It was a chilly morning in Kansas City, MO, for the first of two NWSL quarterfinal playoff matches as KC Current hosted Gotham FC at CPKC Stadium. The winner would face Orlando Pride next weekend in the semifinal.
Gotham Starting XI: Ann-Katrin BERGER (GK), 2 Jaedyn SHAW, 3 BRUNINHA, 4 Lilly REALE, 6 Emily SONNETT, 7 Jaelin HOWELL, 11 Sarah SCHUPANSKY, 16 Rose LAVELLE (c), 18 Gabi PORTILHO, 23 Midge PURCE.
KC Current Starting XI: 23 LORENA (GK), 4 Hailie MACE, 7 Elizabeth BALL, 8 Nichelle PRINCE, 9 Bia ZANERATTO, 10 Lo’eau LaBONTA (c), 14 Claire HUTTON, 18 Izzy RODRIGUEZ, 21 Ally SENTNOR, 27 Kayla SHARPLES, 99 DEBINHA
Gotham FC were heavy underdogs in today’s match as the No. 8 seed. The Current haven’t lost a match at home since July 2024, with a (29-1-5) record overall. They’re the No. 1 team in the league, and they won the NWSL Shield, becoming the fastest team in league history to win the Shield, with five games still to play. Even with that mountain of momentum in KC’s favor, Gotham FC had a few things working in its favor.
The weather conditions were nothing new for Gotham, as they’ve faced similar, if not worse, being in the Northeast. Even with a host of injuries, they still had key players like Jaedyn Shaw, Midge Purce, Rose Lavelle, and Emily Sonnett to field (and Esther González on the bench). With loads of veteran experience on their side, Gotham FC has the potential to make the biggest upset of the playoffs.
Jaedyn Shaw broke the deadlock and silenced the sold-out crowd in Kansas City. Attacking the box, with Kayla Sharples covering closely, Shaw created just enough space down the left side to confidently shoot toward the far corner. The low, grounded effort beat Lorena to her right and gave Gotham the first lead of the match.
In 90 + 7′, the home side finally found their equalizer. Lo’eau LaBonta orchestrated the play from the middle of the field, just outside the box. LaBonta played the ball out wide right to Ellie Wheeler, who made a quick move to avoid her defender and fired a rocket to Ann-Katrin Berger’s near post. As Berger dove to her left, she made a costly mistake that allowed the ball to roll across the line, sending CPKC Stadium into delirium.
In the second extra time, the league’s top-ranked club and playoff favorite were caught lacking and allowed just enough space for Gotham to pounce. In the last minute of the match, 120+1, the keeper played a long ball into KC’s half. The ball bounced forward twice and landed at the feet of Katie Stengel, who settled possession and fired a rocket past Lorena.
“I think it showed how hard our team worked all game long,” Katie Stengel said of her game-winning goal to knockout KC Current. “This team is full of fighters. We’ve got young ones, we’ve got old ones, and everyone works so hard for each other and celebrates each others’ victories.”
Stengel came to Gotham FC from Crystal Palace of the Women’s Super League (WSL). She came in clutch today for Gotham, as her club is suffering from a series of injuries that’s caused their roster problems. Tierna Davidson (SEI – knee), Geyse (knee), Taryn Torres (SEI – knee) were all unavailable, with their side’s top scorer Esther González on the bench but suffering a hip injury.
With the dramatic upset, Gotham will now face Orlando Pride in the semifinals of the NWSL Playoffs. The match will take place on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 3 PM/ET on ABC. The Washington Spirit await the winner of San Diego Wave and Portland Thorns.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Gotham FC