Gotham FC draws 1-1 with Chicago Stars FC to kick off second half of the season | OneFootball

Kicking off the second half of their season, NJ/NY Gotham FC came away with a point on the road after a 1-1 draw with Chicago Stars FC. While this does see their two-game winning streak come to a close, it does see their unbeaten run reach three games, tied for their longest streak of the season.

Coincidentally, this was the second time this season Chicago has faced Gotham in their first game under an interim head coach. In May, it was Masaki Hemmi, and on Friday night, it was former Stars player Ella Masar, who had been an assistant in Chicago since 2023. Both games saw positive results for the Stars, earning a point each time.

For Gotham, they probably come away with mixed feelings. There were times the NJ/NY side could have put this game out of reach for Chicago, but at the same time may consider themselves lucky to come away with just a point based on the home side's play. No Esther González meant rookie Khyah Harper made her first start of her professional career, while the newly reacquired Katie Stengel started on the bench.

Looking ahead, five of their next seven matches in all competitions are at home. So, while coming away with three points would have obviously been the ideal scenario leaving Chicago, earning a point, and starting this run of games with some positive momentum should hopefully see them push on and finally start looking a little bit more like last year's team.

A point to start the second half for Gotham FC

The game started slowly for Gotham FC, with Chicago looking like the better team in the first 20ish minutes. This was in part due to the Stars' high press causing the visitors some issues when it came to building out from the back and even retaining the ball for a sustained period. Things then went even more sideways when Midge Purce was forced off in the 17th minute due to what looked like a hamstring injury.

As time went on, though, Gotham grew into the game and ultimately took the lead late in the first half. In the 39th minute, it was the three rookies of Lilly Reale, Sarah Schupansky, and Harper linking up to score the goal. Reale found Schupansky on the edge of the box. The winger then found enough space to get in a cross that found the head of Harper, who got her first goal in her professional career.

It was a great striker's run from Harper, whose movement in the box did enough for her to find space between the defenders and turn the ball into the back of the net. This was also Schupansky's fifth assist of the season, which at the time of writing ties her for the league lead with San Diego Wave FC's Delphine Cascarino.

In stoppage time, the Bats thought they had doubled their lead. Goal-scorer Harper found Rose Lavelle, who then made a mazy run into the box and beat the returning Alyssa Naeher for what everyone thought was Gotham FC's second of the game. However, the goal was immediately called back for offside, which was then upheld upon VAR review. It looked tight, but given that the NWSL does not use the lines on offside calls, there was not enough to overturn the call. Nevertheless, Gotham went into halftime with the lead.

At the beginning of the second half, it started to look a lot like the beginning of the first, with Chicago again the better team. A cross from Jenna Bike just missed an open Ludmila in the 50th minute, and then a great chance from Ally Schlegel produced a great save from Berger just seven minutes later. Then, in the 67th minute, the Windy City team's relentless pressure paid off with an equalizing goal.

Julia Grosso put in a great left-footed cross into the box that found the head of Schlegel, who directed it past Berger to get the Stars back into the game at 1-1. One cannot say it was not deserved as Chicago had looked like by far and away the better side in the second half.

Despite both teams having their fair share of chances for the rest of the game, this one would end up finishing 1-1. A draw does feel like the right result. Yes, Gotham perhaps should have put the game to bed by scoring a second, but it's hard to deny that Chicago was the better team for longer stretches of this game.

Meanwhile, all three of Gotham's starting rookies can come away with their heads held high. Fans have come to expect this level of play from Reale and Schupansky, who established themselves as starters very early on in the season. But Harper, who said post-match that she had never scored a header like that, was a welcome surprise and much needed, given how depleted this team is at the forward position. Her potentially becoming a real option at the striker position changes this team's outlook not just for the rest of this season, but for 2026 as well.