Latest news with #MidgePurce
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Gotham FC wins inaugural Concacaf Champions Cup with 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL
Gotham FC clinched the first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday night, bringing the regional club tournament title to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is the club's first major trophy since winning the 2023 NWSL championship. Advertisement The game's only goal came in the 82nd minute, when Gotham striker and NWSL Golden Boot frontrunner Esther González went to convert a penalty, after Tigres defender Jimena Lápez was caught holding and shoving Gotham center back Emily Sonnett in the box before a corner kick. Tigres keeper Itzel González blocked the shot, but this time, Esther González recycled the opportunity for higher value, rebounding the ball and knocking it into the back of the net. Both sides had created promising scoring opportunities early in the match that tested the back lines, but none were successful until the final few minutes. In first-half stoppage time, Itzel González saved a penalty taken by Gotham striker Midge Purce to keep the score at zero. The Tigres-heavy crowd at the Estadio Universitario pulsed with energy as every crunching tackle or tricky call was met with an impassioned response. And there was a considerable amount of that; Tigres committed 12 fouls by the end of the match while Gotham committed 14. Gotham finished the game having taken 23 shots, seven of which were on target. Esther González is the Superior Player of the Match presented by Michelob Ultra for her title-winning goal for Gotham! 🏅 — Concacaf W (@ConcacafW) May 25, 2025 'I feel like we really left it all out there and everyone really fought hard to the end,' Gotham defender and team captain Mandy Freeman said. 'We deserved the win, and we really earned it.' Gotham secured their place in the final with a 3-1 win over Club América on Wednesday's semi-final, which featured goals from Brazilian forward Geyse and Purce. (The third was an own goal.) The Portland Thorns, who lost to Tigres in their semi-final, beat América 3-0 in the bronze medal match on Saturday afternoon. 'I think this has been three years in the making and to finally have this moment to celebrate,' Freeman said. 'I mean, it's still not over, we still have the Women's [Club] World Cup championship, but right now we're really happy and excited.' Ahead of Saturday night's championship, Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós also acknowledged the team's three-year project coming to fruition in this tournament. 'We've been working incredibly hard — some of us for three seasons, if you include the [2023 NWSL] Championship year — to be here in May, with the chance to lift the trophy next to us and write our name into the history of the game,' he said. Advertisement Lifting their first trophy since 2023 could provide Gotham with the boost it needs to climb back up the NWSL table. They currently sit in ninth place, just outside of playoff contention, level on points with Bay FC and the North Carolina Courage, who play on Sunday. The FIFA Women's Club World Cup, originally set to debut in 2026, has been delayed until 2028.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gotham, Tigres advance to Concacaf Champions Cup Final
Gotham FC is set to clash with Tigres UANL in Saturday's inaugural final of the Concacaf Women's Champions Cup. Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League and Tigres UANL of Liga MX Femenil have advanced to the final with emphatic victories over Club América and the Portland Thorns. Advertisement Gotham topped América 3-1, navigating through windy and rainy conditions Wednesday evening at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico. Tigres' two unanswered goals against the Thorns in the first 28 minutes of the game sealed their fate later that night. The NWSL side started strong, with Brazilian striker Geyse volleying home a corner from Sarah Schupansky in the 21st minute, her second goal for the team since arriving from Manchester United in March. Gotham's second goal came from a penalty by Midge Purce, who also drew the foul in the box, her first since her return from her anterior cruciate ligament injury. Just three minutes later, América's chances at advancing past the 2023 NWSL champions narrowed when defender Jana Gutiérrez deflected a rebound off the post into her own net and brought the score to 3-0. Despite the early upset, América got on the board in the 38th minute through Spanish national Irene Guerrero, who took advantage of a deflection off a cross. The Mexican side looked more composed in the second half, creating more scoring opportunities, especially after Sarah Luebbert (former Chicago Red Stars and University of Missouri standout) came on as a substitute and threatened Gotham's defense. Advertisement The night's second semifinal served up a clash between NWSL heavyweights Portland Thorns and Liga MX Femenil powerhouse Tigres UANL, and it was all Tigres. The Mexican side dominated the game, taking advantage of the Thorns' weakness in defense. Tigres' first goal came in the 10th minute from 21-year-old Aaliyah Farmer. Shortly after, South African national Thembi Kgatlana took advantage of goalkeeper Bella Bixby's grave error and scored Tigres' second goal in the 27th minute. Thorns came back with two tactical substitutions the second time, bringing on Payton Linnehan and Kaitlyn Torpey to inject pace and width on the right, but could not find goal positions as expected. The final will take place at 10 p.m. ET Saturday. The winner of the Concacaf Women's Champions Cup secures a spot in the inaugural 2026 FIFA Women's Champions Cup and the 2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Gotham FC, NWSL 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Gotham, Tigres advance to Concacaf Champions Cup Final
Gotham FC is set to clash with Tigres UANL in Saturday's inaugural final of the Concacaf Women's Champions Cup. Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League and Tigres UANL of Liga Mx Femenil have advanced to the final with emphatic victories over Club América and the Portland Thorns. Gotham topped América 3-1, navigating through windy and rainy conditions Wednesday evening at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico. Tigres' two unanswered goals against the Thorns in the first 28 minutes of the game sealed their fate later that night. Advertisement The NWSL side started strong, with Brazilian striker Geyse volleying home a corner from Sarah Schupansky in the 21st minute, her second goal for the team since arriving from Manchester United in March. Gotham's second goal came from a penalty by Midge Purce, who also drew the foul in the box, her first since her return from her anterior cruciate ligament injury. Just three minutes later, América's chances at advancing past the 2023 NWSL champions narrowed when defender Jana Gutiérrez deflected a rebound off the post into her own net and brought the score to 3-0. Despite the early upset, América got on the board in the 38th minute through Spanish national Irene Guerrero, who took advantage of a deflection off a cross. The Mexican side looked more composed in the second half, creating more scoring opportunities especially after Sarah Luebbert (former Chicago Red Stars and University of Missouri standout) came on as substitute and threatened Gotham's defense. The night's second semifinal served up a clash between NWSL heavyweights Portland Thorns and Liga MX Femenil powerhouse Tigres UANL, and it was all Tigres. The Mexican side dominated the game, taking advantage of Thorns' weakness in defense. Tigres' first goal came in the 10th minute from 21-year-old Aaliyah Farmer. Shortly after, South African national Thembi Kgatlana took advantage of goalkeeper Bella Bixby's grave error and scored Tigres' second goal in the 28th minute. Thorns came back with two tactical substitutions the second time, bringing on Payton Linehan and Kaitlyn Torpey to inject pace and width on the right, but could not find goal positions as expected. The final will take place at 7 pm ET Saturday. The winner of the Concacaf Women's Champions Cup secures a spot in the inaugural 2026 FIFA Women's Champions Cup and the 2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup. (Photo of Midge Purce from May 9: EM Dash / Imagn Images)
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Gotham earns spot in CONCACF W Champions Cup final with 3-1 win over Club América
MONTERREY, Mexico — Geyse and Midge Purce scored and Gotham FC defeated Club América 3-1 on Wednesday night to advance to the finals of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup. Gotham will face the winner of the Wednesday's late match at Estadio Universitario between the Portland Thorns and UANL Tigres for the title in the inaugural tournament for continental club teams.
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Gotham earns spot in CONCACF W Champions Cup final with 3-1 win over Club América
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Geyse and Midge Purce scored and Gotham FC defeated Club América 3-1 on Wednesday night to advance to the finals of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup. Gotham will face the winner of the Wednesday's late match at Estadio Universitario between the Portland Thorns and UANL Tigres for the title in the inaugural tournament for continental club teams. Brazilian international Geyse scored off a corner kick from Sarah Schupansky to give Gotham the 1-0 lead as the rain fell in the 21st minute. It was her second goal of the year for the National Women's Soccer League squad. Jana Gutiérrez took down Purce in the box to give Gotham a penalty kick. Purce coolly converted to double the lead. Moments later, Gutiérrez was caught in a bad spot for a rebound off the post that bounced off her and into the net for an own goal that made it 3-0. Las Águilas, who play in Mexico's Liga MX Femenil, struck in the 38th with a goal from Spanish international Irene Guerrero. The W Champions Cup is the annual women's club championship for the region and will serve as the qualification event for the FIFA Women's Champions Cup, which launches next year. ___ AP soccer:
