"Underdog, my ass."
Jaedyn Shaw couldn't have said it any better after No 8 seed Gotham FC upset No 1 seed Kansas City Current in an extra-time showdown on Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. It marked Gotham's first-ever victory over the Current, and booked a spot in the NWSL Playoff Semifinals for the third year in a row.
On paper, the Current appeared to have everything in their arsenal to easily take the match. As the top seed and this season's NWSL Shield champions, the Current established themselves as the best team in the league. With the likes of Bia Zaneratto and Golden Boot-winner Temwa Chawinga – to say nothing of unbeaten streak against Gotham dating back to 2021 – the Current were in prime position to overcome the Bats. But Gotham had other ideas.
Shaw went toe-for-toe with a Current defender to open the scoring for Gotham in the 68th minute. It looked as if the Bats had beaten the odds to win on the road until the Current's Ellie Wheeler forced extra time with an equalizing goal in stoppage time.
But then Gotham forward Katie Stengel scored the winning goal at the 121st minute after Ann-Katrin Berger denied the Current several crucial game-winning goals, lifting the Bats past the hosts.
"I think we really saw the best version of ourselves, the one we know is in us," said Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. "Everyone wrote us off before we even played, assuming Gotham was going home. We knew the spirit and quality of these players, the vision of ownership, and the work of the staff behind the scenes. We wanted to show that out there today".
Gotham FC: 0.86 xG, 15 shots, 8 shots on target, 57.5% possession, 607 passes, 78.3% pass accuracy, 15 fouls, 2 corners, 5 saves
Kansas City Current: 1.17 xG, 16 shots, 5 shots on target, 42.5% possession, 430 passes, 69.1% pass accuracy, 15 fouls, 4 corners, 4 saves
Goals:
• Gotham FC, Jaedyn Shaw, 68'
• Kansas City Current, Ellie Wheeler, 90+6'
• Gotham FC, Katie Stengel, 120+1'
Attendance: 11,500
AKB extra time masterclass
In the 28 minutes after Shaw scored Gotham's first goal, the Bats nearly wrapped it up. But that came crashing down after Kansas City's Wheeler took a shot from outside the box in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Berger managed to put her hands on the ball, but it wasn't enough to stop the force of Wheeler's shot.
What came next was 30 minutes of extra time, full of heart-stopping near-goals from the Current. The only thing separating Gotham from a one-way ticket home was AKB's heroics in goal.
Twice, the Current's Lo’eau LaBonta attempted a shot on target in the first 10 minutes of extra time. Twice, AKB denied her. Zanaretto then came close with her attempt in the 104th minute, fighting off two Gotham defenders before taking the shot. AKB's split-second leap and quick hands denied Zaneratto a game-winning goal.
Gotham FC' Ann-Katrin Berger with another game-saving block | Courtesy NWSL
"Coming into this one, we knew we could keep them out of our net for as long as possible and minimize the threats up top," Shaw said. "In transition, we knew we could overload in different areas and get to goal quickly. We’re an incredible team, and we’re just going to capitalize on all the opportunities we can get."
It's the culmination of all of AKB's efforts in goal this past year. From her headline-grabbing saves for Germany in this summer's Euros to her joining the list of NWSL goalkeepers who have 10 or more shutouts in a single season, AKB has proved to be a brick wall.
Katie Stengel to the rescue
The game was decided by Gotham with one minute into stoppage time at the end of extra time. In a scrabble for control of a kick AKB took from just inside the halfway line, Gotham emerged victorious when Stengel nailed a shot in the upper-right back of the net to send the Bats to the semifinals.
"I saw [Jaedyn] flick me the ball into space, and I just thought, please, hit this with all your might and keep it on target," Stengel said, recounting her thoughts as she nailed the game-winning goal for Gotham. Then came relief. It was adrenaline that kept it under control."
Katie Stengel scores the game-winner | Courtesy NWSL
Both sides were lacking key players ahead of Sunday's match. Chawinga and Michelle Cooper were out for the Current while Gotham were without Esther González, Gotham's goal-scoring weapon and runner-up in the race for Golden Boot. Coming off a less-than-ideal-finish to their season, the Bats were looking for any chance to redeem themselves.
"The best part about this game was seeing so much heart," Stengel said. "Everyone threw their bodies on the line, making a block, making a pass, doing whatever they had to do to make sure we won. It brings us that much closer together, and now we’re ready to fire and go into the next round."
Gotham FC face reigning NWSL champion Orlando Pride next Sunday, November 16, at 3:00 pm ET at Inter&Co Stadium in Florida.
