Why Gotham were confident going into NWSL Championship final, according to Rose Lavelle | OneFootball

Gotham FC celebrate (Gotham FC)

Rose Lavelle scored the goal that secured the NWSL Championship for Gotham FC – who finished eighth in the league this season, but excelled in the play-offs.

And afterwards, the USA international spoke to media about what had made Gotham so determined to shine in the post-season block.

“I keep saying I think we all know that we underperformed, especially at the end of the season,” she said. “That was not the end we wanted to have. Going into this season, we were so confident in the group we had. We know we have a lot of talent, so we really leaned on that in this play-off series.

“That’s what we saw, and that’s what ended up helping us win.”

Rose Lavelle: This season was a rollercoaster

And the 30-year-old also spoke about some of the low points of the season that had motivated them to return to form.

“I keep saying this was such a rollercoaster of a season for us,” she explained. “We had injuries, we had a really daunting schedule with the amount of games we were playing, the travel – and the way every single individual stepped up in the moments they were asked to was so huge.

“I always say you learn the most about yourself in the toughest moments, and the adversity we faced throughout the season really helped set us up to be prepared for this play-off push. That’s what set us up to win in the end. We went through a lot in the season. We’d seen it all, so nothing felt new or unfamiliar going into this, and that was a really big advantage for us going into the play-offs.”

Emily Sonnett: We feel at peace

And team-mate Emily Sonnett agreed that the squad had underperformed.

“Being able to have that reset going into the post-season was huge for us – putting that aside and asking, ‘What’s our next action? What’s our next game? What’s our next game plan?’ because the games were not easy making it to the final, and we really had to hone in as a group.

“In the post-season, on a lot of teams I’ve been on, you can really reset as a group. So the feeling after is kind of like, yeah, it does feel at peace. It finally feels like we started putting a lot of things together – or peaking, I guess – at the right time.”