Angel City will face Gotham FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 10:00 a.m. PT. The match will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Last Time Out: Angel City Fights for The Breakthrough
Angel City FC earned a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit on Sept. 26, at Audi Field, extending their unbeaten streak to six matches.
After 87 scoreless minutes in heavy rain, Maiara Niehues came off the bench to deliver the breakthrough in the 88th minute. The midfielder fired from outside the box off a pass from midfielder Carina Lageyre to secure three points.
The goal gave Niehues nine goals on the season, setting a new Angel City single-season scoring record and marking her fourth game-winning goal.
Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson helped keep the match scoreless with several key saves, while also extending her personal and single-season club record to nine shutouts, two of which were consecutive. Captain Sarah Gorden and the ACFC defense limited Washington’s chances throughout the night.
“We controlled key parts of the game,” said Interim Head Coach Leif Smerud. “So it's well done for us to come here and understand what kind of game to play by adapting, staying in it( and winning it in the end. It's a perfect belief.”
Next Up: Facing the League Leaders
Gotham FC welcomes Angel City for their second meeting this season. The reigning NWSL Champions enter the matchup undefeated in their last 11 regular-season home matches, extending a club record.
In the club’s most recent match, Gotham defeated Chicago 3-1 thanks to two goals from forward Jaedyn Shaw and another from forward Sam Kerr. Shaw’s brace brought her to nine goals on the season and made her the youngest player in NWSL history to reach 25 career regular-season goals.
Angel City enters the matchup riding four consecutive wins, with six different players finding the back of the net during their unbeaten stretch, highlighting the depth of the club’s attack as their attacking production comes from multiple areas of the field.
The two clubs last met on Aug. 23 at BMO Stadium, playing to a 0-0 draw. Anderson delivered, saving an 86th-minute penalty from forward Guro Reiten.
Anderson will look to continue her record-setting season against a Gotham attack that has scored three goals in each of their last two matches.
Defensively, Angel City has allowed 28 goals, while Gotham has allowed 20, securing their place in the postseason. Angel City sits in sixth place as the regular season moves toward its final weeks.
In the Spotlight: September Best XI
Following an undefeated September, five Angel City players were named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month: goalkeeper Angelina Anderson, defenders Sarah Gorden and Evelyn Shores, and midfielders Ally Sentnor and Maiara Niehues.
Anderson anchored the club’s defense with nine saves and three clean sheets during the month, bringing her season total to nine shutouts and setting new personal and club single-season records.
Captain Gorden contributed two assists, eight interceptions and eight tackles, recording the first three assists of her NWSL career this season.
Shores delivered her first career NWSL brace in a 2-0 win over Racing Louisville FC and her first multi-assist performance in a 3-1 victory over Seattle Reign FC. She finished September with two goals and two assists.
Sentnor converted penalties in three consecutive matches, helping Angel City secure wins over Seattle Reign FC and Utah Royals FC and a draw against Denver Summit FC. She is the third person in NWSL history to record three consecutive penalty kicks.
Niehues capped the month with an 88th-minute winner against Washington Spirit, scoring her ninth goal of the season to claim sole possession of the club’s single-season scoring record.
The five selections recognize contributions across the field as Angel City earned four wins and a draw in September, collecting 13 points to strengthen their playoff push.