Ann-Katrin Berger earned her 10th shutout of 2026, the first NWSL goalkeeper in history to do so in back-to-back seasons, as Gotham FC settled for a 0-0 draw with Angel City FC in Los Angeles on a drama-filled Sunday evening.
The German international made three saves to keep Gotham level with Angel City, including a flukey unintentional block on defender Evelyn Shores's shot from distance towards the end of the first half.
The draw means the Bats are now undefeated in nine consecutive games, extending their lead atop the NWSL table as the club chases its first-ever NWSL Shield, now seven points clear of Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns.
"We were a little bit disappointed with the first half, and there's some things we need to tidy up just technically as a team," said acting head coach Shaun Harris. "There were a lot of unforced turnovers. We said we wanted to be a little bit more aggressive, so that was the plan coming back into the second half."
The Bats struggled to find some form of consistency after Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle went down hard in the 31st minute with a head injury, hitting her head on the turf following a collision with an Angel City defender. Lavelle was quickly looked over by trainers from both teams on the field for several anxiety-riddled minutes before heading off the pitch, replaced by Mandy Freeman.
When asked about Lavelle's health after the match, Harris told reporters that he had "no update."
"Obviously it’s not ideal when players go down early in the game," Harris said. "Rose is a key part of our team. At the same time, everyone knows the roles and responsibilities of each decision, and we have players able to step in and fill that role. It’s not ideal, but at the same time, we have people in and around to be able to fill in, and I thought we coped with it quite well."
Angel City: 1.03 xG, 16 shots, 3 shots on target, 39% possession, 324 passes, 80% pass accuracy, 13 fouls, 7 corners, 4 saves
Gotham: 1.21 xG, 12 shots, 4 shots on target, 61% possession, 525 passes, 87% pass accuracy, 9 fouls, 3 corners, 3 saves
Attendance: 15,860
Second-half chances
Whether it was the pain of seeing Lavelle down or Harris's second-half strategy, the Bats came back onto the pitch with renewed energy.
Gotham got its biggest chance to steal all three points late in the second half, and thanks to rookie Jordynn Dudley. Dudley had tested Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson in the 72nd minute, attempting a dipping shot that forced Anderson to make a nice diving save to keep it out.
Dudley had an even more important shot attempt in the 82nd minute, blasting the ball off Angel City defender Sarah Gorden. Gorden's block on Dudley's shot was initially ruled as a clean one, but VAR intervened and referee Gerald Flores overturned the initial decision, awarding a penalty kick to Gotham after Gorden was ruled to have handled the ball.
Guro Reiten stepped up to try to claim her first NWSL and Gotham goal from the penalty spot, but it wasn't meant to be, as Anderson got a hand on the ball to block the Norwegian's low shot.
Angelina Anderson stops the late PK! 😱
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) August 23, 2026 at 10:01 PM
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In the 90th minute, Sam Kerr almost recreated the magic from her game-winning goal against the Kansas City Current last week, but Kerr's shot instead bounced off the crossbar and out.
"I thought the second half was a lot better," said Shaun Harris. "We definitely created a few more chances and (were) unfortunate not to put one away with regards to the (penalty)…It is what it is, and we trust all our players when they step up and take the penalty, and unfortunately it wasn't our day."
With nine matches to go and with a decent-sized lead at the top of the table, the Bats are on the precipice of claiming the NWSL Shield, although Harris says the team is more focused on "trying to build on each performance" rather than winning the Shield. There’s a possibility that Gotham will be able to do both if they continue to improve their game over the regular season's final months.
The Bats next face the Portland Thorns at home in another Friday night fixture at Sports Illustrated Stadium, when they'll look to extend their Shield lead and extend their nine-game unbeaten run.
