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Angel City FC 1, Gotham FC 3: Shaky second half the downfall for Los Angeles

A fast start, missed opportunities, shaky second all play part in Los Angeles' fall to Gotham
Trebor TracyBy 5 Mins Read
Angel City defender Evelyn Shores had her hands full with Gotham's Midge Purce. Photo courtesy of Angel City FC

The importance of this match was clear from opening kickoff. Both sides fighting for one of the final playoff spots as the NWSL regular season comes to a close, with the added bonus of Angel City FC looking to beat their East Coast rivals Gotham FC for the first time in several years. After the week Los Angeles has had, it was the perfect opportunity to keep momentum going and put themselves into a postseason position, but a shaky second half was too much to overcome for LA, falling to home team Gotham yet again.

Angel City got off to a perfect start to the match. In meetings like these, especially as a team still looking to find its footing under new management, the best thing you can do on the road is punch a team in the mouth and take an early lead. Angel City did just that, and it only took them two minutes. A ball into the box from Riley Tiernan was initially sent away from the Gotham defense, falling just outside the box to midfielder Kennedy Fuller who Let It Fly from distance. There was enough on it to get past the keeper, skid off the post, and find its way into the back of the net for the early lead in the match.

While that would be the only goal scored in the first half, it wouldn’t be the only chance. Angel City looked aggressive in the first half, while Gotham kept more of the possession, it was LA that looked the favorites to get another goal, maybe even two. One of the biggest chances came midway through the half when newly acquired forward SveindĂ­s JĂłnsdĂłttir had the ball, and a 1v1 opportunity on the goalkeeper, with nothing but time and space, but she couldn’t put it together in the final third, missing a massive opportunity to double the lead. Unfortunately for Angel City, that was the theme of the first half, missed opportunities, and against a team like Gotham, it’s almost certainly a cause for concern.

Both sides made changes for the second half, but it was Gotham whose subs made the biggest, and most immediate, impact on the match. Fresh off the bench, it was Midge Purce who attacked down the side of Angel City’s defense, putting in a deadly low cross in front of goal, finding the sprinting Gabi Portilho who needed just a nudge to get it into the net for the equalizer in the 46th minute.

Just minutes later, Midge again found herself putting a cross into the box, this time from distance and this time the initial ball in was stopped by goalkeeper Hannah Seabert. Unfortunately it wasn’t controlled and dribbled out where Rose Lavelle wasted no time in taking the second effort, this time getting it past the defense for the lead in the 51st minute. In the blink of an eye, Gotham’s subs had seized control of the match.

Gotham must have seen all they needed to see break down the LA defense, because they drove the nail through the coffin in the 68th minute of the match. Geyse put on a great pass to Jaelin Howell who took a page out of Fuller’s book and let off a shot from deep range. The rocket hit the top crossbar, and rebounded its way just passed the line and into the back of the net for the home side’s third and final goal of the match. There was nothing Seabert could do to stop that effort, aside from tip your cap and move on.

“We could have gotten away with some points. We had two huge chances in the first half. We felt like we had quite good control in the first half” said Head Coach Alex Straus when speaking to media after the match. “You don’t get unlimited chances in a game like this. With a little bit of luck, we could have been at two nil or three one at half time. We made some adjustments at half. We had to take out Gisele because she felt sick. They can put on Midge Purse and Rose Lavelle. That says something about the caliber of their team. They scored too early and then it was two one and from then on we chased the game.”

It’s been a rough week for Angel City, but they still came out and for the first 45, looked to be the far better team. As Straus said, with a bit of luck, and being a lot more clinical in the final third, the team would have gone into halftime with a bigger lead and who knows how the rest of the match plays out. Silver lining in all this, the team are still just three points from the final playoff spot, where Racing Louisville sit, a team LA still have on their calendar. The playoff push is still on, but first the team make the trip to North Carolina to take  on the Courage where they will look to get back on track and find a way to get the points on the road.

Thoughts on the loss to Gotham? Leave a comment below!

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