Esther Gonzalez scored twice in the span of seven minutes and Gotham FC defeated the North Carolina Courage 3-1 in the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday.
In the other NWSL game on Sunday, the Chicago Stars beat Bay FC 2-1.
In New Jersey, Esther opened the scoring with a header in the 43rd minute. The Spanish international quickly scored again in first-half stoppage time by swatting the ball into an open net after an error by Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy.
Rookie Lilly Reale scored her first professional goal on a header from close range after a corner kick for Gotham. Brianna Pinto came off the bench to net a consolation goal for the Courage in the final moments of the match.
Gotham also welcomed back Midge Purce, who made her return to soccer 385 days after tearing her ACL. She was handed the captain’s armband when she came off the bench in the 73rd minute.
The win was the first for Gotham (1-1-2) this season, while the Courage (0-2-2) remained winless after four weeks.
Brazilian Ludmila has a brace for the Stars
Ludmila scored twice in the first half and the Stars got their first win of the season in San Jose.
For the opening goal, the Brazilian international skipped around Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and tucked the ball away in the fifth minute. For the second, she outfoxed Abby Dahlkemper with a stepover before firing the ball into the corner in the 41st minute.
Caroline Conti countered for Bay in the 58th minute by converting a penalty kick. The foul was given for a handball against Chicago’s Maitane López.
The win gives Chicago (1-3-0) its first points of the season, snaps a three-game losing streak, and moves the team off the bottom of the standings. Bay (1-2-1) has lost two consecutive NWSL games.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Theo Lloyd-hughes, The Associated Press
