Bay Bound! Gotham FC Nets Late Winner to Clinch Spot in Final

The Cardiac Kids struck again.

Gotham FC punched its ticket to the 2025 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, with yet another last-minute game-winner, this time courtesy of Jaedyn Shaw’s free kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time. The 1-0 victory over the reigning champion Orlando Pride clinched Gotham’s shot at a second NWSL title in three years.

The final pits Gotham against its archrival, the Washington Spirit, in Saturday’s NWSL Championship game at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

“A very special day for the club, for the players, for the staff, for the fans who are the reason why we do this job,” said Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “It’s been an incredible, demanding season for us, playing more than everyone, traveling more than everyone, going through a lot of things that were costing us a little bit of consistency. … That never-give-up mentality kept going until the end, until the final whistle, with that Gotham DNA.”

It was a nervy semifinal at Inter&Co Stadium in the heart of Florida, with both teams shaky to start. Orlando, the fourth seed in this year’s bracket, had the best chance of the first half, narrowly missing from close range on a teasing ball through Gotham’s penalty area. Just after Shaw’s goal, the Pride nearly equalized before the final whistle, but goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made a brilliant reaction save diving to her right to paw a header over the bar.

Gotham didn’t register a shot on target until Shaw’s goal. The visitors had their fair share of breaks on the attacking front, but two shots from Rose Lavelle were blocked, and both Esther González and Jaelin Howell fired shots off target.

Deep into stoppage time, Lavelle won a foul 22 yards from goal to Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse’s right. The angle for the free kick prompted both Lavelle and Shaw to stand over the ball as potential takers, but Shaw’s right-footed delivery curled a whipped shot/cross toward the back post. Gotham forward Midge Purce was in the vicinity of the bounding ball, putting off Moorhouse just enough to open a path into the side netting.

Shaw, already the youngest player in NWSL history to have two goal contributions in the postseason, now has two of the biggest goals in the Gotham FC record books.

“I’m grateful that everybody trusts me to step up in those moments,” said Shaw, who arrived at Gotham via transfer in September. “Ultimately it starts on the training field. I feel the staff has really helped me improve my free kicks and all set pieces, so credit to them for helping me literally every day at training. I’m really happy that I can help the team win in that way.”

Key Match Points

• Gotham FC advanced to its second NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel, in three years.
  • Both appearances have come as the lowest seed in the playoffs (No. 6 in 2023, No. 8 in 2025).
  • Gotham is the first No. 8 seed – and the lowest seed ever – to advance to the NWSL Championship.
• The club extended its league record with its fourth road playoff win.
• The win marked the sixth playoff victory for head coach Juan Carlos Amorós, tying the league record.
• Midfielder Jaedyn Shaw scored the latest regulation game-winner in a semifinal in league history (96:06).
• Shaw has been involved in all three Gotham playoff goals in the 2025 postseason (two goals, one assist).
  • She tied the club record for combined playoff goals and assists with three.
• Gotham recorded its 12th clean sheet of the season; only the Kansas City Current (16) has more in 2025.
• Gotham improved to 9-1-4 when scoring the opening goal in NWSL play this season, and 7-0-3 when scoring first on the road.
• Defender Bruninha extended her club record for career playoff appearances to seven.
  • She is now second in club history with 515 career playoff minutes.
• Forward Midge Purce is now first in Gotham history with 559 career playoff minutes.
• Purce and forward Esther González now share the club record for playoff starts with six.
• Defender Emily Sonnett extended her league records for playoff appearances (16), starts (16) and minutes (1,589).

Gotham FC at Orlando Pride

Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025

3 p.m. ET kickoff

Inter&Co Stadium; Orlando, Florida

Attendance: 15,715

Weather: 78 degrees, sunny

Gotham FC (0, 1 – 1)

Orlando Pride (0, 0 – 0)

Scoring Summary

Gotham FC

90+7’ - Jaedyn Shaw

Gotham FC (4-3-3): 30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK); 3 – Bruninha (53’ 22 – Mandy Freeman), 6 – Emily Sonnett, 27 – Jess Carter, 4 – Lilly Reale (90’+1 19 — Kayla Duran); 7 – Jaelin Howell, 2 – Jaedyn Shaw, 16 – Rose Lavelle (C); 23 – Midge Purce, 9 – Esther González, 18 – Gabi Portilho (63’ 5 – Josefine Hasbo)

Unused substitutes: 1 – Shelby Hogan (GK); 11 – Sarah Schupansky, 13 – Ella Stevens, 21 – Sofia Cook, 28 – Katie Stengel, 34 – Khyah Harper

Head coach: Juan Carlos Amorós

Orlando Pride (4-3-3): 1 – Anna Moorhouse (GK); 12 – Cori Dyke (46’ 21 – Oihane), 6 – Emily Sams, 4 – Rafaelle, 25 – Kerry Abello; 2 – Haley McCutcheon, 30 – Ally Lemos (75’ 19 – Carson Pickett), 15 – Angelina; 13 – Jacquie Ovalle, 20 – Julie Doyle (54’ 18 – Simone Charley), 10 – Marta (C)

Unused substitutes: 40 – McKinley Crone (GK); 8 – Luana, 14 – Viviana Villacorta, 28 – Summer Yates, 34 – Zara Chavoshi, 35 – Simone Jackson

Head coach: Seb Hines

Stats Summary

GFC / ORL

Expected Goals: 0.17 / 1.15

Shots: 5 / 11

Shots on Goal: 1 / 2

Saves: 2 / 0

Corners: 4 / 4

Fouls: 12 / 9

Offside: 4 / 3

Misconduct Summary

Gotham FC

35’ - Emily Sonnett (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)

40’ - Bruninha (Yellow Card - Reckless Offense)

Orlando Pride

80’ - Emily Sams (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)

Officials

Referee: Alyssa Pennington

Assistant Referee 1: Jennifer Garner

Assistant Referee 2: Tiffini Turpin

4th Official: Elvis Osmanovic

VAR: Jaclyn Metz

AVAR: Brian Marshall