Latest news with #RoseLavelle
Reuters
2 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
NWSL roundup: Fast start sends Current past Gotham FC
June 8 - Temwa Chawinga and Michelle Cooper each racked up a goal and an assist to lift the Kansas City Current to a 2-1 win over host Gotham FC on Saturday in rainy Harrison, N.J. Cooper scored in the third minute and Chawinga doubled the Current's lead eight minutes later with her seventh goal of the season, tying Gotham's Esther Gonzalez and Orlando's Barbra Banda for the league lead. It marked the fourth straight win for Kansas City (9-2-0, 27 points) and the third consecutive loss for Gotham (3-5-3, 12 points). Lorena was moments away from her sixth clean sheet of the season, but amid a Gotham attack, Kansas City's Vanessa DiBernardo accidentally booted the ball into the back of her own net in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time. Lorena made two saves, while Ann-Katrin Berger had three saves for Gotham. The Current forced a turnover by Gotham's back line early in the game. Chawinga picked up the ball and found Cooper in the box for an easy strike. On a fast break in the 11th, Cooper sent a low cross into the box and Chawinga reached the ball a split second before a diving Berger. Chawinga scored into the open net. Gotham FC thought they had a goal early in the second half when Emily Sonnett headed a corner kick into the net. But VAR showed that Sonnett got her advantage from a two-handed shove to a Current player's back, and it was overturned. U.S. women's national team midfielder Rose Lavelle, who had offseason ankle surgery, made her season debut for Gotham as a substitute in the 74th minute. Pride 1, Dash 0 Cori Dyke's first goal with Orlando broke a stalemate in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time and delivered a victory over visiting Houston. Summer Yates' attempt on the run bounced off the leg of Dash goalkeeper Abby Smith and found Dyke near the far corner of the 18-yard box. Dyke's shot caromed off a Houston defender and bounced past Smith, who had seven saves. Anna Moorhouse made four saves for the Pride (7-3-1, 22 points), who have won two straight after a 1-2-1 stretch. Orlando outshot Houston (3-6-2, 11 points) 22-8 and had an 11-1 advantage in corner kicks. Bay 1, Thorns 0 Alyssa Malonson scored in the 39th minute and Jordan Silkowitz made five saves to help Bay FC shut out Portland in San Jose, Calif. Penelope Hocking put a touch pass into a wide part of the box for Malonson, who raced in and rocketed it into the top of the net. Silkowitz made a key stop on Olivia Moultrie's shot attempt in the 83rd minute to preserve the clean sheet for Bay FC (4-4-3, 15 points). The Thorns (4-3-4, 16 points) saw their five-match unbeaten streak come to an end. Bella Bixby made one save for Portland, which had a 16-10 advantage in shot attempts. --Field Level Media
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Rose Lavelle returns but KC Current hand Gotham FC third straight loss
The Kansas City Current beat hosts Gotham FC 2-1 in a rain-soaked, high-drama Saturday afternoon matchup that saw the return of Gotham's preternatural midfielder Rose Lavelle. The U.S. women's national team star had been out with an ankle injury for the past six months and was involved in the Current's own goal that put Gotham on the board. Advertisement 'It was a long recovery, long rehab process, and it's definitely still a journey,' said Lavelle, who subbed on in the 74th minute and immediately injected much-needed panache into Gotham's efforts. The 30-year-old Cincinnati native revealed that her ankle surgery was the first time she'd undergone a medical procedure in her career. 'I definitely was a little naive to what that entailed, so it was definitely a lot harder than I anticipated,' she said, though she maintained the timeline of her return was 'what it was expected to be.' Lavelle credited Gotham's medical staff and the USWNT, saying they coordinated with her club and were 'staying connected and keeping in touch with how I've been feeling.' The Current, semifinalists last season in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), remain at the top of the table and pounced on Gotham early. Michelle Cooper tallied a goal in the third minute with a tidy finish that resulted from a relentless Current press against their opponent's backline. Cooper was assisted by Malawian striker and 2024 Golden Boot winner and MVP Tabitha Chawinga — and in the 11th minute, the forwards returned the favors when Chawinga received a first-time cross from Cooper and dribbled around Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger to slot home the Current's second goal. 72' | Making her return… 🔛 Rose Lavelle↩️ Taryn Torres — Gotham FC (@GothamFC) June 7, 2025 Gotham, who recently won the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, and were 2023 NWSL Champions, now have three consecutive league losses. The game was pockmarked with controversial calls by the official, which included two Gotham goals that were called back. Defender Emily Sonnett's header off a corner kick was ruled out due to a foul Sonnett committed in the lead-up to the goal. Later, Spanish striker Esther González stole a stray clearance and scored, but due to an earlier offside ruling, that goal was disallowed. Advertisement Potentially adding to Gotham's longer-term concerns were the injuries of forwards Midge Purce and Ella Stevens, who both had to be subbed off during the game. Speaking to the media after the match, Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós pointed out the contrasting emotions, from the frustrations and misfortunes on the field to the club's trophy ceremony for its Concacaf Champions Cup victory held at the end of the match and to Lavelle's return. 'The talent that she has is very different to everyone else,' he said. 'I think the profile of Rose Lavelle is probably the most rare to find, when it's a player that can do basically everything at such a high level, and then on top of that, she does special things on the ball.' Gotham midfielder Nealy Martin detailed some of the less visible contributions Lavelle has made to the team while working her way back onto the field. 'She's been such a positive force in the locker room. Every day she comes in and she's there before us and stays after us working to get her ankle back to full health, so this was really awesome to see her out there and actually see all of her progress come to fruition,' Martin said. 'We're excited for the talent she brings to the team, but also the leader and the teammate she's been off the field when things are against her — and it's not easy, you're pretty isolated when you're returning to play — speaks for itself. She's an incredible human.' Lavelle acknowledged the shift in her role on the team and the newer experiences she intends to nourish. 'Anytime you spend time away from the game, I always find some silver lining in it,' she said. This time around, she found it in 'learning how to be a teammate when I can't be on the field, staying present, still having a voice and helping people where I can. 'I hadn't gotten to play with Geyse yet,' Lavelle said of the Brazilian striker who joined Gotham on loan from Manchester United in March. 'That was the first game I got to play with her and it was really fun, so I'm excited to keep building on that relationship and then build on the prior relationships that I had with people last year. I think it is a really exciting group, and I think once we start getting into a rhythm, I think it's gonna be really, really fun.'
