Nothing about Sunday’s NWSL quarterfinal was regular.
The Kansas Metropolis Present entered as essentially the most dominant No. 1 seed in league historical past. Gotham FC, the reigning Concacaf champions and 2023 league champions, was essentially the most proficient No. 8 seed within the league’s brief historical past of staging a quarterfinal spherical. And each groups performed with out their star forwards, the 2 main scorers within the NWSL.
The consequence was jarring, too — a minimum of for outsiders: Gotham’s 2-1 victory in further time at CPKC Stadium introduced an early ending to the season of arguably the perfect NWSL crew in historical past.
“We’re not an eighth-place crew,” mentioned Gotham ahead Jaedyn Shaw after registering a purpose and an help on Sunday. “I am sorry, however underdog my a–. We aren’t an underdog.”
Shaw scored within the 68th minute and assisted Katie Stengel’s game-winning purpose within the 121st minute.
Gotham will go to No. 3 seed Orlando Pleasure in subsequent week’s semifinal in a gathering of the final two league champions.
Kansas Metropolis’s protection solely conceded 13 targets in 26 regular-season video games, a league document. The Present set information for factors (65) and wins (21) this season and completed 21 factors away from the second-place Washington Spirit.
However Kansas Metropolis performed Sunday’s quarterfinal with out reigning MVP and back-to-back NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga resulting from a hip harm. Chawinga led the league with 15 targets this season. Present ahead Michelle Cooper additionally missed the match with a foot harm, and teammate Bia Zaneratto labored by means of a leg situation for practically the complete two hours up prime.
Kansas Metropolis head coach Vlatko Andonovski mentioned after the match that “if there was even a slight likelihood for Temwa to play the sport, even one minute, she was most likely gonna be on the sphere,” however yesterday in coaching “it was apparent that we’re risking [a] larger harm.”
Gotham performed with out ahead Esther González, who scored 13 targets this season. Esther has additionally been coping with a hip drawback in current weeks. Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros mentioned the Spanish ahead might have probably performed a small function on Sunday, however she stayed bundled up in a puffer jacket on the bench all through the match, which kicked off with a windchill under freezing.
Shaw’s 68th-minute purpose gave Gotham the lead and it regarded like that might maintain up because the game-winner till stoppage time. Present winger Ellie Wheeler scored within the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time, the newest equalizer in NWSL playoff historical past, to power further time.
With a penalty shootout looming, Shaw’s cheeky flick on an extended free kick from goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger fell to Stengel, who buried her shot off the underside of the crossbar.
Shaw’s purpose punctuated her turnaround at Gotham after an unsure yr that noticed her traded twice in 9 months. The USWNT playmaker left San Diego Wave FC for the North Carolina Braveness in a blockbuster January deal, however she struggled to combine with the Braveness. In September, Gotham paid an NWSL intra-league document $1.25 million to North Carolina to amass Shaw.
Her arrival at Gotham in September coincided with a quick enhance in kind for Gotham, but it surely did not final, and Gotham dropped to the No. 8 seed after a loss to the North Carolina Braveness within the regular-season finale.
On Sunday, Gotham regarded to return to its September kind that preceded a four-game winless streak to finish the common season. Shaw was as soon as once more an enormous a part of that.
“It has been so enjoyable being part of this membership,” Shaw mentioned. “I believe simply coming into this recreation, all of us knew that we had been going to return into this recreation and provides every thing that we had.”
Gotham was comfy with the ball within the first half of Sunday’s quarterfinal, holding practically 70% of the possession, however the Present had the 2 finest alternatives of the half.
Ally Sentnor, taking part in within the No. 10 function for Kansas Metropolis, fired a right-footed shot towards the highest nook within the seventeenth minute, however Berger made a diving save.
Berger got here up large once more 12 minutes later, when she denied Nichelle Prince on back-to-back saves. Kansas Metropolis ahead Debinha dribbled out of stress and performed Prince in behind Gotham’s protection for a counterattack, however Prince’s preliminary shot was proper at Berger chest. The rebound fell again to Prince, however Berger made one other point-blank save to maintain the sport scoreless.
Sentnor and Prince mixed within the 63rd minute for a promising assault, however Gotham defender and U.S. worldwide Emily Sonnett recovered to dam Sentnor’s shot contained in the field.
However Gotham completed the sport with 15 shot makes an attempt and a 2-1 victory.
Stengel, Gotham’s quarterfinal hero, has had a journeywoman profession that included a number of stints with Gotham. She returned to Gotham this summer season by way of switch from Crystal Palace, the place she moved in September 2024.
Stengel additionally scored an extra-time game-winner within the 2023 semifinal on Gotham’s march to a primary NWSL Championship.
Kansas Metropolis’s failure to advance this yr adopted a hard-fought, disappointing semifinal loss to eventual champions Orlando Pleasure final yr, a consequence that prevented the Present from taking part in for a title of their residence stadium.
“I have been saying this for 2 years: We’re not right here to have one good season and go away,” Andonovski mentioned. “We’re not right here to have a few good video games and go away. We’re right here to remain. This membership is gonna be right here and we’ll make it possible for we make a mark each season.”