Goals, goals, and more goals! Gotham FC scores 13 against Frazsiers Whip

NJ/NY Gotham FC ended a busy September and started a busy October on Wednesday night.  The Bats began the month by playing the first of six matches.  The team was in Jamaica to face Frazsiers Whip Football Limited in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.  A win would almost confirm a spot in the next round, so three points was a must.

Thankfully, despite multiple games last month and in October, Juan Carlos Amorós has a strong roster.  He was able to rotate a little bit from the NWSL game against the Kansas City Current over the weekend.  Tierna Davidson finally earned a rest while Cece Kizer started in the attack.  Moreover, Michelle Betos received the start against the Jamaican team.

This was expected to be a game Gotham should win.  Frazsiers Whip has not won any of their fixtures in the Champions Cup and the Bats arguably have the better players on paper.

Not only did Gotham FC win, but the Bats scored 13 times to win 13-0 against Frazsiers Whip.  Many thought they would outplay the semiprofessional side, but nobody thought they would score 13.  This was an impressive offensive outing by the team.

Gotham FC scored 13 times in Champions Cup match

Gotham FC came out with high energy from the start.  They maintained the majority of the possession and easily pickpocketed the ball from Frazsiers Whip.  The ladies created chances for one another, creating attacking sequences with ease.

The Bats then scored the first goal of the night in the 13th minute.  Jenna Nighswonger sent a perfect ball to Yazmeen Ryan, who was in the middle of the box.  The winger had plenty of space and options in front of her, so she picked her spot and sent the ball into the left side of the goal.

The winger was not done though.  She scored another in the 18th after a beautiful ball from Esther González.  Ryan again had space and sent the ball past the goalkeeper, Italya Sheyanna Robinson.  There was nothing she could do to stop the ball, for she fell as the ball slid beyond her reach.

Those two quick goals did not entirely knock the air out of Frazsiers Whip.  They knew they were out of the Champions Cup before the game, so it made sense they would not stop trying to get something out of the match.  The difference was that the Bats continued to attack and dominate in almost every aspect. 

As such, the goals continued.  Mandy Freeman scored her goal in the 38th minute.  The ball fell right to her in the box, and she just took her shot.  Robinson did nothing but watch the third goal occur.

Then, in the final minute of stoppage time in the first half, Cece Kizer found the back of the net after the ball bounced off the crossbar right to her.  She quickly kicked the ball into the center of the goal to score her first for the club. 

Gotham was not done yet by any means.  In the first minute of the second half, Nighswonger scored the fifth thanks to a deflected pass from Ryan.  The left-back pushed the ball beyond Robinson as she fell to the ground.  Sadly, Frazsiers Whip had to make a change at goalkeeper due to an injury to their starter.

It did not take long for the Bats to add more. Taryn Torres scored back-to-back goals, including the golazo in the 53rd minute.  The first one was originally thought to be an own goal but it stayed with Torres to give her the brace.

The flood of goals died down a little bit, they picked up again late in the second half.  Lynn Williams scored the eighth in the 82nd with a tap in and Jéssica Silva scored her first Gotham goal in the 83rd minute.  Williams was credited with the assist.  The tenth goal was due to an own goal from Nevillegail Able.

After in the 86th, Silva returned the favor and assisted on Williams’ second goal of the night.  The forward made a great run and slid the ball in.  Afterward, Ryan finished her great night for the Bats by securing her hat trick by scoring the twelfth goal in stoppage time.  Then Williams got her hat trick right after, and she came off the bench too. Six goals were scored in those final ten minutes, and fans can only wonder whether Frazsiers Whip just gave up.

The Jamaican team does not play in a fully professional league when all is said and done.  The dominance of Gotham FC made sense.  Still, not many thought they would score as many goals as they did.  This was an offensive masterclass by the Bats and fun to watch.  The result was also what they needed in their Champions Cup journey. 

The next step in the tournament is to beat Tigres UANL Femenil.  The final game of the group stage could easily be the deciding match on who ends up in first place.