HARRISON — Gotham FC extended its unbeaten run to a club-record 10 regular-season matches Friday night, drawing against the Portland Thorns 1-1 at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Jaedyn Shaw put the Bats ahead in the 60th minute when her attempted cross found its way into the back of the net, but Portland responded with a Sophia Wilson penalty 15 minutes later to split the points.
The result keeps Gotham at the top of the NWSL standings and extends a run that dates back to July 4, when the club last lost in league play.
Neither side was able to find the breakthrough during a first half that saw both goalkeepers make important saves.
Portland created the first major opportunity in the 14th minute when Wilson got a shot away, but Ann-Katrin Berger was there to make the stop. Gotham nearly responded with a goal of its own eight minutes later after Shaw’s cross found Sam Kerr, whose header forced Mackenzie Arnold into a strong save.
Berger was called upon again in the 28th minute. Portland worked a short corner before Renee Lyles sent a cross toward Samantha Hiatt, who connected with a header that the Gotham goalkeeper managed to keep out.
The Bats had another opportunity shortly after halftime when a well-worked free-kick routine created space for Guro Reiten to send a cross toward Kerr. The Australian met it with a header, but Arnold was once again in position to make the save.
Gotham finally broke through in the 60th minute, though the goal came in unusual fashion.
Shaw’s cross took an unexpected flight and ended up in the back of the net, giving the Bats a 1-0 lead. It was Shaw’s sixth goal of the season, although the midfielder made it clear afterward that she was not trying to shoot.
“I was trying to cross it,” Shaw said. “I’m really happy it went in the goal.”
The lead gave Gotham an opportunity to see out the match, but Portland found its way back into it in the 75th minute.
Jaelin Howell brought down Pietra Tordin inside the box, resulting in a penalty for the Thorns. Wilson stepped up and sent Berger the wrong way before finding the bottom-right corner to tie the match.
Gotham had the remainder of the match to find a winner but could not create another breakthrough, settling for a point despite several opportunities throughout the night.
For acting head coach Shaun Harris, the result was another example of the fine margins that can turn a winning performance into a draw.
“Just a bit frustrated,” Harris said. “The first half we had a lot of the ball, but we just lacked that little bit of urgency in and around the box and the opposition half.”
Harris pointed to Gotham’s inability to close out the match after taking the lead as another area the team needs to improve.
“When you’re one up, you’re always giving a team the chance to get back in,” Harris said. “I think that’s what happened today.”
Despite the frustration, the result gave Gotham something it had never accomplished before: 10 consecutive regular season matches without a loss.
Harris, however, does not want the record to become a distraction from the club’s larger objective.
“The record is what it is. It’s not something that we focus on,” Harris said.
Instead, he wants the Bats to turn performances like Friday’s into wins, particularly as the regular season continues to progress.
“We really, really need to kill these games off and not give teams a chance to stay in the game and get a chance to share the points,” Harris said.
Shaw shared Harris’ frustration over not taking all three points but still viewed the performance as something the team could build from.
“Obviously we want to get the three points,” Shaw said. “We’re disappointed to not get those, but I think it was a good overall team performance to grind out at least a point here at home.”
The draw leaves Gotham with a six-point lead at the top of the NWSL standings following San Diego’s win over Racing Louisville. The Bats have eight games remaining in the regular season as they continue their pursuit of the first NWSL Shield in club history. Gotham returns to action next Sunday against newly expansion side Denver Summit FC.
