Gotham FC advance to the semifinals of the Summer Cup with a dominant 3-0 win over Chivas de Guadalajara on Friday night at Red Bull Arena. A 40 minute delay in kickoff due to inclement weather didn’t stop the club’s momentum as they go undefeated in the group stage thanks to two goals from Katie Stengel.
Both teams battled in the midfield for much of the first half. Neither side was able to get too many chances on goal until the opening salvo in the 31st minute. Katie Stengel received the ball in the box and turned towards goal, freeing herself of the defense before blasting an effort to break the deadlock. From there Chivas attempted to open up and attack more but Gotham were there to stifle any chance of a comeback.
The second half saw a more dominating performance from Gotham. Ella Stevens, who assisted on the game’s opening goal, found herself in on goal and buried her chance to double the lead and put the game out of reach. She later assisted yet again on Stengel’s second effort in the 71st minute to add a bit more cushion to the scoreline.
The win puts Gotham into the semifinal, kicking the Utah Royals out of the competition who hoped for a falter from the New Jeresy-based team. The win continues a strong run of form for Gotham and for head coach Juan Carlos Amoros. All of this in spite of missing a majority of the squad due to injuries and Olympic call-ups.
Next up will be Angel City FC on August 6th to see if they can advance to their second final in consecutive years.
STARTING XI:
Gotham FC: Betos; Bruninha (80′ Whitham), Hiatt, Bell, Edmonds, Ryan (77′ Torres), Martin, Zerboni (61′ Sheehan), Lopez, Stevens (77′ Flores), Stengel
Chivas de Guadalajara: Felix; Torres (59′ Franco), Martinez (59′ Guzman), Rodriguez, Godinez, Valenzuela, Jaramillo (74′ Sandoval), Delgado (74′ Acevedo), Hernandez, Cervantes, Salazar (59′ Iturbide)
SCORING SUMMARY:
31′ (Gotham FC) Katie Stengel assisted by Ella Stevens
63′ (Gotham FC) Ella Stevens unassisted
71′ (Gotham FC) Katie Stengel assisted by Ella Stevens
DISCIPLINE:
22′ (Gotham FC) Kristen Edmonds – YELLOW CARD
32′ (Gotham FC) Ella Stevens – YELLOW CARD
photo from Gotham FC