3 things we learned from Gotham FC's tragic loss to the Houston Dash

On Sunday, NJ/NY Gotham FC welcomed the Houston Dash to New Jersey.  Since resuming the NWSL season, the home side has ended both matches previously played in a draw.  As such, the team desperately wanted to win at home for themselves, their fans, and to climb the table. Unfortunately, the Bats lost to the Dash 2-1 in a tragic fashion.  A late stoppage-time goal ultimately led to the loss.

Before the game, there was a little bit of a reunion.  Three former Gotham players from last season are now with the Dash: Yazmeen Ryan, Delanie Sheehan, and Abby Smith.  It was good to have them back at Sports Illustrated Stadium, but when the match began, it was time to forget about last season and focus on beating the Texas team.

It was not easy, for Houston can be a challenging opponent.  Esther González opened up the scoring for Gotham, while Emily Sonnett was responsible for an own goal to put the visitors on the board.  It also did not help that there was a weather delay, either, for the fixture was suspended with about 30 minutes left to play.  Mother Nature decided to strike, and the safety of fans and the players matters more than the impact of a pause in play.  But afterward, the home side could not find a second goal.  Instead, Michelle Alozie scored to give Houston the win in stoppage time.

This was not a good result by any means.  Still, there is plenty that can be discussed about Gotham FC.  Here are three things that we learned from the tragic loss to the Houston Dash.

The impact of the weather delay

With lightning in the area due to thunderstorms, Gotham FC and Houston had to pause play for over two hours.  There were questions about how the delay would impact the teams and the game overall. 

Ultimately, the teams appeared to play at the same level when the match resumed.  As such, there was hope that the Bats would score the winning goal.  Gotham outshot the opposition 15 to two.  They were outplaying the Dash.  But as one knows, Houston left with all three points. 

Hence, the delay did not impact the NJ/NY team’s play, for they were already struggling to find that second goal.  It was rather defensive mishaps that led to the loss.

Rose Lavelle is getting closer to 100%

It has been expressed often that Rose Lavelle is not the player fans know she is as she continues to work back from her injury.  Whether she will be back to 100% this season is unknown.  Still, the midfielder continues to improve in each game and is getting closer to the talent that has led her to be one of the best players in the league and arguably around the world.

Against Houston, Lavelle played one of her best matches of the season before coming out after the rain delay.  Of course, she only returned in June.  Still, her work throughout the game, especially in the final third, was fantastic.  She almost scored her first goal of the season, hitting the post from a shot from outside the box.  That eventually led to González’s goal, so it did work out in the end.

Lavelle also had a brilliant moment in the 39th minute.  She kept the ball from going out of play and out for a goal kick.  This allowed her to pick out Gabi Portilho, providing a pitch-perfect pass to her teammate.  Sadly, the Brazilian kicked the ball just wide.

Moreover, Lavelle was all over the final third, making life difficult for Houston.  It is great to see that she is getting closer to 100%, and ideally, will be more influential in the future.

Gotham FC’s scoring struggles continue

González scored a fantastic goal in the first half to keep her in the conversation of the Golden Boot race.  However, most of Gotham FC’s goals have come from her this season, meaning that the Bats tend to rely on the Spaniard way too often.

Despite the early goal and the 15 shots, the scoring struggles continued and would not go away.  They were the better team offensively, but not in the stat that mattered the most.  To add to the disappointment, one of Houston’s goals came from the own goal via Sonnett.

The coaching staff and players really need to sit down to figure out what is causing the scoring issues.  There are many on the roster that should have a few more goals this year, and again, they cannot rely on González.  It is okay that she is the main scorer, but Gotham FC needs the other attackers to step up.