Recap: Purce Game-Winner Fuels Gotham FC’s West Coast Win

Midge Purce scored the game-winner just two minutes in to propel Gotham FC to a 1-0 road win at Bay FC on Wednesday night, the identical scoreline to when Gotham FC last played at PayPal Park in the 2025 NWSL Championship.

It was Purce’s second goal inside a match’s first five minutes for a second consecutive game, and goalkeeper Shelby Hogan claimed her second shutout in as many starts this campaign.

“Being on the road, we’re happy to get the three points and the clean sheet,” said Gotham FC acting head coach Shaun Harris. “That was first and foremost a priority, and we had the performance to back it up. … Overall, I’m really happy with the performance and the way they set out. It was really important starting strong, getting the goal and taking control from there.”

Gotham FC (10-3-4, 34 points) kept pace with its rival Washington Spirit in the NWSL standings, remaining two points off first while the two teams gained four points of separation from third place. The win secured Gotham FC’s second five-match unbeaten streak this season.

Purce, who started at right back, punctuated an aggressive start from Gotham FC when she punched in a knock-down header from Jaelin Howell off an early corner. The tidy left-footed finish proved vital in a match where Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz made nine saves to keep her team in the game.

Gotham FC dominated the stat sheet, tripling up Bay FC’s expected goals and landing 10 shots on target to the hosts’ three. Silkowitz made a sprawling stop on a Sam Kerr header in the 20th minute, and her diving parry of Tierna Davidson’s drive from distance prevented another mark in the center back’s career-best scoring campaign.

Hogan made three saves, and defender Bruninha made a vital sliding block in stoppage time on what looked like Bay FC’s best opportunity to equalize in the second half. Veteran defender Jess Carter moved back into central defense in place of the injured Emily Sonnett, leading the team with eight clearances and two tackles won.

Gotham FC closes out its three-game road swing against the Houston Dash at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Key Match Points

• Gotham FC reached 10 regular season wins for the fourth time in club history.
  • Gotham FC has now scored four goals in the first 15 minutes of the first half this season.
    • Only Portland Thorns FC (6) and Bay FC (5) have scored more.
  • The club improved to 8-0-0 when leading at the half.
• Gotham FC has not lost to Bay FC in the club’s history (five wins, one draw).
• Forward Midge Purce scored her second goal of the 2026 NWSL regular season in consecutive matches, with both recorded in the 2nd minute.
  • The goal was the 19th of her regular season career for Gotham FC, and her 28th regular season goal overall.
  • This is her first time scoring in back-to-back games since October 2021.
  • She scored her 10th regular season game-winner for Gotham FC, breaking a tie with Esther González for the club record.
  • Purce is the player her 82nd Gotham FC regular season game, tying Taylor Lytle for sixth in club history.
• Midfielder Jaelin Howell made her 100 NWSL regular season appearance with her start against Bay FC, and added her second assist of the season on Purce’s goal.
  • Howell is the 131st player in the league to reach the 100 regular-season appearance mark.
  • She tied her own career high for most assists in a season (2).
• Goalkeeper Shelby Hogan made three saves for her 11th career shutout and second clean sheet in as many starts this season for Gotham FC.
• Defender Jess Carter made her 50th NWSL regular season appearance.
  • She is the 25th Gotham FC player to have appeared in 50 games.
• Defender Mandy Freeman made her 150th NWSL appearance across all competitions, becoming the first Gotham FC player to reach the milestone.
  • She also made her 123rd regular season appearance, extending her club record.
• Midfielder Taryn Torres made her first appearance since September 7, 2025, after recovering from an ACL injury.

Gotham FC at Bay FC

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

10 p.m. ET kickoff

PayPal Park, San Jose, California

Attendance: 12,178

Weather: 81 degrees, sunny

Gotham FC (1, 0 – 1)

Bay FC (0, 0 – 0)

Scoring Summary

Gotham FC

2’ - Midge Purce (Jaelin Howell)

Gotham FC (4-3-3): 1 – Shelby Hogan (GK); 23 – Midge Purce (46’ 3 – Bruninha), 27 – Jess Carter, 15 – Tierna Davidson (C), 18 – Guro Reiten (87’ 22 – Mandy Freeman); 7 – Jaelin Howell (87’ 8 – Taryn Torres), 13 – Savannah McCaskill, 16 – Rose Lavelle (90’+5 21 – Sofia Cook); 2 – Jordynn Dudley, 20 – Sam Kerr (79’ 24 – Andrea Kitahata), 10 – Jaedyn Shaw

Unused substitutes: 30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK), 31 – Tegan Wy (GK); 11 – Sarah Schupansky, 14 – Talia Sommer

Acting head coach: Shaun Harris

Bay FC (4-2-3-1): 29 – Jordan Silkowitz (GK); 16 – Sydney Collins (C), 21 – Aldana Cometti, 18 – Joelle Anderson (84’ 13 – Abby Dahlkemper), 24 – Maddie Moreau (89’ 27 – Keira Barry); 8 – Claire Hutton, 47 – Kennedy Fuller (83’ 23 – Caroline Conti), 41 – Hannah Bebar; 17 – Alex Pfeiffer, 10 – Cristiana Girelli (76’ 7 – Taylor Huff), 5 – Karlie Lema

Unused substitutes: 32 – Emmie Allen (GK); 2 – Heather Gilchrist, 11 - Kelli Hubly, 12 – Tess Boade, 19 – Dorian Bailey

Head coach: Emma Coates

Stats Summary

GFC / BAY

Expected Goals: 1.83 / 0.63

Shots: 16 / 11

Shots on Goal: 10 / 3

Saves: 3 / 9

Corners: 6 / 4

Fouls: 9 / 11

Offside: 2 / 4

Misconduct Summary

Gotham FC

81’ - Rose Lavelle (Yellow Card - Reckless Offense)

Bay FC

60’ - Maddie Moreau (Yellow Card - Reckless Offense)

Officials

Referee: Servando Berna

Assistant Referee 1: Peter Hanson

Assistant Referee 2: Audra Fullen

4th Official: Robert Vincze

VAR: Joshua Encarnacion

AVAR: Matthew Seem