Gotham and Courage draw scoreless in Gotham's home opener
Gotham FC and NC Courage played to a 0-0 draw Saturday. Tierna Davidson returned from ACL injury for Gotham in the 61st minute.
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Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage finished their Matchweek 2 encounter in a scoreless draw Saturday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.
The match remained goalless throughout 90 minutes of regulation plus seven minutes of stoppage time. Both teams' defenses dominated play, with neither side able to break through. The Courage pressed Gotham's goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger on several occasions during the second half, beginning around the 59th minute, but Berger and the Gotham defense held firm. Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Crystal Dunn were unable to connect on a potential through ball in the 68th minute after a good ball recovery, with Lavelle instead playing the ball back to the defensive line.
A collision between Courage midfielder Jess Dudley and Gotham defender Emily Sonnett in the 53rd minute halted play, with Dudley requiring treatment on the pitch. The stoppage was used by Gotham's Esther and Lavelle to gather the group and deliver instructions.
The match featured two of the NWSL's premier goalkeepers. Gotham's Ann-Katrin Berger and North Carolina's Kailen Sheridan both made key contributions to the defensive stalemate.
The most significant development for Gotham came in the 61st minute when defender Tierna Davidson entered the match. Davidson, a 27-year-old 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup winner and 2024 Olympic gold medalist, was making her first appearance since suffering an ACL tear on March 28, 2025, against Houston three games into the 2025 NWSL season. The injury was the second ACL tear of her career. Davidson had missed nearly all of the 2025 season recovering from the injury.
Both teams had won their opening weekend matches but earned just one point each from Saturday's draw. The result left both sides with two points from their opening two matches of the season.
Prior to the match, Gotham FC held a post-game ceremony to present players with their 2025 NWSL Championship rings. The ceremony included speeches from former Gotham player Ali Krieger, club owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, General Manager Yael Averbuch West, and coach Juan Carlos Amorós. Gotham won the 2025 championship after placing eighth in the regular season and securing the lowest playoff seed. The club defeated Shield winners Kansas City Current in a stoppage time game-winning goal, then eliminated the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit in subsequent playoff matches.
Gotham will face the Denver Summit on Wednesday, March 25.