Nia Christopher was an unused substitute as NJ/NY Gotham FC defeated Deportivo Cali 1-0 in the opening match of The Women’s Cup Colombia at Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero.
The match is a part of the team’s first preseason tournament of 2024 in Cali, Colombia.
In the opening minutes, Gotham FC settled into the match through possession, which opened opportunities on the attacking side. At the 15-minute mark, defender Kelley O’Hara found forward Katie Stengel inside the eighteen-yard box, where the forward chested the ball down to forward Esther for a shot. The ball deflected and fell to midfielder Delanie Sheehan, who fired a shot off the half-volley that was saved.
Later in the half, Gotham FC found some success down the flanks. In the 37th minute, forward Ella Stevens found space down the left side and played a ball into the box, where rookie defender Maycee Bell attempted to redirect on goal but was off target. Then, in the first-half stoppage time, Esther created separation from the defender inside the box and lifted a ball to the back post, where defender Maitane connected on a header that went just off frame.
Goalkeeper Cassie Miller was called upon early in the second half when she had to bravely dive at the feet of a Deportivo Cali forward to preserve a clean sheet.
Gotham FC continued to create opportunities in the attacking third at the beginning of the second half, but was unable to break through until the final moments of the match.
At the death, Gotham FC non-rostered invitee McKenna Whitham found the back of the net on a play that began with Maitane and Sheehan. The two cleverly combined down the near-side, where Sheehan drove a ball across goal. The ball deflected and found Whitham, who buried the shot first time.
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