Gotham FC punched their ticket into the playoffs, following a close 2-2 encounter in their final home game of the season against Racing Louisville.
The home fans were in full voice on Queen Kriegs Day as Gotham FC faced Racing Louisville at the Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Two changes were made for the Bats, as rookie defender Lily Reale and forward Katie Stengel came into the lineups, with Rose Lavelle captaining the team.
For the visitors, Taylor Flint returned to the starting lineup from suspension and Arin Wright returned to captaincy for her side.
Gotham started applying the pressure, with the forward line of Jaedyn Shaw, Stengel and Midge Purce linking up nicely in the early stages of the game.
Racing Louisville looked to break down the defence over the top trying to find forward Sarah Weber, however the dynamic duo of Emily Sonnett and Jess Carter kept their solid defensive unit.
A great press from the front by Gotham, saw midfielder Jaelin Howell find herself in a pocket of space and found her shot go in off the post for them to take the lead.
The Bats looked to quickly double their lead, with a shot by Purce rattling off the crossbar as the home side kept testing goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer.
Coach Bev Yanez’s side looked to double up on the offensive threat as they looked to create chances in transitions.
A searching ball found recent USWNT call-up winger Emma Sears, who pulled her cross back and found Janine Sonis open in the box, who scored off a deflection of Gotham goalscorer Howell.
Gotham looked to respond as Lavelle tried to add to the tally in the later stages.
Both teams settled into the game early on, with the score tied going into the half.
In the second half, coach Juan Carlos Amorós unlocked Purce who was a catalyst in the attack, looking to create goal scoring opportunities.
Speaking post-game, the American international said: “I was trying to get in behind too early, I was trigger happy about that. (In the second half) It was just about creating more space for myself.”
Lavelle made herself available in pockets of space as the game grew, but struggled to create through Louisville’s tight-knit defence.
The first changes of the game came just past the hour mark for both sides, with Yanez introducing Emma Fischer for Ella Hase up front and a swap at full back for Gotham, with Mandy Freeman replacing Bruninha.
An intricate piece of play by the away side, saw a ball played into the box which led to a defensive error by Carter, with the ball falling for Weber to score past the keeper as the visitors took the lead.
The home fans looked to rally on their team, as Louisville were looking to hang on to their slender lead.
A foul given away by Flint saw Gotham in a dangerous position from a set-piece play.
Captain Lavelle stepped up to expertly finish her playoff-clinching free kick past Bloomer, to level the game 2-2 in the final minutes.
A sense of redemption for Juan Carlos Amorós’ side, following their loss away from home in May, with countless chances created, all paid off by a piece of excellence.
Post-match on clinching a playoff spot, coach Amorós was left impressed by the team’s resilience in this crucial game.
He said: “Making it to the playoffs is a must.”
“The team clearly deserved to win. The fans pushed us till the end, it’s a lot of credit to everyone involved with Gotham Football Club. I’m super proud of them”
As the international break comes round before the final game of the season, Racing Louisville coach Yanez is hopeful about how the season will end.
She said: “The group is motivated and should be motivated.”
“We’ve been very diligent about who we are this year and I think it’ll be an easy shift for the players once they come back into our environment.”
Featured Image courtesy of Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons.