This one was practically all Gotham, right from the start. The two eastern conference neighbors met at Red Bull Arena for a showdown that many were anticipating. The Washington Spirit are still coming in with good form after winning the title last year and they were looking to impose that form again with this match against their I-95 rivals Gotham FC. The game would get off to a great start for the home team with two early chances on goal that Gotham just nearly capitalized on. However, the breakthrough itself would come in the 21st minute when Purce would tap in a beautifully weighted pass that slipped perfectly past the Spirit backline and Bledsoe in net, and fell right to Purce’s feet in front of an open Spirit goal for the tap in. When the half would finish Gotham would hold their heads high heading into the locker room with a single goal lead thanks to some amazing goalkeeping before the half keeping the Spirit off the scoresheet.

This was more or less the story of the second half. Washington would begin to find their footing and began to pressure Gotham into some tight defensive work. Chance after chance would fall to both sides but the two keepers continued to deny the other side of any true chances. When the full 90 whistle blew Gotham would walk away with all three points and their second win in a row. This will be a trend the team will certainly look to continue into the future.

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Ashley Intile]