Soccer Fun: Gotham FC and Friends Win Big in Women’s Soccer Games

Imagine a bunch of women’s soccer teams playing on Friday night. Here’s what happened, explained super simply so everyone can understand!

Gotham FC Beats Utah Royals 3-1

Gotham FC is a soccer team. They played against the Utah Royals. A player named Esther González scored two goals (that means she kicked the ball into the other team’s net twice!). Because of her, Gotham won 3-1 (they scored 3, Utah scored 1).

Here’s how the game went, step by step:

1. Utah scored first: A player named Cece Delzer scored in the 23rd minute (that’s 23 minutes after the game started) at Utah’s home field. So Utah led 1-0.
2. Gotham ties it up: Minutes later, a Gotham player named Jordynn Dudley was pulled down in the "box" (the special area near the goal) by Utah’s Nuria Rábano. This is called a foul (breaking a rule). Because of that, Gotham got a penalty kick – a free shot from close to the goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. Esther González took it and scored, making it 1-1.
3. Gotham takes the lead: Right before the first half ended (the first 45 minutes plus some extra called stoppage time because of pauses), Tierna Davidson kicked the ball into the net after a friend’s corner kick (a kick from the corner flag). That made it 2-1.
4. González scores again: Later, she got past a defender (Kate Del Fava) and went around the goalkeeper (Mandy McGlynn) to score the final goal: 3-1.

Important Point: After this game, Utah’s record is 7 wins, 3 losses, 4 ties (written 7-3-4). Gotham’s record is 7-3-3.

Other Games Around the League

On the same night, other teams played too:

• Orlando Pride beat Kansas City Current 3-0.
• Boston Legacy beat Chicago Stars 2-0.
• Bay FC beat Racing Louisville 2-0.

Marta Scores for the Pride

Orlando Pride played at home. The game was delayed almost an hour because of bad weather (like rain or storm). But they still won 3-0 against Kansas City Current.

Three players scored goals in the second half (the last 45 minutes):

• Marta (a famous player) kicked the ball from far away outside the box in the 49th minute. It surprised the Kansas City goalkeeper Marisa Jordan. Score 1-0.
• Hannah Anderson headed the ball into the net after a corner kick by Ally Lemos in the 57th minute. Score 2-0.
• Barbra Banda came back from being hurt (injury) and played in the 76th minute. Just 9 minutes later, she scored after Kansas City failed to clear the ball away. Score 3-0.

Orlando’s goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse saved the ball 9 times! That’s her 5th clean sheet this season (meaning the other team scored zero).

Important Point: Orlando’s record is now 6-6-2. Kansas City’s record is 8-6-0. Also, Kansas City’s Vanessa DiBernardo came back from having a baby (maternity leave) and played in the 82nd minute.

Boston Goalie Casey Murphy Shuts Down Stars

Boston Legacy played against Chicago Stars in Pawtucket, Rhode Island (at Centreville Bank Stadium). Boston won 2-0.

• Amanda Gutierres scored for the second game in a row. She got a penalty kick in the 22nd minute after Aïssata Traoré was pushed down by Aaliyah Farmer. Amanda kicked it in: 1-0.
• Nichelle Prince scored in the 58th minute because Chicago made a mistake with a backward pass. She used that to make it 2-0.

Boston’s goalkeeper Casey Murphy saved 4 shots. It was her first clean sheet of the season (Chicago scored zero).

Important Point: Boston’s record is 3-7-4. Chicago Stars’ record dropped to 4-10-0 (that means 4 wins, 10 losses, 0 ties).

Bay FC Snaps Six-Match Winless Streak

Bay FC had not won in six games (that’s a winless streak). But they beat Racing Louisville 2-0!

• Kennedy Fuller scored in the 21st minute by kicking in a rebound (when the ball bounced back after a save).
• Karlie Lema made Louisville’s goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer lose the ball in the 58th minute and scored.

Bay FC’s goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz saved 1 shot for her 3rd clean sheet.

Important Point: Bay FC’s record is 4-6-3. Racing Louisville’s record is 2-10-1, and they have now lost five games in a row.

Summary

On Friday night in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL):

• Gotham FC won 3-1 over Utah Royals with two goals from Esther González.
• Orlando Pride won 3-0 with goals from Marta, Anderson, and Banda.
• Boston Legacy won 2-0 over Chicago Stars with goals from Gutierres and Prince.
• Bay FC won 2-0 over Racing Louisville, ending their winless streak.

All these teams are part of the NWSL, where women play awesome soccer!
News source: AP soccer (https://apnews.com/hub/soccer)

FAQ

Q1: What is a penalty kick?
A: It’s a special free shot from a spot near the goal given when a player is fouled (pushed or tripped) in the box. Only the kicker and the goalkeeper are in the way.

Q2: What does "clean sheet" mean?
A: It means a team’s goalkeeper didn’t let the other team score any goals during the whole game. Like a blank sheet of paper with no marks.

Q3: What is stoppage time?
A: Sometimes the referee adds extra minutes at the end of a half because play was stopped for injuries or other reasons. It’s like bonus time.

Q4: What is the NWSL?
A: The National Women’s Soccer League – a group of professional women’s soccer teams in the United States.

Q5: Why is coming back from injury or maternity leave a big deal?
A: Players who were hurt or had a baby couldn’t play for a while. When they return, it’s exciting because they can help their team again, like Barbra Banda and Vanessa DiBernardo did.