NJ/NY Gotham FC completed a worst-to-first comeback Saturday night with a 2-1 victory over OL Reign in the National Women's Soccer League championship match at Snapdragon Stadium.
Esther González headed in a cross from Midge Purce for the tie- breaking goal two minutes into first-half stoppage time. González was a member of Spain's team that won the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Gotham played with 10 players for about 45 seconds at the end of the game after goalkeeper Mandy Haught received a red card when a VAR review determined she handed the ball outside the penalty area, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Because Gotham had already made the maximum three substitutions, it was forced to put a field player in goal, midfielder Nealy Martin.
Rose Lavelle's kick from just outside the penalty area went off the head of forward Katie Stengel, who was part of Gotham's wall and Reign was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds.
The game was the last for Reign forward Megan Rapinoe, the longtime U.S. national team star. Rapinoe fell to the turf as she was running toward the Gotham player trying to clear the ball just outside the penalty area in the third minute.
Rapinoe said after the game she feared she had torn an Achilles tendon.
The 38-year-old Rapinoe announced July 8 that she would retire following the conclusion of the 2023 NWSL season.
The game was also the last for Gotham defender Ali Krieger, a teammate of Rapinoe on the U.S.' 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup championship teams. The 39-year-old Krieger played all 90 minutes Saturday. She announced March 23 she would retire following the conclusion of the 2023 NWSL season.
Gotham opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Lynn Williams controlled a cross from Purce and put a shot from just outside the 6-yard box past OL Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey.
The Seattle-based Reign tied the score when Lavelle raced past the Gotham defense to control a through ball from Bethany Balcer, who had replaced Rapinoe, at the top of the penalty area and put a shot from about 13 yards past Haught in the 29th minute.
Gotham led 9-7 in shots in front of a crowd announced at 25,011, the most among the 10 NWSL championship matches. The previous record was 21,144 for the 2018 championship at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.
Both teams took two shots on goal. Haught stopped Veronica Latsko's right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area in the 60th minute for the game's lone save
Gotham had a league-worst 4-17-1 record in 2022 and fired coach Scott Parkinson following a 4-8-0 start. Former Jamaican women's national team coach Hue Menzies served as interim coach the final 10 games, posting an 0-9-1 record.
Juan Carlos Amorós was hired as coach Nov. 1, 2022 the team after guiding the league's Houston Dash to its first playoff berth in its eight- season history in 2022 as interim coach, guiding it to an 8-7-7 record, sixth in the 12-team league, and was selected as the league's coach of the year.
Gotham opened the playoffs Oct. 22 with a 2-0 quarterfinal victory over the North Carolina Courage, which finished third. Gotham was a 1-0 winner in extra time last Sunday over Portland Thorns FC, which finished second.
The championship was Gotham's first in the NWSL. They had never advanced past the semifinals before this season.
Reign was fourth in the regular season with a 9-8-5 record, then defeated fifth-place Angel City FC, 1-0, in a quarterfinal on Oct. 20 and the regular-season champion San Diego Wave FC 1-0 in a semifinal last Sunday with Latsko scoring both goals.
Reign was also seeking their first championship. They also lost in the final in 2014 and 2015 when they were known as Seattle Reign FC.
