Gotham FC Caps Road Swing With Victory Over Washington Spirit

Esther González became the first player in Gotham FC to record three two-goal games and Sarah Schupansky scored her first career goal in leading the visitors past the Washington Spirit, 3-0, on Saturday.

It was an emphatic victory for Gotham FC, which bounced back from a frustrating Tuesday defeat at Portland to frustrate the 16,443 at Audi Field. And for the second time in three games, Gotham achieved a new milestone, scoring three first-half goals away from home for the first time in club history.

“This was one of the proudest moments for us as a team and as a club,” said Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “...The players were outstanding. The first half was fantastic, and then the second half, we knew the legs were going to be tired, that we were going to have to get together to battle for each other. I couldn't be prouder of the players. I think they've been outstanding the whole week.”

The three points moved Gotham FC (3-2-2, 11 points) within a point of Washington, which currently holds third place in the NWSL standings. Gotham is 6-1-4 over the last 11 road matches across all competitions and is unbeaten in its last 38 competitive NWSL matches when scoring first.

Washington (4-2-0, 12 points) created a number of chances in the second half in its attempts at a rally, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made multiple spectacular saves to keep her third clean sheet of the young season.

Schupansky’s third minute goal was the fastest goal of the NWSL campaign and the first rookie-to-rookie connection on a goal since 2019. Fellow rookie Lilly Reale delivered the perfectly weighted pass to Schupansky, who finished with a one-touch right-footed effort.

Then it became the González Show. The Spanish striker pounced on a deflection from Geyse’s pressing effort on Washington defender Esme Morgan, cutting back and drawing a penalty when defender Rebeca Bernal fouled her in the box. González converted her penalty low and to the right.

Seven minutes later, González flicked on a header from Schupansky’s driven corner to net a third.

That score moved González into sole possession of second place on Gotham FC’s all-time scoring list, with 17 goals. It also tied the record for the most goals in a four-match span in league history.

“It's a bit about the team, how we're playing, how we're understanding where the spaces are, what the spaces are, how we work,” González told CBS. “We try to correct things every game, know where the team leaves spaces and try to take advantage of them. I always try to find those spaces, try to create chances and, above all, help the team get the three points.”

After a 10-day road trip that included Los Angeles, Portland and Washington, Gotham FC now returns home to prepare for a May 4 matchup in the friendly confines of Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Key Match Points

• This was the 41st meeting across all competitions between Gotham and Washington.
  • Only POR-SEA have played more frequently in league history (42 times).
• Gotham FC has kept a clean sheet in three of their seven matches; only the Kansas City Current have done this more often in the league this season (4).
• Gotham is now 20-0-4 when scoring first in NWSL regular season play since the start of 2024.
• Gotham is now 3-0-1 when scoring the opening goal in the NWSL this season.
  • These are the first goals Washington has conceded before halftime this year and its first first-half goals allowed in its last 11 regular-season matches.
• Head coach Juan Carlos Amoros is now 33-1-7 in all NWSL competitions when scoring first, and 21-1-3 when leading at the half.
• Gotham’s four goals in the final 15 minutes of first halves are the most by any team in the NWSL this season.
• The club has scored seven first-half goals through seven games in 2025.
  • Only the Kansas City Current (9) has scored more in the first half this season in the NWSL.
• Gotham has scored in its last three NWSL away games, and in their last four games overall.
  • This is its longest run of games with a goal since a run of 11 games from Sept. 8, 2024 to March 16, 2025
• Gotham FC is now 14-17-10 against the Washington Spirit, and 6-8-7 when on the road.
  • This is Gotham’s second win away against the Spirit in their last 11 matchups in the regular season and playoffs.
  • This is the first time Gotham has beaten Washington by more than two goals.
• Gotham scored three goals in the first half against the Spirit, marking just the second time Washington has allowed three goals at home. The first was July 2, 2014, against the Boston Breakers.
  • This is the first time in club history that Gotham has scored three goals in the first half of a regular-season road match.
    • It is the second time in club history overall, with the first occurring on June 1, 2013, against Boston.
• Esther González scored her 17th and 18th regular-season career goals, breaking a tie with Carli Lloyd and Midge Purce for the second most in club history.
  • Her seven goals in a four-appearance span are tied for the most in league history.
  • She tied Sam Kerr and Monica Ocampo for the second-longest consecutive streak in club history with four; the club record is five (Kerr).
  • She has now recorded five goals in four games across all NWSL competitions against Washington, including her playoff goal from 2024.
  • She becomes the third player since 2013 to score seven or more goals in the first seven games of a season, joining Alex Morgan (2022, San Diego) and Sophia Smith (2024, Portland).
  • González earned her third brace of the season, her third in four games.
    • It was her sixth career regular-season brace.
    • That ties her for eighth in league history, with only active NWSL players Sophia Smith (eight), Lynn Williams (eight) and Christen Press (seven) having more.
    • She is the first Gotham player to record three braces in a single season, tying Sam Kerr (two hat tricks and one brace in 2017) for the club record for multi-goal games in a season.
      • She is the fifth player to do so in NWSL history overall.
  • González’s goal from the penalty spot is her first goal via a penalty kick this season.
• Sarah Schupansky scored her first professional goal.
  • The goal is the fastest in the NWSL this season at 2:44.
  • It is also the third-fastest goal scored in this rivalry; all three have been scored by Gotham.
  • Schupansky also earned her second assist of the season; she is the third rookie with a goal and an assist in the same NWSL game in 2025.
  • Schupansk leads Gotham in assists through the first seven games.
• Midge Purce played her 50th regular-season game for Gotham FC with her latest appearance against the Spirit.
  • She became the 18th player in club history to play 50 regular-season games.
• Lilly Reale recorded her first professional assist.
  • Schupansky’s goal, assisted by Reale, is the first rookie-to-rookie goal for Gotham FC since Paige Monahan scored off a Julie James Doyle assist on Aug. 14, 2019.
  • Reale also recorded 12 tackles, tying the league record for most by an individual player since 2016, joining Nikki Stanton (2017, Gotham) and Bri Visalli (2021, Houston)
• Geyse made her first NWSL start in Saturday’s match.
  • The Brazilian made three appearances and played 74 minutes as a sub before Saturday’s matchup.
• Ann-Katrin Berger’s stop on Rebecca Bernal in the 89th minute was the 1,000th regular-season save in club history
  • Gotham is the first club in NWSL history to reach 1000 saves in the regular season.

Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit

Saturday, April 26, 2025

1 p.m. ET kickoff

Audi Field, Washington, D.C.

Attendance: 16,443

Weather: 73 degrees, raining with partly cloudy skies throughout the afternoon

Gotham FC (3, 0 – 3)

Washington Spirit (0, 0 – 0)

Scoring Summary:

Gotham FC

3’- Sarah Schupansky (Lilly Reale)

32’ – Esther González (P)

39’ – Esther González (Sarah Schupansky)

Gotham FC (4-3-3): 30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK); 3 – Bruninha, 27 – Jess Carter, 6 – Emily Sonnett, 4 – Lilly Reale; 14 – Nealy Martin (C), 11 – Sarah Schupansky (70’ – Taryn Torres), 7 – Jaelin Howell; 10 – Geyse (46’ 13 – Ella Stevens), 9 - Esther González (84’ 34 – Khyah Harper), 18 - Gabi Portilho (62’ 23 – Midge Purce)

Unused substitutes: 33 – Michelle Betos (GK); 17 – Mak Whitham, 20 – Jéssica Silva, 24 – Emerson Elgin, 90 – Stella Nyamekye

Head coach: Juan Carlos Amorós

Washington Spirit (5-3-2): 1 – Aubrey Kingsbury; 8 – Makenna Morris, 9 – Tara McKeown, 4 – Rebeca Bernal, 24 – Esme Morgan, 14 – Gabby Carle; 22 – Heather Stainbrook (46’ 33 – Ashley Hatch), 10 – Leicy Santos, 5 – Narumi Miura (80’ 39 – Chloe Ricketts); 21 – Gift Monday (80’ 7 – Croix Bethune), 16 – Courtney Brown (46’ 19 – Rosemonde Kouassi)

Unused substitutes: 28 – Sandy MacIver (GK); 19 – Rosemonde Kouassi, 25 – Kysha Sylla, 34 – Kiley Dulaney, 35 – Meg Boade

Head coach: Jonatan Giráldez

Stats Summary

GFC / WAS

Expected Goals: 1.55 / 2.21

Shots: 11 / 13

Shots on Goal: 7 / 3

Saves: 3 / 4

Corner Kicks: 5 / 6

Fouls: 21 / 15

Offside: 2 / 2

Misconduct Summary:

Gotham FC

11’ – Nealy Martin (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)

45+6’ – Lilly Reale (Yellow Card - Time Wasting)

85’ - Jaelin Howell (Yellow Card - Reckless Offence)

Washington Spirit

51’ - Narumi Miura (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)

90+3’ - Jonatan Giráldez (Red Card - Abusive Language)

Officials

Referee: Abdou Ndiaye

Assistant Referee 1: Katarzyna Wasiak

Assistant Referee 2: Zachary McWhorter

4th Official: Nick Karnovsky

VAR: Kevin Broadley

AVAR: Maggie Short