Gonzalez scores twice and 2 players are sent off as Gotham defeats Royals 3-0
Esther González scored twice and Gotham FC beat the Utah Royals 3-0 in the National Women's Soccer League on Friday night, finishing the game with nine players after getting two red cards late in the second half.
Elsewhere in the NWSL, the San Diego Wave beat the Houston Dash 3-2; and the Orlando Pride beat Bay FC 1-0.
Gotham's win snapped a four-game winless streak while the Royals (1-9-2) have failed to win any of their last seven games.
Gotham (4-5-3) went up 1-0 on González's first goal in the ninth minute. Jaelin Howell made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time with her first career goal in the NWSL.
After Royals defender Nuria Rábano fouled González in the box, the Gotham scored a penalty kick to make it 3-0 in the 58th minute.
González now has a league best nine goals this season.
Jess Carter was shown a straight red card for pulling back Mina Tanaka and denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity in the 76th minute. Howell picked up a second yellow card for a late tackle on Claudia Zornoza in the 90th minute.
Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger had to leave the game with an injury in the 88th minute. Ryan Campbell made her NWSL debut in Berger's place.
Sanchez scores on return to Texas, Wave defeats Dash 3-2
Maria Sánchez scored against her former team and the San Diego Wave beat the Houston Dash 3-2 at Shell Energy Stadium.
Sánchez was traded to the Wave in April 2024 having played for the Dash since January 2022. The Mexican international came off the bench at halftime and silenced the home fans when she scored a header to make it 3-0 in the 51st minute.
San Diego had gone into halftime with a 2-0 lead on Kenza Dali's goal in the 17th minute and Adriana Leon's goal from close-range in the 36th.
The Dash fought back in the second half when Barbara Olivieri made it 3-1 in the 61st minute with a powerfully struck a long-range effort.
Yazmeen Ryan scored her first goal for the Dash to make it 3-2 in the 68th.
The Wave (7-3-2) now have six wins in their last eight games while the Dash (3-7-2) are without a win in their last four games.
Banda scores deflected winner as Pride beats Bay 1-0
Barbra Banda scored in the 58th minute and the Orlando Pride came away from PayPal Park with a 1-0 win over Bay FC.
Carson Pickett took a quick free-kick on the left wing to catch the Bay defense off guard. Pickett's through ball found Banda free in space, who then dribbled into the box and fired off a shot that deflected off two defenders before nestling in the back of the net.
Even after out-shooting the Pride 16-7 (6 to 4 on target), Bay could not generate enough late pressure to force an equalizer.
The Pride (8-3-1) earned their fifth clean sheet of the season and have now won three consecutive games. Bay (4-5-3) has lost all three of its meetings with the Pride in the NWSL since joining the league in 2024.
With Bay's starting goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz injured, smmie Allen made her NWSL debut.
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