LOUISVILLE — Gotham FC returned to winning ways Friday night, earning a 2-1 victory over Racing Louisville FC at Lynn Family Stadium behind goals from Guro Reiten and Jaedyn Shaw.
Gotham came out with an attacking mindset and needed only two minutes to find the breakthrough.
Shaw received the ball before playing Reiten into space, and the Norwegian made no mistake with her finish, firing a shot into the top-left corner to give Gotham an early 1-0 lead. The goal was Reiten’s first for Gotham since joining the club.
Louisville responded 15 minutes later to bring the match level.
In the 17th minute, Courtney Petersen’s corner kick traveled toward the back post and struck the post before falling directly to Kayla Fischer. The Louisville forward headed the loose ball home from close range to make it 1-1.
Gotham continued to control possession following the equalizer and created more opportunities as the first half progressed. The visitors also held the advantage in both total shots and shots on target, but neither side could find another breakthrough before halftime.
Gotham wasted no time reclaiming the lead after the break.
Just 32 seconds into the second half, the visitors pieced together a quick sequence that ended with Shaw putting Gotham back in front.
Savannah McCaskill won possession before finding Reiten, who played the ball to Jess Carter. Carter then sent a long ball forward to Jordynn Dudley, who found Rose Lavelle.
Lavelle laid the ball off to Sam Kerr, who cut the ball back toward Shaw. The forward calmly finished into the bottom-right corner to give Gotham a 2-1 advantage.
The goal was Shaw’s seventh of the season, making her Gotham’s leading scorer in 2026. It also came on the one-year anniversary of her signing with the club.
“It was such a blessing, the opportunity to come to Gotham,” Shaw said. “It’s honestly changed my life and my career, of course. It’s been so fun being on this team and being a part of this club that strives for such high standards on and off the pitch, and I’ve really grown as a human and as a player.”
With the lead restored, Gotham remained composed through the remainder of the match and held Louisville off to secure the three points on the road.
“It was a game that we are very proud of the outcome of it because it was really a team performance,” Amorós said. “We needed everyone. We spoke about it before: Louisville presents a battle, very direct, and we needed to make sure we work hard on those situations. But we needed to also be good on the ball, pay attention to the details with the set pieces, be more offensive, getting more people in the box.”
Amorós also praised the quality of Gotham’s goals, including Reiten’s opener and the combination that led to Shaw’s winner.
“Fantastic goal from Guro and also that fantastic combination to get the second goal,” Amorós said.
The victory also marked a milestone for Amorós, who earned his 50th regular-season NWSL win as Gotham’s head coach. He said he was unaware of the milestone before the match but credited the people around him for helping him reach it.
“That’s really great to know. I had no idea,” Amorós said. “But I can only be as good as the people that I work with every day. I think I have a fantastic technical team.”
Amorós went on to recognize the work of his staff and the players he has worked with throughout his coaching career, emphasizing that the milestone was a reflection of the people around him.
The victory moves Gotham closer to its goal of securing the NWSL Shield, with the club continuing to set the pace at the top of the standings as the regular season enters its final weeks.
Gotham will look to carry that momentum into its final match of the three-game road trip when it visits the North Carolina Courage on Sept. 19.
