Gotham FC dropped its first game of the young 2026 season on Wednesday night, falling 2-0 to expansion side Denver Summit FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
In the first meeting between the clubs, Denver’s Melissa Kössler and Tash Flint scored the decisive goals in the second half of a cagey match.
“It’s a disappointing night for us with that result at home,” said Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “We had the target to be better at home this year, and we need to have more consistent performances.”
Gotham FC (1-1-1, 4 points) dropped into the middle of the NWSL standings following the result, conceding its first goals of the 2026 campaign after opening the season with back-to-back clean sheets.
Denver created the better opportunities in the first half, forcing goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger into action early. In the 22nd minute, Berger produced a massive save to deny Kössler from close range, and Berger was called upon again moments later to comfortably gather another effort from the German forward.
The visitors found the breakthrough in the 58th minute when Kössler finished a move down the right side to give Denver the lead.
Gotham nearly equalized in the 66th minute when substitute Jordynn Dudley found herself one-on-one with Smith, but the Denver goalkeeper closed Dudley’s angle and blocked a point-blank effort.
Flint doubled Denver’s lead in the 73rd minute, capitalizing on a turnover in the defensive third to extend the margin and end the reigning champions’ unbeaten start to league play.
Gotham FC will wrap its three-match homestand on Sunday when it hosts the Orlando Pride at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Kickoff for Sunday’s match is set for 7 p.m. ET with the match streaming on Victory+.
Key Match Points
- Midfielder Sofia Cook and forward Andrea Kitahata made their first NWSL starts in tonight’s match.
- Defender Jess Carter captained Gotham FC for the third time in NWSL regular season play and completed 47 of her 49 passes.
- Defender Kayla Duran had 11 final third entries in tonight’s match, the most for either team.
- Midfielder Jaelin Howell won seven of 11 duels, gained possession back on 10 occasions and won three fouls.
- Gotham FC’s run of not conceding a goal in all NWSL competitions ended at 449 minutes.
- Despite tonight’s loss, Gotham FC has only conceded two goals over the team’s first three matches, posting a 1-1-1 record.
Gotham FC vs Denver Summit FC
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
7 p.m. ET kickoff
Sports Illustrated Stadium; Harrison, NJ
Attendance: 5,000
Weather: 48 degrees, partly cloudy
Gotham FC (0, 0 – 0)
Denver Summit FC (0, 2 – 2)
Scoring Summary
Denver Summit FC
58’ - Melissa Kössler (Yuna McCormack)
73’ - Tash Flint
Gotham FC (4-3-3): 30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK); 19 – Kayla Duran, 6 – Emily Sonnett, 27 – Jess Carter (C) (63’ 15 – Tierna Davidson), 4 – Lilly Reale; 7 – Jaelin Howell, 13 – Savannah McCaskill, 21 – Sofia Cook (46’ 16 – Rose Lavelle); 11 – Sarah Schupansky (63’ 23 – Midge Purce), 24 – Andrea Kitahata (46’ 9 – Esther González), 28 – Katie Lampson (63’ 2 – Jordynn Dudley)
Unused substitutes: 1 – Shelby Hogan (GK); 14 – Talia Sommer, 17 – Mak Whitham, 34 – Khyah Harper
Head coach: Juan Carlos Amorós
Denver Summit FC (4-3-3): 1 – Abby Smith (GK); 6 – Janine Sonis, 2 – Meg Reid (68’ 23 – Eva Gaetino), 3 – Kaleigh Kurtz (C), 16 – Carson Pickett; 5 – Devin Lynch, 24 – Delanie Sheehan, 26 – Tash Flint; 14 – Yuna McCormack (79’ 7 – Ayo Oke), 25 – Melissa Kössler (68’ 11 – Ally Brazier), 9 – Yazmeen Ryan
Unused substitutes: 19 – Pauline Petraud-Magnin (GK); 4 – Natalie Means, 8 – Emma Regan, 19 – Lourdes Bosch, 33 – Olivia Thomas, 79 – Nahikari García
Head coach: Nick Cushing
Stats Summary
GFC / DEN
Expected Goals: 1.14 / 1.9
Shots: 11 / 8
Shots on Goal: 4 / 5
Saves: 3 / 4
Corners: 6 / 4
Fouls: 12 / 11
Offside: 1 / 2
Misconduct Summary
Gotham FC
39’ - Lilly Reale (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)
90+ 5’ - Jaelin Howell (Yellow Card - Dissent)
Denver Summit FC
26’ - Tash Flint (Yellow Card - Reckless Offense)
63’ - Meg Reid (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)
Officials
Referee: Muhammad Hassan
Assistant Referee 1: Zeno Cho
Assistant Referee 2: Matthew Rodman
4th Official: Luis Diego Arroyo
VAR: Shawn Tehini
AVAR: Tony Obas
Key Quotes
HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS AMORÓS
On what needs to improve ahead of the next match
We need to make sure we punish teams when the opportunities are there. We need to recognize those moments and take advantage of them.
We know how the NWSL is — often the team that scores first gets the result. When we’ve done that, we’ve won. In the last two games, we haven’t been able to do it. That’s the main priority.
DEFENDER JESS CARTER
On the team’s performance in the match
We were disappointed with the result. I think they exploited our weaknesses quite well today. There are a few things we needed to tidy up, and we should have been a bit more compact.
We could have been tidier on the ball at times, but we still created a couple of big chances as well. The game is a bit of a blur for me already.
MIDFIELDER SAVANNAH MCCASKILL
On the team’s performance in the match
It was a game where we had the better chances, didn’t finish them and didn’t keep the ball out of our own net. We have to be better than that.
MIDFIELDER SOFIA COOK
On bouncing back and turning things around quickly
It’s been a long week, but I love playing. We have three games. We can take what we did last game and this game, see what we did well, what we need to work on and go from there. I’m super excited.
FORWARD ANDREA KITAHATA
On making her first NWSL start
It felt incredible. I’m so grateful to be with this group, with such incredible players and historic success.
To be able to start and contribute to the team is all I can ask for, and I’m really excited for the rest of the year.
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