Angel City Football Club Falls to NJ/NY Gotham FC in Hard Fought Road Match
NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Falls to NJ/NY Gotham FC in Hard Fought Road Match

Published on September 7, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


HARRISON, NJ - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) fell 1-3 on the road today against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller scored for ACFC, with forward Gabi Portilho, midfielder Rose Lavelle, and midfielder Jaelin Howell securing the victory for the hosts.

Angel City's opener came in the second minute, the second-fastest goal in club history. Forward Riley Tiernan made a run up the left wing and beat defender Emily Sonnett on the dribble to send a cross into the box. Her service was deflected by a Gotham defender to the edge of the 18, where midfielder Kennedy Fuller was lurking. Fuller waited for the ball to drop before striking a low volley that hit the inside of the far post and bounced into the back of the net.

ACFC had another chance in the 21st minute, when forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir forced Gotham defender Jess Carter into a turnover, then drove into the box. The Iceland international was one on one with goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, but pulled her shot wide as Berger came off her line to cut down the angle.

Gotham had a near miss in the 37th minute when midfielder Sarah Schupansky made a run up the center of the field and took a crack from the edge of the 18-yard box. Defender Sarah Gorden blocked that initial shot, but the ball fell to forward Gabi Portilho, who sent a follow-up attempt just wide.

In the 40th minute, Angel City nearly capitalized on a well-executed buildup, starting with Jónsdóttir and defender Gisele Thompson combining on the right wing. Jónsdóttir found midfielder Maiara Niehues centrally, and Niehues took the ball up the center of the pitch to thread a ball through Gotham's back line. Defender M.A. Vignola got on the end of the pass and took a few touches to get to the center of the area, but Berger came off her line to block Vignola's shot with her leg.

After the break, Gotham wasted no time in bringing the score level and then finding the go-ahead goal. In the 47th minute, forward Midge Purce combined with defender Geyse up the right wing to find her way into the box, beating her mark to the endline. She then sent a service into the six-yard box and the run of Portilho, who tapped the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-1.

The hosts pulled ahead in the 52nd minute. Purce again beat her defender on the right, finding defender Bruninha with a short forward pass. Bruninha sent a cross into the six-yard box, where midfielder Rose Lavelle was making a run. Lavelle fired off a close-range shot that bounced off a defender and across the line.

Lavelle had another look in the 65th minute. The USWNT star sent a short corner kick to Geyse, who passed back to Lavelle as she ran to the corner of the 18. Lavelle sent a powerful, curving shot toward the far post, but goalkeeper Hannah Seabert blocked the initial attempt and then caught the rebounded ball.

Gotham widened their lead in the 68th minute. Geyse sent a lateral ball across the 18-yard line to midfielder Jaelin Howell, whose shot hit the underside of the crossbar and ricocheted into the net to bring the score to 3-1.

New Jersey had a final pair of chances in stoppage time, with Lavelle hitting the post and midfielder Taryn Torres's attempt with the recycled ball hitting the crossbar.

Angel City plays next on Saturday, September 13 on the road at North Carolina Courage at 9:30 a.m. Pacific live on CBS.

ACFC MILESTONES

Midfielder Kennedy Fuller scored her fourth career NWSL Regular Season goal in the 2nd minute, third of the 2025 NWSL season. This goal is the earliest goal scored by the club this season.

Defender Sara Doorsoun made her NWSL debut in today's match. Her appearance also marks her club debut with Angel City.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

ACFC Midfielder Kennedy Fuller

"To start on the goal, I was just there to clean up. I really wanted one of those shots for a while, so I am glad I was able to get one in.

"In the first half, we created a lot of chances. I am super proud of us. If you watch the home match against Gotham [a couple of months ago], I think you see a completely different team. We are very organized, with some kinks, but that is growing pains. We have done a good job growing.

"We have had players coming in and coming out, so the adaptability of our team has been super good. I give us kudos for that.

"As far as our first half and second half, they played really well. Gotham is a good team. They have great players. Alex said in our huddle that we gave it our best. We tried our hardest. They were just better. That is going to happen.

"We have a week until North Carolina and those are a big three points for us. As long as we stay positive with each other and we focus. We are going to do film. We are going to train hard. Alex is going to have us in a good spot to play North Carolina. We will work on getting our spirits up. We are going to be okay. We are going to be fine.

"The playoff push is still on. We are still there. The line is so close. There are still enough games for us to be able to push. Teams are going to drop points. It is natural for teams to drop points and for teams to pick up points.

"I think right now, we are worried about us and we are worried about how many points we can get before the end of the season. That is all we are looking for. That is the beautiful thing about soccer. You can be the best team and drop points and be the worst team and you can still pick up points. It is such a fun thing about this league. Playoffs are our goal.

"Alex is such a good coach. He is so simple, but yet so thorough. It is a good balance for a player. He knows what he wants and it is simple. Each individual action is so thoroughly thought through and it is so beautiful. From an individual perspective, I started and I played every game as the 10 every game. Having to adapt to a different role is challenging and has been difficult and being able to talk to him and talk through things like, 'this is what I am seeing behind me, what do you see?' I think he has taught me to be adaptable and a rounded player."

ACFC Head Coach Alex Straus

"To be honest, I am proud of the players. To come against Gotham, who in my book, has the best roster in the league at the moment. It should have been closer. We have taken hits in the last week and we are pretty lean at the moment. For us, coming here, [our players] put everything out there.

"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. 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.

"We had a couple opportunities and were still creating. The expected goals was pretty even. The numbers of shots were pretty even. Possession was pretty even. I am satisfied with those performance targets and numbers that we see. Then again, when you get into some of the mistakes we made and teams like Gotham will hurt you, and today they did.

"I have said it all week. We cannot lose our minds when we win a couple of games, and we cannot lose our minds when we lose a couple of games. This is part of the journey.

[On being in playoff contention] "If we talk about thinking seven games ahead, three weeks ago no one was talking about us in the playoffs. The last couple weeks everyone is talking about us in the playoffs. We need to go to North Carolina and put in a good performance. That is the focus.

"Then we need to come home and focus on the Washington Spirit in LA. We're not thinking too far ahead. It doesn't matter if you think about playoffs if that means you lose focus on what is in front of you and what is in front of us is North Carolina."

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from September 7, 2025


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