Gotham FC fails to score in loss to expansion side Denver Summit FC | OneFootball

It looks like another slow start to the season is on the cards as NJ/NY Gotham FC failed to score and lost to Denver Summit FC 2-0 on the first of four midweek NWSL matches for the New Jersey side this season. The team had already dropped points on Saturday by virtue of a scoreless draw when they welcomed the North Carolina Courage to Jersey for the home opener.

Gotham FC had the same attacking problems from past seasons that continue to persist. They had plenty of possession and a decent amount of shots, but just an inability to get the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net. Now they have shown the ability to eventually find their way in the attacking phase of the game later on in the year, but their slow starts were supposed to be a thing of the past, given their lack of major player turnover from last season.

The Bats also allowed the Summit to build some momentum for their highly anticipated home opener on Saturday in front of what is expected to be a league record-setting crowd. They played a great game and managed to exploit Gotham's current weaknesses.

The NJ/NY side will now head to the third and final game of this three-game week when they welcome the Orlando Pride to Sports Illustrated Stadium. A win on Sunday will hopefully get some of the bad taste from this game out of fans' and the team's mouths and offer a rest heading into the next part of the season.

180 minutes, 0 goals for Gotham FC

The first half started quietly, with neither team really able to generate anything in the attack. This changed in the 22nd minute when Melissa Kössler found herself one-on-one with her fellow German Ann-Katrin Berger, but the goalkeeper managed a save to keep the game scoreless. Berger was then called into action again, this time saving an effort from Natasha Flint, much more comfortably and easily than the first effort.

Gotham then had their own chances with Katie Lampson winning a free kick that eventually resulted in successive corners. While they had some decent passing sequences, they failed to capitalize on these set pieces, and the game remained scoreless. The ladies had an attacking sequence towards the end of the first half where they looked dangerous. Still, the match was scoreless at halftime.

At the start of the second half, two vital changes were made: Sofia Cook and Andrea Kitahata made way for Rose Lavelle and Esther González. Sadly, those changes would not be enough.

In the 58th minute, Denver took the lead as Kössler was sent on another 1-v-1, but this time managed to beat Berger to give the visitors the 1-0 lead just before the hour mark. It was a quick counter-attack off of an intercepted Lavelle pass that eventually saw Yuna McCormack spring Kössler in behind, with the German becoming just the second player to score in a team's first three consecutive matches.

Gotham's best chance of the game came in the 66th minute when Jordynn Dudley, who had just come on two minutes earlier, ran onto the end of a long ball into the box and got a shot off on Abby Smith. The former Bat subsequently made the save.

Denver eventually doubled their lead just seven minutes later when Berger got caught out playing from the back. Flint stole the ball from the goalkeeper and placed it into a wide-open net. Given Berger's propensity to play with the ball at her feet, it is quite remarkable that this has been the first time in her nearly two years at the club that a misplay like this has occurred.

In the 85th minute, Dudley had another big chance when she deflected a cross from Midge Purce in on goal, but Smith made another save to keep Gotham off the scoresheet. The Bats fought to the final whistle, trying to even earn a point. But their efforts were not rewarded as the team lost and gave Denver their first win.

It has been a very familiar tale for Gotham, who have one goal in their opening three games and no goals in 180 minutes at home so far this season. Now, slow starts to a season and struggling to score are nothing unfamiliar to fans, but it is a little concerning that this is still a problem now in year four under Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós.

Amorós is a good enough manager to figure this all out, and players like Jaedyn Shaw and Guro Reiten, who were unavailable on Wednesday night, being brought into this lineup should help. But the Gotham FC players available tonight were more than good enough to at least score a goal and earn at least a point.