Gotham @ NC Courage
A lot of intrigue in this game, a pair of past local coaches, local players, not as simple as win and NC are in & Gotham hosts. Even this season a wrinkle added to this matchup as Shaw came to Gotham. All this makes for riveting soccer on NWSL Decision Day. Even a past partner of an announcer was on one of these teams.
Gotham go over the top from Stengel but offside. Now NC down field in a hurray and Speck sends a ball in rather then a shot and it is over the goal. A lead ball is just off the mark. Murphy from NJ and Rutgers gets her first touch and opposite her is the great Berger of Gotham. Like Farrelly of past teams with Gotham, current Ireland International, O’Sullivan gets in on the ball. Stengel again called off as the rain really falls. Nice pieces of skill from both Purce and Rose. Over the top, Berger stands on her head with a point blank save on a flying shot was equally of a high level. Just beyond the area at the endline, a DFK for NC at 9’. They go across the 6, bounds out to O’Sullivan and blocked away. Corner at 10’ for the home team, laid back, shot well wide. Sanderson gives Gotham the edge due to their quality on an individual basis. Jacobs into the 6, to the top of the area as NC holds, a distant shot easily turned away by the defense as the home team holds. Lavelle with an in close shot but it is off the mark. Stengel into the area and touched out now as NC attacks. Speck takes a ball in and beats Berger at 13’, This was set up with tremendous ball movement. In game #100 with NC for Speck, she gets her first goal on the year. 16’ Carter with a poor ball and a distant shot by Manaka just below the circle beats the GK well off her line. Every game there is a scare with Berger on the ball, this is in the same vein, most times it does work out, I do not find it worth the risk. At 16’ being down by a pair, it may get worse. Stengel and Denise are down, O’Sullivan is up, now back down. Quick talk with coaches, Juan Carlos does not look terribly upset. Stengel seated upright, but still on the ground. Stengel getting a head wrap as O’Sullivan seems well. Carolina not letting up like the rain and back into the area, Berger handles it. Purce sprung, as the ball drifts wide of the area, she runs it down brings it back and now to the backfield and Sonnett. A giveaway in the neutral zone. Berger, again well off her line now uses her foot skills to beat an attacker. If Thorns do not win, Gotham gets a home game, I would not mind going to another at all. Midge tuns on her opponent it’s shot to the area, sent out a bit, and NC have it, just lost in their defensive third, a poor pass and that also recovered off the foot of Cosgrave. Duran with a hard tackle in the circle the ball alone goes into and out of the area for a goal kick, Duran leaves Manaka still down. The goal getter is back up to a round of applause. At the half hour mark, though Gotham have been in on goal, no real good looks and are down by a pair, to claw one back in the half would be great. NC with 61+% possession on Gotham who tend to hold the ball a lot. Berger again out is the last defender, plays it away with ease. Berger on the ball just below the circle. Speck on the wing and gets it back from Jacobs, now she returns it to her. Berger, the definition of sweeper keeper as ten yards out of her area, keeps the ball moving. Berger once more at the bottom of the circle, if it is lost it is another issue, back to her again now just above the arc. Sonnett wins a tackle to Stengel out to Purce on the left now and her first touch betrays her, yes, she still is wearing the white Nike head wrap. Great recovery run by Midge, she takes it from Denise then is fouled as she pulls away from her and another. Huge rain drops are now visible on screen. Duran for Stengle and out, Howell suffers a foul by Jackson. A quick look at Murphy and her 2 person wall as Rose and Shaw are over the ball. Coach explained in a recent presser, they are left to figure it out who takes the kicks, this one is Rose into the 6, NC gets a call as Emily is down holding her left foot. At 42’, more than 5’ of injury time expected, she is now limping a bit. Duran to Shaw, the shot deflected out for a corner at 44’. Shaw to put it back in play from the near touchline. To the edge of the 6, a pair of Bats on it and Stengle near the corner is relieved of the ball for a goal kick. Speaking of the crowd, a tremendous defensive play, a flying knockdown of a ball is overlooked. There are 7’ of added time here. Into the area and out, Jackson with a rocket from downtown, now Jacobs gets a shot and NC have a corner. Far side, top of the 6, Berger boxes it out, back in and she grabs it, looks to distribute and it is whistled down. 51’ has the first shot by Gotham a weak one from Stengle.
Halftime as stated countless times before are key, this has never held more true than this game. Totally outmatched how will the 2nd half go. I am not one to believe all is lost at the half, if they did well, the same may be done by the other team. The weather is not a factor as both are playing in it, it is not as if either team is from a desert and have never dealt with such conditions. Gotham did not play well on Randalls Island in the Concacaf games in similar conditions but also did not face as strong of a team in it. Shots must come for Gotham on target with something behind them. NC, keep them at bay and still get forward to break their spirit.
Has the rain possibly gotten worse? Lavelle to Purce a bit outside, she plays one in and sent back out, Gotham hold. Purce endline into the 6, and out, Sonnett & Stengle get in each others way in the 6. Jackson to Speck, now Linehan sends it home, off Cater, this is what happens when the defenders get turned around and face their own goal. We have a bad angle, but it is thought to be offside by Lianne. VAR checking, the goal stands. 3-0 at 53’. Gotham offside. Linehan endline through the box and it sails well over the goal. Rose to Midge a bit of a week pass, but her player did not come back for the ball and it is lost deep in their offensive third. Bruninha in Freeman out Reale in Duran out, Cook in for Hasbo. DFK from Howell into the area off a player and to the sure hands of Murphy. Into the 6, a few back to Reale, defended out and Lavelle has it. Gotham corner at 66’ taken by Shaw. Midge does get a ball off, a poor bounce gets her a third of a shot. Brunhinha to Midge across the 6, not a dark jersey near it, Gotham corner. To the side of the area and headed wide by Gotham. Speck out for Vine, Sanchez in for Koyama as Lussi is in for Linnehan. Great ball movement to Midge in the area, a lead ball is far ahead and cleared out beyond the half. Reale wins a tackle they hold to the top of the arc, a ball left behind is lost, they get it again. Midge endline, a quick shot by Shaw turned back. Cook high on a shot but a nice play on the ball to stop short. Sanchez with a break away and the shot is at Berger. Midge sent a lead ball, stays with it and wins it, looking for help but is on an island. Carter out Porthilo in. Stengle runs through the player getting a caution at 78’. To their credit, Gotham are still working hard. Even with this weather a record of attendance was set statewide for WOSO in excess of 11,000 made their way to Mercy Park, most have left, given the result and weather I do not blame them. Stengle from the wing, to the top of the net at 85’, no quit on this team. Gotham corner, now they have a PK at 85’. A very soft one at that. The toughest test for Murphy to be taken after the VAR review. It was just mentioned that after this season Murphy will ply her trade for the Boston team coming into the league. Lavell to take this. Something happened with Midge off screen, not addressed by the talking heads as she sends it home going right as Murphy goes left. Gotham goes to run the ball up field and it is held by NC. At 88’, there may be as much as 5’ max in extra time. NC again in on goal but grabbed up by the GK. Portilho gets a ball in the area, spinning shot and falls, Gotham gets a corner. Rose at 89’, goes to the center of the 6. Out to Bruninha and Reale with a distant wayward shot. Half a dozen minutes of stoppage time, will Gotham get an early one in this additional time and make a game of it? Sonnett too much on a steal, she slides for about 10 to recover the ball. NC corner at 93’, they go short, too much time to kill the ball like this, rose gets it lays it off, gets it back. Across the back up the wing and forward to a speeding Shaw, now lost and recovered. Many passes, finally played out of play by Stengel on a header for a corner by Shaw at 95’. This one is taken beyond the area, Porthilo from Stengle 2-3. Very calmly guided into the far side netting off the inside of her foot, again no quit here, less than a minute to go. They do need to speed up getting the ball, yet protecting it. Far side it goes and lost near the top of the area. On the far wing Rose from a distance, parried away and now a throw in at less than 10 yards. Game over. Gotham was forward with the ball when the whistle blew, coach talking with a ref, possibly on this? Most times the clock is left to run until a promising attack has died.
The final score should not take away from a total team loss. A bad break on the own goal, the GK well out of position, all only began to tell the tale. Many runs not finished, poor shot selections and taking, errant passes, not coming for the ball, a litany of things went awry. This loss had them go from hosting a game to the road facing KC, no easy task. Is it possible that NC who needed to win and get some help just to make the 2nd season, that may have proven to be the bigger motivator? Gotham won a title not too long ago are working on a second Concacaf one, have an impressive roster, all have an off game but this, headed into the playoffs not a good look. The best team in the league, all but invincible at home as opposed to being at home. Time will tell how this plays out.
Contributed by Sean McCaffery
Soccer Long Island Magazine
North American Soccer Reporters
Society for American Soccer History