Gotham turn corner with commanding win over Bay FC
The defending champions produced a much-needed response after a poor opening stretch, scoring three times before half-time and never allowing Bay into the contest.
Coming off an abysmal five-game stretch to open the season, Gotham FC knew they would have to come out of the international break in top form.
As the defending NWSL champions reflected on their 1W-2L-2D start, Jaedyn Shaw expressed optimism, saying the team’s vibes were high and training sessions had gone well.
Gotham showed that progress by dismantling Bay FC in a 3-0 win on Saturday, during their first league game in 21 days. It was a crucial victory for Gotham to remedy their poor start to the season, which had put them 13th in the NWSL before the game.
With the defeat, Bay dropped to 2W-3L-0D, 11th in the league table.
Gotham outshot Bay 25-3 after an especially dominant first half and generated 3.24 expected goals compared to Bay’s 0.43 xG.
Gotham started on the front foot, finding the breakthrough score via a Karlie Lema own goal in the 20th minute. Rose Lavelle cut a ball back to the center of the box for Savannah McCaskill, who directed a shot on frame, which Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz saved. But chaos in the box led to Lema and Silkowitz colliding, and the ball finding the back of the net.
Gotham doubled their lead in the 40th minute when Jordynn Dudley found Lavelle for a tap-in finish. Dudley was superb with her final third vision all afternoon, creating three chances, two of which FotMob qualified as “big chances.”
Gotham made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time when Esther González put away a penalty kick off Silkowitz’s fingertips.
“We’ve kind of been waiting for a game like that and a performance like that,” Lavelle said post-game. “We had a lot of joy in the final third.”
Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós said he missed training for most of the week due to the birth of his second child, crediting the team’s technical staff for their work done to secure victory. He praised his fellow coaches post-game as he sat alongside lead assistant Shaun Harris and head of analysis Zoë Mattheson during the press conference.
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