Gotham FC Stays Perfect in Concacaf W Champions Cup Group Stage
NWSL NJ/NY Gotham FC

Gotham FC Stays Perfect in Concacaf W Champions Cup Group Stage

Published on September 17, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
NJ/NY Gotham FC News Release


NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Bruninha
NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Bruninha
(NJ/NY Gotham FC)

Josefine Hasbo scored her first goal for Gotham FC, Katie Stengel netted her first since rejoining the team, and the visitors cruised past hosting Vancouver Rise FC Academy 4-1 to move to the brink of qualifying for a second consecutive Concacaf W Champions Cup knockout stage.

Esther González and Bruninha added second-half goals for Gotham FC (3-0-0, 9 points) as it continued its winning ways in the W Champions Cup group stage, moving to the top of Group B with one match remaining in the tournament's opening round. Coach Juan Carlos Amorós's team has now gone unbeaten in nine W Champions Cup matches across two years, including a win in the inaugural cup final in May.

A CF Monterrey draw or loss on Wednesday night vs. El Salvador's Alianza will cement Gotham's place in the tournament semifinals.

"For us, starting strong was important," Amorós said. "Getting those two early goals settled us a bit. We conceded on a transition, but overall we dominated the game, showed patience, created chances and scored four goals. ... It's not easy with the schedule we have, but this team keeps stepping up, doing everything I ask of them, and I'm very proud of their effort."

The goal scoring started early for Gotham in a match it dominated, save for a Rise breakaway goal against the run of play. Hasbo's diving header slotted home Kayla Duran's cross in the ninth minute, giving the defender her first assist with Gotham. Stengel's one-timer off Lilly Reale's cross made it 2-0 inside 12 minutes.

Rise's Anna Bout - a college teammate of Gotham rookie Sarah Schupansky at the University of Pittsburgh - knocked in a rebound two minutes after Stengel's goal.

But just after halftime, the NWSL's top scorer, Spanish striker Esther González, put the game out of reach with a low curling effort from just outside the penalty area. Bruninha's walk-in goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time helped Gotham's goal differential in the group standings.

Gotham FC will conclude its three-match road swing Sunday, Sept. 21, with a crucial NWSL match against Bay FC at PayPal Park. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN2.

Key Match Points

Goalkeeper Ryan Campbell made her first professional start - and her first start for Gotham FC.

Midfielder Josefine Hasbo scored her first goal for Gotham FC, opening the scoring early in the first half.

Forward Katie Stengel scored Gotham's second goal of the night, her first since returning for her second stint with the club.

Forward Esther González opened her account in the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup, scoring Gotham's third goal just after halftime.

It was González's fourth career goal in the Concacaf W Champions Cup, adding to the three she scored in last year's edition.

González has scored a goal in Gotham's last two matches in all competitions.

Defender Bruninha scored her second goal of the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup, netting Gotham's fourth of the night to seal the win.

Midfielder Jaedyn Shaw made her first start for Gotham FC in tonight's victory, her second appearance with the club since joining last week.

Defender Kayla Duran recorded her first assist for Gotham FC, setting up Hasbo for Gotham's opener.

Gotham FC extended its unbeaten run in Concacaf W Champions Cup play, moving to 7-0-2 all-time. The club is on a five-match winning streak in the competition, a stretch that began with its semifinal victory over Club América in the 2024-25 edition earlier this year.

Gotham FC has scored eight goals in the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup, with seven different players - Bruninha (2), Esther González, Josefine Hasbo, Katie Stengel, Kayla Duran, Khyah Harper and Geyse - contributing.

Gotham FC scored four or more goals in a Concacaf W Champions Cup match for the fourth time in club history and the first time in the 2025-26 edition.

Gotham FC at Vancouver Rise FC Academy

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

10 p.m. ET kickoff

Swangard Stadium, Burnaby, Canada

Attendance: 1,191

Weather: 74 degrees, clear skies

Gotham FC (2, 2 - 4)

Vancouver Rise FC Academy (1, 0 - 1)

Goal Summary:

Gotham FC

9' - Josefine Hasbo (Kayla Duran)

12' - Katie Stengel (Lilly Reale)

47' - Esther González

90+3' - Bruninha

Vancouver Rise FC Academy

14' - Anna Bout

Gotham FC (4-3-3): 12 - Ryan Campbell (GK); 34 - Khyah Harper (61' 23 - Midge Purce), 22 - Mandy Freeman (C), 19 - Kayla Duran, 4 - Lilly Reale (46' 3 - Bruninha); 5 - Josefine Hasbo, 21 - Sofia Cook, 2 - Jaedyn Shaw (46' 9 - Esther González); 18 - Gabi Portilho (61' 17 - Mak Whitham), 28 - Katie Stengel (81' 6 - Emily Sonnett), 11 - Sarah Schupansky

Unused substitutes: 1 - Shelby Hogan (GK), 30 - Ann-Katrin Berger; 7 - Jaelin Howell, 10 - Geyse, 16 - Rose Lavelle, 27 - Jess Carter

Head coach: Juan Carlos Amorós

Vancouver Rise FC Academy (3-4-3): 31 - Jessica Wulf (GK); 34 - Bridget Mutipula (62' 23 - Rebecca Lake), 45 - Myla Ewasiuk, 35 - Tristan Corneil; 43 - Seina Kashima (62' 33 - Racquel Partovi), 44 - Torah Betteridge (75' 28 - Jaime Perrault), 38 - Chloe Taylor (C), 47 - Adrianna Giese; 39 - Lacey Kindel, 26 - Anais Oularbi (64' 46 - Zahra Bains), 14 - Anna Bout (62' 66 - Daniela Feria-estrada)

Unused substitutes: 42 - Samantha Powell (GK); 4 - Kayla Gonçalves, 25 - Nedya Sawan, 36 - Elizabeth Hicks, 41 - Bianca Patik, 49 - Jenna Baxter, 51 - Kristen Sakaki

Head coach: Sam Gevaux

Stats Summary

GFC / VAN

Expected Goals: 2.42 / 1.03

Shots: 17 / 6

Shots on Goal: 5 / 1

Saves: 0 / 1

Corners: 10 / 0

Fouls: 4 / 4

Offside: 2 / 0

Officials

Referee: Lizzet Amariany Garcia (MEX)

Assistant Referee 1: Jessica Morales (MEX)

Assistant Referee 2: Aranza Quero (MEX)

4th Official: Francia Gonzalez (MEX)

Key Quotes

HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS AMORÓS

On the importance of the Concacaf W Champions Cup as the defending champions

This competition is very important for us. We want Gotham to be known not only in the U.S., but across North America and the Caribbean. We want people in other countries to know who we are, to connect with fans and to engage with their communities. Being here in Vancouver has been fantastic, and staying a few extra days makes it both a football and human experience for our players and staff.

As reigning champions, we want to keep it that way. Being champions of the continent is something we take a lot of pride in, and this competition is very special to us. On top of that, it offers incredible rewards - the chance to play in January's [FIFA] Women's Champions Cup and then [the FIFA Women's Club World Cup] in 2028, competing against the best clubs in the world. That's exactly where we want to be.

MIDFIELDER JOSEFINE HASBO

On scoring her first goal with Gotham FC and earning player of the match honors

It was a great experience, and I'm happy I was able to contribute to the team. This was a very important win for us to advance in the tournament, so I'm pleased with my performance.

In both halves we dominated possession and found different solutions. Credit to Vancouver Rise - they read what we were trying to do, stayed very compact, and were excellent defensively. They posed real challenges for us.

Ultimately, we got the win, which was the goal, and now we can move on and focus on the next game this weekend.

MIDFIELDER SARAH SCHUPANSKY

On playing in the Concacaf W Champions Cup

It's always an honor. When I signed for this team, I knew these competitions would be part of the journey, and I wanted to do everything possible to help the team take the same steps as last time - to reach the championship and win it.

I've worked really hard, and this team has so much experience in this tournament. The veterans instill a lot of confidence in us going into these matches and always remind us how important it is to put our best foot forward every single game.

It's a very cool experience, and we're all grateful to Concacaf and everyone involved for giving us this opportunity.

Check out the NJ/NY Gotham FC Statistics

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Images from this story

NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Bruninha
NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Bruninha
   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from September 17, 2025


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