3 things we learned after Gotham FC's brilliant offensive win over Chicago Stars

As the nor’easter made its way to the northeast, NJ/NY Gotham FC played in New Jersey on Friday night to a somewhat decent crowd. Although it was expected to be small based on the incoming storm, there were more supporters at Sports Illustrated Stadium than expected. Moreover, those there were treated to a fun match as the rain began to fall.

Gotham FC won 3-1 in an offensive show. Jaedyn Shaw scored a brace, while Sam Kerr scored and assisted on one of Shaw’s goals. The NJ/NY team had 16 shots with seven on target. They also had over 70% possession.

Entering the match, the expectation was that Gotham FC would win. Chicago sat in last place, and this was not the team the Bats wanted to lose to. Thankfully, they showed why they continue to remain in first, and could have easily had more shots and more goals. They spent a lot of time near and in the box, creating attacking chances, even if they did not end in shots. This was a brilliant performance, and the players should be proud.

There is plenty to discuss about the game. Here are three things we learned from Gotham FC’s win against Chicago.

Jaedyn Shaw’s magical season continues

Shaw has always been a great attacking midfielder or winger. She has done well in past seasons with her play, but one aspect of her game that needed to improve was her clinical finishing. And in 2026, she has done that, as she has scored her eighth and ninth goals in the NWSL regular season.

In the first half, Gotham FC was ferocious in the attack, especially in the box. It is amazing that they did not score multiple goals, but they did score one thanks to Shaw. Sam Kerr sent the ball into the box near the center, and none of the Chicago defenders were there. They were instead closer to the goal itself. Shaw, who had space, grabbed the ball and, with one touch, sent it past a diving Alyssa Naeher.

Then, in the second half, she was again in the box. This time, Rose Lavelle was with her and noticed again that she had space in the center. With more Chicago players to deal with, Shaw controlled the ball and took her shot, beating Naeher on pace and power to send the ball into the goal.

These brilliant goals are just the cherry on top of the 21-year-old’s fantastic season. Oh, and there are a few more games to play, so perhaps she will reach double-digit goals.

Gotham FC’s goals were important

Gotham FC needed to win, but they also needed to score multiple goals. Again, they played against the Stars, who sit in last place. On paper, they had to have a dominant performance, and they did. They also had not scored three goals in a match in about two months, last doing so in July against Seattle Reign FC.

The Bats could easily have scored more goals, but the fact that they scored three was very important. They have to think about the rest of the season and what would happen if they lost to the Washington Spirit, finished one of the other matches in a draw, and the Spirit won the rest of their games. The NWSL Shield could come down to goal differential.

Nevertheless, it does not help that the Stars scored late in the game, making the score 3-1. At least the Bats’ three goals helped. And of course, it would be ideal for Gotham to win in D.C. when they face the Spirit in October.

The wind did not bother Gotham FC anyway

Truth be told, with the nor’easter moving in, there was a question about whether the windy conditions would impact the match. There was also the question of how many fans would show up with the pending weather.

In the end, Gotham FC played extremely well and were not bothered by the wind. Plus, there were a little over 9,000 fans in the stands, which was not bad for a Friday evening game with poor weather on the way. The worry of getting home likely kept some away, but that happens when there is bad weather.

More importantly, Gotham FC won. And no matter what, the five-point gap will be there at the end of the weekend.

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