NJ/NY Gotham FC returned to action at Red Bull after a three-week break to take on the North Carolina Courage on Saturday afternoon. The match was presented by official partner Provident Bank. In the team’s first match with Head Coach Scott Parkinson fully at the helm, Gotham FC earned its first win in a seven-game span with a 3-1 win over North Carolina. It was a high-octane affair that saw seven total yellow cards issued and goals from Carli Lloyd, Purce, and Monaghan for Gotham FC, and Angharad James for North Carolina. With the win, Gotham FC moves up to sixth place in the league table with 25 points and trails behind the Chicago Red Stars and Orlando Pride by one and three points respectively.
The opening minutes of the first half started with an anticipated midfield battle between the two teams. At the 20 minute mark, a clearance headed out of the box from Gotham FC fell to the feet of Angharad James who found the back of the net on a clean strike to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The lead was short lived as Purce earned a penalty kick that Carli Lloyd converted to bring the game back level. Minutes later, Onumonu made a run down the right flank and sent in a perfectly-driven cross that an onrushing Purce put away to give Gotham FC the 2-1 lead heading into the half
Early into the second half, Onumonu nearly put Gotham FC up 3-1 on a through ball from McCall Zerboni that she sent just wide of the target. As the teams continued to battle, Gotham FC’s defense remained steady, denying North Carolina the chance to find an equalizer. In the 82nd minute, Evelyne Viens played a wide open Paige Monaghan on the run who took on two defenders and buried a right-footed shot that took a favorable deflection en route to the back of the net. Gotham FC saw out the remainder of the match and earned three points at home.
Following Saturday’s match, Gotham FC will travel to Lynn Family Stadium to face Racing Louisville FC on Friday, October 1. The team will then travel to Subaru Park in Chester, Penn. for Carli Lloyd’s Hometown Farewell Match on Wednesday, October 6 to face the Washington Spirit. The match was relocated from Red Bull Arena to the Philadelphia area to celebrate Lloyd’s illustrious career in front of a hometown crowd. Single and group tickets to this event are on sale and pricing details can be found here.
MATCH REPORT
Match: NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. North Carolina Courage
Date: September 25, 2021
Venue: Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J.
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. ET
Weather: High 70s; sunny
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
NJ/NY Gotham FC 2 1 3
North Carolina Courage 1 0 1
NCC – Angharad James 20’
NJY – Carli Lloyd (P) 28’
NJY – Margaret Purce (Ifeoma Onumonu) 36’
NJY – Paige Monaghan (Evelyne Viens) 82’
Lineups:
NJY: 1-Kailen Sheridan; 3-Caprice Dydasco, 12-Gina Lewandowski, 24-Estelle Johnson (8-Erica Skroski, 90’), 28-Imani Dorsey (19-Elizabeth Eddy, 90’); 7-McCall Zerboni (capt.), 16-Allie Long, 9-Nahomi Kawasumi (17-Domi Richardson, 81’); 23-Margaret Purce (4-Paige Monaghan, 73’), 10-Carli Lloyd, 25-Ifeoma Onumonu (20-Evelyne Viens, 81’)
Substitutes not used: 5-Nicole Baxter, 11-Sodam Lee, 13-DiDi Haracic, 27-Gaetane Thiney
NCC: 1-Casey Murphy; 3-Kaleigh Kurtz, 4-Carson Pickett, 6-Abby Erceg (capt.), 7-Diane Caldwell (14-Jess McDonald, 63’); 8-Denise O’Sullivan (Rylee Baisden, 80), 13-Ryan Williams (2-Taylor Smith, 76’), 25-Meredith Speck, 34-Angharad James (21-Cari Roccaro, 76’); 9-Lynn Williams, 12-Amy Rodriguez (19-Havana Solaun, 63’)
Substitutes not used: 20-Lindsay Agnew, 27-Brittany Ratcliffe, 30-Kendall Fletcher, 42-Sam Murphy
Stats Summary: NJY / NCC
Shots: 13 / 8
Shots on Goal: 3 / 4
Saves: 4 / 0
Corner Kicks: 4 / 4
Fouls: 12 / 19
Offside: 5 / 3
Misconduct Summary:
NJY – Ifeoma Onumonu (caution) 15’
NJY – Carli Lloyd (caution) 18’
NCC – Diane Caldwell (caution) 40’
NJY – Imani Dorsey (caution) 46’
NCC – Angharad James (caution) 63’
NJY – Paige Monaghan (caution) 77’
NJY – Kailen Sheridan (caution) 85’
Officials:
Referee: Mark Allatin
Assistant Referee 1: Tiffini Turpin
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Gonzalez
4th Official: Kenneth Rojas
Budweiser Player of the Match: McCall Zerboni
About NJ/NY Gotham FC:
Originally named Sky Blue FC, the Club underwent a major rebrand in April 2021 and officially changed its name to NJ/NY Gotham FC. Representing New Jersey and New York, the Club plays its National Women’s Soccer League home matches at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The Club has been part of the NWSL since the league launched in 2013. Founded in 2007, Gotham FC originally debuted as Jersey Sky Blue in the W-League of United Soccer Leagues. The Club won its first trophy as Sky Blue FC in 2009 after winning the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer championship. Most recently, Gotham FC played in the 2021 Challenge Cup Final against the Portland Thorns, the Club’s first ever championship appearance in NWSL competition.
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