Dominant performance against Vancouver sees Gotham FC win in the Champions Cup

On Wednesday, NJ/NY Gotham FC had another late start as the team stayed on the West Coast after their weekend win over San Diego Wave FC.  This time, the team was back in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup for a match in Canada.  Their opponent was the developmental team, Vancouver Rise FC Academy.  It was expected to be a clear-cut win, despite some of the first-team players joining the Canadian team.

While it was the expected result, it was a little shocking that Gotham FC only won 4-1.  This could have been one of those matches where the Bats piled on the goals, and truthfully, they needed that because of the Washington Spirit’s goal differential.  But they could still top the group when they play Spirit in their final fixture of the group round.

Additionally, Rise FC proved they could hang in there with the NWSL team.  Gotham faced more of the first team players than expected.  Still, some of the younger players proved their ability to compete with some of the NWSL’s most talented players.

Meanwhile, new signing Jaedyn Shaw started for Gotham after playing half of the game on Friday.  She only played the first half, though.  But Juan Carlos Amorós heavily rotated the squad and put out a mostly youthful team, with a few veterans like Mandy Freeman and Katie Stengel joining them.  Moreover, Ryan Campbell officially made her first start for the NJ/NY side.

Gotham FC leaves Canada with another Champions Cup win

The fixture was mostly dominated by Gotham FC, which was not surprising based on the difference in the playing level between the teams.  But with that said, Vancouver put up a fight and were impressive at times.  There were moments when their defense was superb and compact.  Unquestionably, they kept the Bats from scoring more goals. 

Still, Gotham struck first in the game, and it was a first goal for Josefine Hasbo.  The Bats had a corner kick, and the ball eventually fell to Kayla Duran.  She swept the ball into the box, and Hasbo headed the ball past Vancouver’s goalkeeper, Jessica Wulf, in the ninth minute.

It was only a few minutes later that they tallied their second.  It started with a rookie-to-rookie connection on the left side of the pitch.  Sarah Schupansky found Lilly Reale, and the left-back speedily moved toward the goal.  Looking up, she saw Katie Stengel ready and waiting, and passed the ball to her.  With ease, Stengel tapped the ball into the goal to give Gotham the early two-goal lead.

It did not last long, though, for Campbell made a rookie mistake.  She came off her line when she should not have done so, allowing Rise FC to take their shot.  Anaïs Oularbi shot the ball off the post, and it subsequently bounced to Anna Bout.  The goal was open, so it was an easy tally for the home team in the 14th minute.

For the rest of the first half, Gotham FC tried to score more.  But Vancouver did well defensively, and it was not like the Bats were lackluster in their shots.  There were a few misses, like Stengel’s 31st-minute angle shot that went wide.  And the shots taken were limited, but the offensive effort was in full swing.

However, they became even more threatening in the second half.  Amorós made two halftime substitutions, bringing on Bruninha and Esther González.  By the 46th minute, Gotham added a third goal.  González was toward the end of the box in the middle and picked her spot on the goal.  Without hesitation, the Spaniard sent the ball into the bottom right corner.

Those first ten minutes of the second half were intense.  The visitors spent their entire time in the final third, pressuring Vancouver.  Again, similar to the first half, it was incredible that the NJ/NY team did not score one or two more goals during that time span.  But Wulf and the Rise FC defense ensured that the game would not be an easy one.

Eventually, that energy did taper off.  Still, the majority of the time was spent with Gotham fighting for another goal.  They were relentless in their quest, but Vancouver locked down defensively.  It did not matter that the Bats had 80% of the possession and 18 shots after 90 minutes of play. 

Still, another goal was finally added in the final minute of stoppage time.  Bruninha pretty much directed the ball into the goal after it fell right to her.  While more goals were desired, she at least added the fourth to help with goal differential.

Credit must be given when it is due.  Vancouver was a much better team on the night than expected.  Perhaps good things are ahead in Canada when it comes to the domestic leagues and the academies. 

But Gotham FC won.  And that is what matters in the end.