On Wednesday night, NJ/NY Gotham FC took on the Orlando Pride for their last away game of the series. Margaret “Midge” Purce scored the winning goal for Gotham in the 86th minute, earning the teams’ first win of the Challenge Cup so far. Prior to the match, Head Coach Scott Parkinson described it as, "Another game, another opportunity for us to get better [and] another opportunity to get some relationships going."
It’s the gentle mosh cele for me 😂pic.twitter.com/Q4RS1MczlO
— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) March 31, 2022
This match saw a homecoming for Gotham's Ashlyn Harris and Ali Kreiger after spending the last five years in the Pride jersey. For Orlando, Marta was out after she announced she picked up an injury in their previous game.
The game started with Orlando conceding two corners. Kreiger had a shot off the corner but it went wide to result in a goal kick. Orlando's Kylie Strom pulled down Paige Monaghan for the automatic yellow card and a free-kick for Gotham. Caprice Dydasco sent the ball into the box but Ifeoma Onumonu's shot went wide. The game then started to even out with possession kept by both sides.
Orlando's first chance came from Sydney Leroux in the 19th minute but it was well saved by Harris. The rest of the half saw shots from both sides, but many of them were off target. Going into halftime, both teams were even 0-0 enable to break the deadlock.
The second half saw a slow start for the away side. Orlando had three shots in the first three minutes but all were off-target. In the 58th minute, Kristie Mewis almost put Gotham on the board but it was saved by Orlando's keeper Anna Moorhouse. In the 86th minute, Ellie Jean sent the ball into the path of Purce where it was easily put away by the forward. This marked the first goal for Purce in the Challenge Cup. Harris ended the game with a clean sheet and being named the Budweiser Player of the Match.
Her house.
Your @budweiser Player of the Match with the clean sheet @Ashlyn_Harris 🧤 pic.twitter.com/o0T0xLoGF8
— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) March 31, 2022
After the match, Parkinson praised his team by saying, "[They were] defending set pieces well [and] defending crosses well." When asked about the Mewis, Purce linkup he said, "Kristie wants to find Midge, Midge wants Kristie to find her."
Purce, who scored the game winning goal, says the team is "very much in the building phase." She said, "We are by no means the same team we were last year. We've added many new pieces." Purces says she's excited about the upcoming season with the team.
What's Next for NJ/NY Gotham FC
Gotham plays the North Carolina Courage on Sunday, April 3 at 3 p.m. The team will play their first home game of the tournament at Red Bull Arena. You can watch Gotham on Paramount+
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