Lavelle’s late magic sends Gotham to semis, Sinclair into retirement

Photo copyright Lucas Boland-Imagn Images.

Gotham FC waited 11 seasons—14 if you count WPS—to treat their fans to a playoff game in New Jersey. In the end it was Rose Lavelle’s goal seven minutes into stoppage time that delivered Gotham a 2-1 victory over the Thorns and a trip to Washington for next weekend’s National Women’s Soccer League semifinals.

They packed a ton into the experience for what was a club record attendance of 15,540.

“It did feel like it was a tap-in but maybe I’m not just remembering it well,” Lavelle told ABC’s Jenn Hildreth and Lianne Sanderson in an on-field interview after the whistle. “I think Delanie (Sheehan) did all the heavy lifting there.”

A tap-in may have been a bit humble on Lavelle’s part, but Sheehan did do the heavy lifting. She was fronted by Becky Sauerbrunn who drove her toward the goal line while Hina Sugita arrived to help. The angle was nearly impossible as Sheehan—who came off the bench for only the second time all season—threaded a ball through traffic in the box to Lavelle. Her “tap-in” got the better of Shelby Hogan who may have been anticipating the ball being played to Yazmeen Ryan and was diving back across the box.