Esther González tied the match at the half-hour mark and Geyse knocked in the game-winner in the 55th minute to help Gotham FC complete a comeback 2-1 win at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday night and enter the NWSL summer break on a two-game winning streak.
Bay FC had taken the lead through Penelope Hocking in the 11th minute, but Gotham FC converted its two best chances of the match to stave off the visitors. It was the first time Gotham FC rallied to win a home game after conceding first since Sept. 25, 2021, and snapped a 20-match stretch in which GFC failed to win after conceding first.
González made club history in the process, becoming the fastest player to reach 10 goals in a season – edging out Sam Kerr in 2017 – and expanding her lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race as the league’s top scorer.
“Today's game was really important for us to get to the end line and get those three points,” said Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “We really needed to find a way to win, and the start of the game was a bit shaky. … It was again where, psychologically, we needed to be strong.”
Gotham FC (5-5-3, 18 points) maintained its playoff position with the win, keeping a foothold on eighth place at the season’s halfway mark. The league will pause play for the next five weeks to avoid conflict with several major international tournaments across the globe.
That pause heightened the importance of Saturday’s match, with both clubs aiming to carry momentum into the break. For Amorós’s side, the back-to-back wins produced five goals after Gotham FC failed to score in three May games.
In the 30th minute, rookie Sarah Schupansky poked the ball away from Bay FC defender Alyssa Malonson, immediately rolling the deflection to González, who slotted home her third goal at home this year. Schupansky now has a team-best four assists, leading all NWSL rookies.
Early in the second half, Nealy Martin curled a long ball over Bay FC’s back line, and the two bounces swerved the pass into Geyse’s path. The Brazilian international took a touch and poked in her second goal of the season, giving Martin her first assist in almost two years.
Gotham FC will return to action on Aug. 1, traveling to suburban Chicago to take on Chicago Stars FC and restart NWSL play.
Key Match Points
Gotham FC vs. Bay FC
Saturday, June 21, 2025
7:30 p.m. ET kickoff
Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, New Jersey
Attendance: 9,009
Weather: 84 degrees, clear
Gotham FC (1, 1 – 2)
Bay FC (1, 0 – 1)
Goal Summary:
Gotham FC
30’ - Esther González (Sarah Schupansky)
55’ - Geyse (Nealy Martin)
Bay FC
11’ - Penelope Hocking (Hannah Bebar)
Gotham FC (4-3-3): 30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK); 22 – Mandy Freeman (C), 14 – Nealy Martin, 6 – Emily Sonnett, 4 – Lilly Reale; 8 – Taryn Torres, 11 – Sarah Schupansky (61’ 21 – Sofia Cook), 16 – Rose Lavelle (46’ 5 – Josefine Hasbo); 3 – Bruninha (61’ 23 – Midge Purce), 9 – Esther González (90’+4 17 – Mak Whitham), 10 – Geyse (77’ 34 – Khyah Harper)
Unused substitutes: 1 – Shelby Hogan (GK), 12 – Ryan Campbell (GK); 24 – Emerson Elgin, 90 – Stella Nyamekye
Head coach: Juan Carlos Amorós
Bay FC (4-3-3): 32 – Emmie Allen (GK), 3 – Caprice Dydasco, 13 – Abby Dahlkemper (C), 18 – Joelle Anderson (84’ 8 – Asisat Oshoala), 20 – Alyssa Malonson, 15 – Caroline Conti (71’ 23 – Kiki Pickett), 41 – Hannah Bebar (71’ 19 – Dorian Bailey), 7 – Taylor Huff (71’ 12 – Tess Boade), 55 – Penelope Hocking (81’ 5 – Karlie Lema), 21 – Rachel Hill , 9 – Rachael Kundananji,
Unused substitutes: 1 – Melissa Lowder (GK), 14 – Jamie Shepherd, 17 – Catherine Paulson, 24 – Maddie Moreau
Head coach: Albertin Montoya
Stats Summary
GFC / BAY
Expected Goals: 0.71 / 2.89
Shots: 7 / 11
Shots on Goal: 3 / 5
Saves: 4 / 1
Corners: 3 / 3
Fouls: 13 / 13
Offside: 2 / 6
Misconduct Summary:
Gotham FC
41’ - Sarah Schupansky (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)
90’+3 - Esther González (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)
Bay FC
45’ - Caroline Conti (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)
45’+7 - Hannah Bebar (Yellow Card - Time Wasting)
86’ - Abby Dahlkemper (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)
Officials
Referee: Shawn Tehini
Assistant Referee 1: A. Max Smith
Assistant Referee 2: John Krill
4th Official: Marie Durr
VAR: Elijio Arreguin
AVAR: Karsten Gillwald