The Washington Spirit spoiled Gotham FC’s opportunity to clinch the NWSL Shield by defeating their rivals 1-0 at Audi Field on Saturday.
Lucia Di Guglielmo’s 70th-minute goal was the difference in a tightly contested match.
Despite Saturday’s defeat, Gotham remains in first place at 55 points and could clinch the NWSL Shield before season’s end.
Denise O’Sullivan: ‘We Need to Keep Our Heads Up and Focus on Next Week’
Midfielder Denise O’Sullivan was frustrated with Gotham’s lackluster first half.
“I’m quite disappointed, obviously,” O’Sullivan said during her postmatch press conference. “I don’t think we started the way we wanted to in the first half. We were put under a lot of pressure and [made] too many turnovers, so I thought the second half was much better.”
The veteran midfielder, who previously helped the North Carolina Courage to three NWSL Shields, knows that if Gotham takes care of business in their final two matches, the NWSL Shield will be theirs.
“We have to keep our heads up,” O’Sullivan stated. “The Shield is still in our hands. We have two more games to go and [if] we win those two games, then we win the Shield. So I think we need to keep our heads up and move on from this and focus on next week.”
But Washington is hot on Gotham’s heels. The Spirit moved into second place with 52 points, though 51-point San Diego Wave FC could potentially reclaim second position later on Saturday when they face the Courage.
Leila Ouahabi, Olivia Wingate Make Gotham FC Debuts
Recent acquisitions, defender Leila Ouahabi and forward Olivia Wingate, each made their Gotham FC debuts on Saturday.
Ouahabi started at left-back and looked comfortable in her first action for Gotham before she was substituted in the 59th minute.
Wingate’s 31-minute debut earned praise from O’Sullivan.
“Liv Wingate coming to the game tonight on her debut and actually today and done really well,” O’Sullivan said.
Jaedyn Shaw Rested, Could Return to Match Action Soon
Forward Jaedyn Shaw was named to the bench but she did not take the pitch on Saturday.
Shaw recently picked up a minor unspecified injury. Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said the 21-year-old star was nearly ready to return on Saturday.
“I think that with Jaedyn, we just want to make sure that she’s ready,” Amorós explained. “She was almost ready. I would always protect the player above the risk of playing someone that maybe wasn’t 100 percent. I have to give a lot of credit to her, to the medical team, the performance team. They all wanted to help.
“She really wanted to be with her team out there today and she’s been the best teammate. The medical and performance team have done a fantastic job supporting her through this obviously difficult period. Hopefully, she’s ready soon.”
It’s possible with two regular-season matches remaining that Shaw will return to the lineup before the NWSL playoffs begin.
Gotham FC will play its final road match of the regular season on Sunday, October 25, against the Orlando Pride. Kickoff at Inter.co Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern Time. CBS Sports Network will carry the broadcast.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider supporting independent, local soccer journalism by buying me a coffee.
Contributions made through Buy Me a Coffee help support the time, travel and resources that go into bringing you on-the-ground coverage, reporting and original stories — without paywalls.
More Gotham FC Coverage
Enjoyed this story? Follow us for the latest updates! | Bluesky | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Leave a Reply