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NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Falls to NJ/NY Gotham FC 1-2 in Sold out Season Opener at BMO Stadium

March 27, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES - Tonight, Angel City Football Club (ACFC) fell 1-2 in their 2023 season opener against NJ/NY Gotham FC in front of a sold out home crowd of 22,000 at BMO Stadium.

Angel City opened the scoring in the 11th minute when midfielder Dani Weatherholt made a well-weighted pass to forward Alyssa Thompson, who was running into a pocket of space in front of the Gotham back line. Thompson took a touch and put a hard right-footed strike on frame. Goalkeeper Abby Smith jumped and got her fingertips on the ball, but it bounced off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net.

ACFC laid claim to a piece of NWSL history in the 15th minute after forward Jun Endo scored an eye-popping goal from 40 yards out, catching Smith off her line. The team's celebration was soon cut short, however, when the officials paused the game to review the goal (2023 is the first season video assistant refereeing [VAR] is being used in the league) and ruled that Endo had fouled a defender before taking her shot. It marked the first time in league history a goal was overturned by VAR.

The home side had another chance in the 22nd minute when Endo was fouled five yards out from the area. Forward Claire Emslie stepped up to take the kick and curved it over the Gotham wall and on target, but Smith dove to block the shot.

Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haračić made a clutch save in the 26th minute when Gotham forward Midge Purce took a low shot from the corner of the six-yard box; Haračić dove and collected the close-range effort.

The keeper came up big again in the 35th minute when Gotham defender Kelley O'Hara beat her mark inside the six-yard box and shot toward the near post. Once again, Haračić dove to the ground to block the shot.

The Angel City attack kept the pressure on and found a final near-chance in first-half stoppage when a cross by defender Ali Riley landed at the feet of defender Paige Nielsen near the edge of the area. Nielsen's shot bounced off a defender and fell to forward Katie Johnson, who put a shot on target at the near post, but Smith dove to block the shot.

Gotham equalized on a penalty kick in the 56th minute. Forward Svava Rós Guðmundsdóttir got one-on-one with Haračić and dribbled into the box, where Haračić dove onto the ball, appearing to clip Guðmundsdóttir's foot with her arm. No foul was called on the play, but upon a second VAR review, a penalty was called, and Purce buried it to bring the score to 1-1.

The visitors took the lead in the 65th minute when Purce found forward Lynn Williams on the right. Williams had an unobstructed look from the right side of the 18 and put her shot inside the far post.

In stoppage time, Angel City nearly equalized twice. First, midfielder Savannah McCaskill switched the field with a looping pass to defender Megan Reid as she made a run to the far post. Reid got a foot on the ball, but her shot was wide.

The team's next chance came a few minutes later on a free kick by McCaskill that was awarded after forward Simone Charley was brought down on the edge of the penalty box. McCaskill's shot also flew wide.

Tonight marked the 100th NWSL game for Johnson, who previously played for Seattle, New Jersey, and Chicago.

Angel City is on the road next week against the Orlando Pride at 2:30 p.m. PT. The match will stream live on Paramount+.

PRE-MATCH FESTIVITIES

Angel City Football Club didn't just start off the season with the opening kick. The day of festivities began early in the afternoon.

First, ACFC and BMO hosted a free soccer clinic for the 50 youth from the Girls Play LA (GPLA) Leadership Academy at Expo Park. GPLA provides high school aged girls and gender expansive youth with access to no-cost soccer and dedicated leadership development. Following the clinic, executives from ACFC and BMO held a panel to discuss the importance of female representation in business and sport and other impactful topics. GPLA is BMO's ACFC Sponsorship Model impact partner, reinforcing the bank's commitments to equity in sport and helping to grow the game in North America.

ACFC's signature Fan Fest boasted four hours of activities, dancing, and giveaways. The in-stadium festivities included a live performance by Snow Tha Product, and the ceremonial Three Clap was performed by Becky G.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Alyssa Thompson, ACFC Forward and No. 1 Overall Draft Pick

Overall thoughts on the night:

"Today wasn't the result we wanted. I am happy about my goal, but that doesn't define the game, so I just wish we could have gotten the result we wanted."

On her goal:

"Dani got it on the side and then I saw that there was space inside to get it back. I got in that space and I looked up and the goal was open. It felt amazing. I was super excited to be at the home opener and score and get our team off on the right foot."

On the momentum shift in the second half:

We weren't ready for them to come out so hard in the second half. We need to be better coming out of half time to get the advantages we need to win games.

Sarah Gorden, ACFC Defender

On her role this season, and what she expects of the club moving forward:

"It's really frustrating to lose like that. I felt like - it's hard to answer your question because I am really disappointed in the result. Obviously, I'm a center-back. I see my role going forward as being a leader on this team and doing a better job in the last ten minutes. Really pushing forward for a goal and leading from the back, and so I hope I can continue to improve that."

On return after missing last season due to injury:

"For me it was surreal. After watching a whole season, coming here and having a vision of who I wanted to be for this team, not being able to do that, and to be able to step on the field today was amazing. To actually hear the crowd and be a part of this team is great. Our first 20 minutes we thought we were great, we were moving the ball great and we can give some of that to our supporters, because they really held it down for us."

On the greater picture:

"It's always special, even after a loss, to be able to see my son and give him a hug. As far as representation, it's playing with heart. That's something that's important to me, especially when you're down at the end of the game, so I try to live by that."

Ali Riley, ACFC Team Captain and Defender

On what went wrong in the second half:

"When we didn't get the VAR decision our way, we let down some momentum and that's something we have to learn to be better. We have to be able to be more consistent through 90 minutes, because I do think there were times where we looked really good and we looked dangerous.

On the momentum shift:

"When we take our foot off the pedal every team in this league is going to be good enough to punish you. We got a little bit sloppy with the ball and then our defending we gave them too much space and they have really good players. We can't let things that are out of our control affect us so much. We saw a little bit of that on the mental side so it's something to learn from and get better."

Freya Coombe, ACFC Head Coach

On Alyssa Thompson's performance:

"You saw it in the first 20 minutes tonight. She was an absolute handful down that left hand side. We knew from the game plan, we wanted to try and draw out their outside back and create that hole for Alyssa to go in and she filled the hole brilliantly. They cut inside and obviously the great, great finish that she got. She's really happy on the ball. Being able to face up, being able to go at defenders and I think she causes some problems."

"We saw them defending by pushing multiple players over to that side in order to deal with her. That's going to be a problem that she continues to pose opposition."

On the offense over all:

"In terms of our offense, we have lots of different opportunities. Katie Johnson was someone that led in shots tonight for us and had great opportunities, but also holding the ball up for us. Jun was absolutely brilliant, always dangerous. Her goal was top, world class, and unfortunately, was obviously pulled back."

On the team's energy after the VAR decisions:

"We have to manage those moments. We were all fairly shocked, but we have to push on and be relentless in those moments. We let that get to us, but we needed to do better and continue to play as we were. We caused a lot of problems for them and although they dropped deeper and defended in a 451, trying to solve it."

"We still caused them problems when we were moving and showing up in pockets, moving the ball and creating new medical superiorities. We just stopped doing that when we got a bit deflated."

POOL REPORTER Q&A

What did you initially see when ACFC Goalkeeper DiDi Haracic came out to challenge Gotham's Svava Guðmundsdóttir that made you believe it was not a penalty kick?

The referee did not see a foul contact between the Angel City goalkeeper and the NJ/NY Gotham FC player.

What did you see in watching VAR replays that confirmed it was a penalty kick?

The on-field review showed a tripping foul by the Angel City FC goalkeeper on the NJ/NY Gotham FC player, Svava Guðmundsdóttir, for which the referee gave a penalty kick.

Check out the Angel City FC Statistics



National Women's Soccer League Stories from March 27, 2023


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