Gotham FC extended its perfect start in the Concacaf W Champions Cup with a 2-0 victory over Alianza on Tuesday night at Estadio Las Delicias. Goals from Geyse and rookie defender Kayla Duran sealed the result, giving the Bats back-to-back group stage wins for the first time in club history.
The night also carried added significance as 15-year-old forward Mak Whitham made her first competitive start, becoming the youngest player ever to start a match for Gotham FC (15 years, 1 month, 6 days).
The visitors dominated throughout, holding 74 percent of possession and outshooting Alianza 13-3, though chances were hard to convert in the first half against a compact defensive block. The breakthrough came in the 62nd minute when midfielder Sofia Cook was fouled in the box chasing a loose ball. Geyse calmly stepped up and smashed her penalty into the top right corner, her first goal of the tournament and third of the season.
Gotham doubled the advantage in stoppage time. Rookie midfielder Sarah Schupansky delivered a pinpoint corner that Duran met with a powerful header for her first professional goal, putting the match out of reach and capping a memorable night for the rookie.
Defensively, Gotham collected its fourth clean sheet in Concacaf play, with goalkeeper Shelby Hogan steady in goal. Midfielder Nealy Martin controlled the match in possession, leading all players with 106 touches and tying Schupansky for the match-high in duels won (9).
The result keeps Gotham (2-0-0, plus-3 goal differential) within striking distance of Group A leaders Washington Spirit (1-0-0, plus-7 differential), whose next match is against the Vancouver Rise Academy. Their October 1 meeting in Philadelphia now looms as a decisive clash for the top spot.
The win also underscored Gotham’s progress on the continental stage. After opening group play last year with a win and a draw, the Bats have started this campaign with two straight victories. The club has now scored in all but one of its Concacaf W Champions Cup matches across both editions of the tournament. Alongside Geyse’s breakthrough and Duran’s milestone, Schupansky registered her sixth assist of the season and first in this year’s competition, adding another highlight to an increasingly impactful rookie year.
Defender Kayla Duran on the result:
“We got the win. It wasn’t pretty at times, but we’re happy to get the win. … At the end of the day, we got three points. It wasn’t our best performance, but odds are sometimes stacked against us with traveling and all that, but we’re happy to get three points.”
Midfielder Sofia Cook on the key to breaking through:
“It was just the work we put in all game. They had a lower block, so just trying to break it down, and then we started getting our rhythm in. Then Geyse gave us the momentum with the penalty, and Kayla had that awesome goal. So I’d say those things.”
On halftime adjustments:
“Their defense was very organized, so it was just passing on that. And then on the field, too, we realized the ball is in behind, they just keep going out. So at halftime, we reevaluated, and you saw we came out keeping the ball a lot more in the second half, and then we finally got the goal.”
Goalkeeper Shelby Hogan on the challenge Alianza posed:
“It was a difficult match for us. They caused problems, and we weren’t our cleanest. We weren’t the cleanest on the ball, so we put ourselves in some difficult situations. They played great, and we obviously needed a better performance as a team to take advantage of our opportunities.”
Gotham FC returns to NWSL play Sunday with a home match against Angel City at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.
