
Gotham got the job done in front of a record crowd of 15,540 fans, and they will now face off against the Washington Spirit on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
