Gotham FC gets back on track with 3-0 away win to the Washington Spirit

After a surprisingly poor performance Tuesday night against Portland Thorns FC, NJ/NY Gotham FC got back in the win column with a strong 3-0 win away to the Washington Spirit. Thus, the Bats walked away from this three-game road trip with two wins, giving them their third win in their last four games.

This is again another statement win from Gotham, who beat Washington after losing to them three times last season in both the regular season and playoffs. This performance is hopefully a sign that their standards are much closer to what fans saw against Angel City FC rather than against Portland.

And while the Spirit missed plenty of key players like Hal Hershfelt, Casey Krueger, Trinity Rodman, Ouleymata Sarr, and Andi Sullivan, they still had plenty of talent on offer to have made this a closer game than it ended up being. But both the early goal and Gotham's defensive solidity were enough to hold Washington scoreless for just the second time in their season.

Gotham FC defeated the Spirit in the District

Despite being on shorter rest, a travel disadvantage, and on the road, it was Gotham FC who came out flying to start this game. First, a good shot from Geyse in her first start for the club produced a great save from Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury. Then, Gotham opened the scoring in the third minute off a connection from the two rookies. Left-back Lilly Reale put in a low-driven cross into the box and found the late-arriving Sarah Schupansky, who slotted it past a frozen Kingsbury. This was Reale's first NWSL assist and Schupansky's first NWSL goal.

After a little bit of a back-and-forth affair that saw both teams have their fair share of decent chances, Gotham won a penalty kick in the 31st minute. The team's high press forced a Spirit turnover in their own box, and Rebeca Bernal fouled Esther González, which sent the Spaniard to the spot.

And Esther ultimately doubled Gotham's lead on a penalty that Kingsbury got a hand to but could not keep out. She was not done, though, for seven minutes later she scored her second and the NJ/NY side's third. A corner from Schupansky found her head unmarked, and the Spaniard rooted Washington's goalkeeper to her spot for the second time this game. Washington then had a chance towards the end of the half to get on the board, but Esme Morgan was off-balance and could not direct the ball into the net. Gotham went into halftime up 3-0.

While Washington made attacking subs at halftime, bringing on Ashley Hatch and Rosemonde Kouassi, the second half ended up being much less eventful than the first. While again both teams had chances to score, Gotham went into a defensive shell and managed to hold the Spirit attack at bay. Esther did have a chance to earn her first hat trick thanks to a nice flick-header from Schupansky, which placed the ball at the Spaniard's feet, but she ultimately blasted it over the crossbar.

Things to note about Gotham FC's win

After the disaster that was Tuesday's second half against the Thorns, Gotham FC came away with an impressive 3-0 win. More impressively, this was the first win in six games at Audi Field. As such, the ladies head home with six points from a possible nine from their three away games in eight days. As a whole, that can be considered a major positive, especially considering the way the team played in the two wins.

The first performance to highlight from this match is, of course, none other than Esther. She secured her third brace and seventh goal in the past four games for Gotham. And if one includes her last two games for Spain, that's now nine goals in her last six games for club and country.

Another player who made a huge contribution was goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. While she did not have to make a lot of saves, the saves she did have to make were on some really good, clear-cut chances from the Spirit. Additionally, Jaelin Howell had her best game in a Gotham jersey. She led all players in duels won with 13, was second in tackles with four, and had a pass completion percentage of 84%.

And finally, shoutout to the two rookies Reale and Schupansky, who also had their best games in their albeit brief pro careers. In addition to her goal and assist, Schupansky tied for most chances created with two, and only trailed Esther in shots taken with three. As for Reale, she too had an assist, also had two chances created, was tied for second in tackles won with four, and led all players in touches with 81. Overall, it was a fantastic day, not just because of the result, but also the performance was more like what fans saw against Angel City than against Portland.

Next, the Bats will face Chicago Stars FC at home next Sunday. The Stars currently sit second to last in the table and should be an opponent that Gotham FC can continue their strong form against and hopefully get the three points. The two standout wins on the road should help the Bats in the standings, but also boost the players' confidence.