Rose Lavelle provided the match-winning goal to again lift Gotham FC over the rival Washington Spirit.
The 31-year-old star midfielder’s sensational 37th-minute golazo proved to be the difference in Wednesday’s nationally televised Queens Classic at Citi Field.
Lavelle nutmegged Spirit defender Tara Rudd before she scored a fantastic curling effort as Gotham repeated the script of last year’s NWSL Championship Game by defeating Washington 1-0.
“Any time you hear you’re going to get to play in front of 42,000 fans, it’s always really exciting,” Lavelle said after the match. “We feed off the fans’ energy, so knowing that this was going to be a really exciting home game, but also a big moment in history for this club and for the city, added just another special element going out there. We feel so much pride getting to represent this club, and for us to be able to
have this moment was really huge. Hopefully, we just can keep building off of this.”
Though Gotham earned an impressive victory over the second-ranked Spirit, there was concern in the 34th minute when Rookie of the Year candidate Jordynn Dudley exited Wednesday’s Queens Classic.
Dudley Forced Off With Apparent Head Injury
The 21-year-old forward was forced off due to an apparent head injury. Dudley was looked at by training staff and underwent on-field concussion protocol. She walked down the sideline holding her head before going straight down the tunnel.
Following the match, head coach Juan Carlos Amorós shared a positive-sounding update on Dudley’s condition.
“Luckily, she’s doing okay,” Amorós said. “It was the fact that she had the first impact, and within a very short period of time, she had the second impact; they had to check her. [My medical team] told me they had to take her in just to do further assessments because that’s the protocol. She’s doing okay.”
Dudley was replaced by defender Jess Carter in the 34th minute.
Sam Kerr Makes Long-Awaited Gotham FC Return
On Wednesday, Gotham set a New York City women’s sports attendance record with a sellout crowd of 42,175. Loud cheers enveloped Citi Field when star signing Sam Kerr replaced Sarah Schupansky in the 64th minute.
“It was a big change from when I was last here, so it was nice to see the growth of the game,” Kerr said. “This is what women’s football deserves. It should become the norm. It was nice.”
The two-time NWSL MVP made an immediate impact with her well-timed runs. It was a very encouraging debut to begin her second stint with the club.
“Of course she’s a difference maker,” midfielder Jaedyn Shaw stated. “Having her on this team has already been really great. She’s a very competitive person, so it’s been really good to see her fit right in.”
Kerr scored 28 goals in 40 total appearances in her first go-around when the club was known as Sky Blue FC.
New signing Denise O’Sullivan was not named to the squad for Wednesday’s match as she recently joined Gotham on Tuesday.
It’s possible that both Kerr and O’Sullivan could see increased minutes in Saturday’s noon match against Seattle Reign FC.
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