HARRISON, N.J. — Bolstered by the return of several of their gold-medal winners, Ella Stevens and Yazmeen Ryan scored goals to lead Gotham to a 2-0 home win against the Portland Thorns on Saturday in the National Women's Soccer League.
Gotham struck early when Stevens flicked Bruninha's cross behind her in the 7th minute, finishing into the far post.
Ryan sealed the victory in the 70th, unleashing a powerful strike from distance into the lower right corner.
Portland (8-6-3) struggled offensively without Sophia Smith and Sam Coffey, who recently won a gold medal with the U.S. women's national team at the Paris Olympics. The Thorns finished with just three shots on goal.
Gotham (10-3-4) had five players on the gold medal squad. Rose Lavelle, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett, and Tierna Davidson all played Saturday, while Lynn Williams was unavailable due to an injury.
