Gotham FC got an immediate bounceback win in its first match since having a 10-match unbeaten streak snapped, beating Racing Louisville 2-1 on goals from Guro Reiten and Jaedyn Shaw.
The disappointment of the 3-0 loss to Denver Summit FC last time out on didn't linger long, as Gotham grabbed an early lead when Reiten got her first NWSL goal in the eighth minute. It was a stunning individual finish from Reiten coming off a short corner kick routine, the first NWSL goal ever scored by a Norwegian.
The Bats couldn't hold onto that early lead, though, with Louisville's Kayla Fischer heading home an equalizer in the 17th minute after what was nearly an olimpico from a Courtney Petersen corner kick.
The first half ended level but Gotham found its go-ahead goal immediately after halftime. The move for that go-ahead goal was a back-to-front one, a seven-pass sequence that included a pinpoint long pass forward from defender Jess Carter to Jordynn Dudley, then a neat combination of passes between Dudley, a back-in-the-lineup Rose Lavelle, and finally Sam Kerr, who assisted Shaw to finish off one of the smoother team goals Gotham will score this season.
Jaedyn Shaw doing what Jaedyn Shaw does best 😮💨 The perfect team build up turns into a lead for Gotham!
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) September 11, 2026 at 7:50 PM
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Louisville almost answered immediately following the Shaw goal, with two Racing players pressing Ann-Katrin Berger while in possession way back on her own goal line, only for Maja Lardner to put a close-range shot wide and let Gotham off the hook.
Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós made a trio of defensive-minded substitutions in the 62nd minute, taking off Shaw, Lavelle, and Dudley and replacing them with Talia Sommer, Denise O'Sullivan, and Bruninha. The visitors saw out the result from there, an important three points picked up as Gotham tries to extend its lead atop the NWSL table in search of a first Shield.
Racing Louisville: 1.57 xG, 10 shots, 3 shots on target, 28% possession, 203 passes, 62% pass accuracy, 16 fouls, 4 corners, 4 saves
Gotham FC: 1.11 xG, 14 shots, 6 shots on target, 72% possession, 526 passes, 85% pass accuracy, 12 fouls, 5 corners, 2 saves
Goals:
• Gotham, Guro Reiten, 8'
Louisville, Kayla Fischer, 17'
Gotham, Jaedyn Shaw, 46'
Attendance: 5,748
Influential fullbacks
Guro Reiten could have opened her Gotham account from the penalty spot, but had an attempt saved late in Gotham's 0-0 draw on the road against Angel City FC a few weeks ago.
Instead, the Norwegian had a special strike saved up for that first Gotham goal. Gotham was given the time and space to pass the ball around after a short corner kick, Shaw found Reiten in a pocket of space, and Reiten uncorked a perfectly-placed shot from distance to beat Louisville keeper Jordyn Bloomer.
Put that one on a postcard to Norway 🇳🇴 Guro Reiten's first NWSL goal is a beauty!
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) September 11, 2026 at 6:52 PM
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Reiten, an attacking midfielder and wide player during her European career, has predominately functioned as the left fullback for Gotham since arriving earlier this year from Chelsea FC in the WSL in England. It's all new for her, as Reiten said she'd never played the position before prior to filling this role in the NWSL. Her attacking qualities have still shone through, with the goal joining her four assists now in 19 matches played for Gotham.
Midge Purce, another wide attacking player now filling the role of fullback but over on the right side, didn't have a goal or an assist in this game but still had a hugely influential performance. Purce completed the most passes of any player, 53, created four chances for teammates, and won two tackles on the defensive side. The play from Reiten and Purce went a long way towards sealing this result for Gotham.
Shaw paces the attack
Jaedyn Shaw's match-winner was a team goal, with the build-up play a big part of what made it memorable, but it was also a memorably smooth finish for the 21-year-old, bringing her up to seven goals and tying the departed Esther González for the team lead across all competitions this season.
Shaw got the assist on Reiten's goal in the first half, so she's up to five assists, also the most of any Gotham player, and her 12 goal contributions ranks 10th among all NWSL players this season.
Fitting, too, that Shaw was so influential in this Louisville game, seeing as how it occurred exactly one year to the date that Shaw joined Gotham in a record-setting $1.25 million intra-league transfer. She's been on the scoresheet with either a goal or an assist in four of the last six Gotham matches, and is pacing the team's attack while it rides through what's been a transition period with Esther leaving and Sam Kerr taking over at striker.
Kerr assisted Shaw on the winner but the Australian missed a good chance of her own and hasn't scored in four straight starts, though still has contributed three goals and two assists in 11 appearances since returning to the Gotham fold.
Gotham has weapons multiple, like Shaw in the middle of the best season of her NWSL career, or Reiten, contributing assists and now a goal while deployed as an attacking fullback for the first time, so that it's not imperative Sam Kerr scores every game.
The win over Louisville was big in wiping away the Denver loss that preceded it, and in getting Rose Lavelle back from injury and back in the lineup, with Lavelle unofficially responsible for a secondary assist in the lead-up to that Shaw goal.
Gotham's win ensures that the club still sits atop the NWSL table through another round of matches, as of this writing five points up on Washington Spirit, pending their result on Sunday when they face Boston Legacy FC. Gotham heads to North Carolina to play NC Courage at 6:30 pm ET on Saturday, September 19, in what will be a Denise O'Sullivan Homecoming Derby at WakeMed Soccer Park.
