NJ/NY Gotham FC made it four wins in a row at the expense of Racing Louisville FC, taking their NWSL contest 2-0 on Saturday in Louisville, Ky.
Gotham’s hot streak has propelled them up to fourth in the current standings with 24 points (7-2-3), while Louisville (3-3-6, 15 points) saw its own two-game winning streak come to an end.
Midfielder Crystal Dunn found fellow midfielder Yazmeen Ryan, who fired a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner for a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute. It was Ryan’s first goal of the season.
That score held until Gotham was able to add to it in the 53rd minute. Forward Ella Stevens connected from the left side of the box into the bottom right corner after defender Mandy Freeman assisted with the cross. The goal was Stevens’ fifth of the season.
Gotham nearly pocketed another goal in the 45th minute on multiple attempts from close range but couldn’t connect. Louisville’s best chance at an equalizer came two minutes into the second half when Emma Sears’ shot from the box was saved.
Spirit 1, Wave 1
Croix Bethune scored in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time to give Washington a tie against visiting San Diego.
Washington (9-3-1, 28 points) was on the verge of losing for the first time since May 4 before the late-game heroics. The Spirit are 4-0-1 over their past five matches.
Casey Krueger had the ball near the left centerline sideline when she unleashed a long ball. San Diego’s Abby Dahlkemper headed the ball and it went directly to Bethune, who sent a left-footer past Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan for her fifth goal of the season.
Jaedyn Shaw scored her third goal of the season for the Wave (3-4-5, 14 points), who are winless (0-1-4) in their past five matches. Maria Sanchez assisted on Shaw’s goal in the 20th minute.
Pride 0, Courage 0
Orlando remained unbeaten in 13 matches this season but played to a draw for the second straight outing after setting an NWSL record with eight consecutive victories.
The match at Cary, N.C., marked the first time the Pride (8-0-5, 29 points) failed to score a goal this season. Orlando had two early chances but North Carolina goalkeeper Casey Murphy stopped Marta’s left-footed shot in the fourth minute and Julie Doyle’s right-footer in the eighth.
The Courage had a solid opportunity in the 33rd minute but Ashley Sanchez’s left-footed shot was stopped by Orlando’s Anna Moorhouse. North Carolina (5-7-1, 16 points) is 5-0-1 at home.
Dash 0, Angel City 0
Jane Campbell saved a penalty kick early in the second half and later made a match-ending stop after a corner kick to help host Houston register the tie against Angel City.
The shutout was Campbell’s fifth of the season and 35th of her NWSL career. She made a diving save on Claire Emslie’s right-footed penalty kick in the 55th minute, stopped M.A. Vignola’s header off a corner kick in the 89th minute and then made a controversial save off a corner kick in the 14th minute of second-half stoppage time.
Angel City’s Messiah Bright had her close-range header stopped by Campbell, and the ball came back the goalie’s way during the scramble in front of the net. Replays showed the ball being at least halfway over the line and Campbell nudging it forward with her left foot. Upon video review, the ball was ruled to have not fully crossed the line, ending the match in a scoreless draw.
The best scoring chance for Houston (3-6-4, 13 points) came in the 75th minute, but Barbara Olivieri’s right-footed shot was high. Alyssa Thompson had a solid chance for Angel City (3-6-3, 12 points) in the 27th minute, but Campbell made the save on her close-range right-footer.
