Sam Kerr Becomes First to 80 NWSL Regular-Season Goals as Gotham FC Rally Past Kansas City Current

Twenty-two seconds. That is how long it took the Kansas City Current to stun Sports Illustrated Stadium on Friday night. Gotham FC then spent the next 90-plus minutes making sure it did not matter.

Midge Purce equalized in the 13th minute, Sam Kerr scored the winner in the 41st, and Gotham beat the Current 2-1 in Harrison, N.J., in front of 9,622 fans. Kerr's goal made history: Gotham said she became the first player in NWSL history to reach 80 regular-season goals, and her 31st regular-season goal for Gotham made her the club's all-time leading regular-season scorer.

A Record-Tying Opener

Kansas City barely let the opening whistle finish. The Current won the ball within 15 seconds of kickoff, Debinha sprang Croix Bethune, and Bethune threaded a through ball behind the Gotham back line for Amelia White, who clipped a left-footed finish past Ann-Katrin Berger into the bottom right corner. KC said the 22-second goal tied the NWSL record for the fastest goal in regular-season history, a mark White now shares with teammate Michelle Cooper.

Bethune's assist was her ninth of the regular season, per the Current, leaving her one shy of the league's single-season record of 10, which she already shares with Tobin Heath.

Gotham's response was immediate in spirit and quick in practice. Jordynn Dudley had a shot blocked in the seventh minute, and in the 13th, after Jaedyn Shaw's free kick was knocked down to her feet, Purce slotted a right-footed shot from the middle of the box into the bottom left corner. Gotham said it was her third goal in five matches, and all three of her goals this season have come inside the opening 15 minutes.

Kerr Makes History

The middle of the half got feisty. Berger kept it level with a close-range save on Haley Hopkins in the 20th minute, and a video review in the 31st cleared KC defender Elizabeth Ball of a red card before she was booked two minutes later. Rose Lavelle headed just over in the 36th and forced a save from Marisa Jordan with another header in the 38th.

Then, in the 41st minute, Shaw played a weighted pass and Kerr redirected it left-footed into the bottom left corner. Gotham's notes list it as her 80th career NWSL regular-season goal and her third of this season.

Gotham kept pushing before the break. Jordan saved a Tierna Davidson shot from distance in the 44th, and Kerr headed just over a minute later.

Jordan Turns Into a Brick Wall

The second half belonged to Gotham, but Jordan refused to let it become a rout. She saved from Shaw in the 47th minute and from Lavelle in the 63rd. In between, Gotham thought it had a third goal in the 55th minute when Jaelin Howell scored, but VAR ruled it out. Gotham's recap said officials determined Kerr was in an offside position as she motioned toward Howell's shot.

Kansas City had brief spells. White's close-range effort was blocked in the 50th, Debinha fired over in the 54th, and substitute Penelope Hocking missed wide on a late break. But the Current spent most of the half defending.

Jordan's best work came at the end. She saved from Shaw in the 88th, from Kerr in the 89th, and then made two stops in the 95th minute, first from Kerr and then from Purce. KC said her eight saves set a new career high. She did everything she could to keep the Current in it.

Stars of the Night

Kerr finished with four shots, three on target, and a goal that put her alone in the history books. Shaw was everywhere, assisting the winner and putting two of her three shots on target. Gotham said the assist was her fourth of the season and the 10th of her NWSL career.

Purce, meanwhile, keeps climbing Gotham's all-time lists. The club said she joins Kerr and Esther González as the only players in team history with 20 regular-season goals for Gotham.

Lavelle was the most frequent shooter alongside Kerr with four attempts. For Kansas City, White and Bethune produced the moment of the match, and Jordan produced the performance. Lo'eau LaBonta also hit a personal milestone in the 35th minute, becoming the 20th player in NWSL history to reach 15,000 career regular-season minutes, according to KC.

The Turning Point

Purce's equalizer in the 13th minute. Gotham had been hit with a record-tying early goal and needed to answer before the deficit started to weigh on them. Instead, the hosts were level by the 13th minute and controlled the rest of the night. Acting head coach Shaun Harris praised exactly that: "Going a goal down so early, the team showed real character," he said, adding that he liked "the response that they showed, to stick to the game plan, not waver, not break down, and just keep plugging away and to get the result back so early."

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Gotham 16, Kansas City 5.
• Shots on target: Gotham 10, Kansas City 3.
• Saves: Jordan 8, Berger 1.
• Possession: Gotham 63.7 percent, Kansas City 36.3.
• Passing: Gotham completed 456 of 545 passes, Kansas City 228 of 302.

What It Means

Gotham moves to 13-4-3 with 43 points and is unbeaten in eight straight, one short of the club record, according to Gotham. The club also said this was its first regular-season win over Kansas City in club history, and that it has won each of its last three matches in which it conceded first. KC beat Gotham 2-1 in April. Gotham said the result opened a seven-point gap over second-place Washington, which still had a game to play that weekend. Gotham visits Angel City FC on Sunday, Aug. 23.

Kansas City falls to 9-3-8 with 30 points and is winless in three, following draws with Angel City and Houston. Coach Chris Armas focused on the fight. "We stepped on the pitch with good mentality, a good road mentality," he said. "But there's a lot of fight from our team to stay in it, to keep pushing. I'm proud of the group for that, for sure." The Current host Seattle Reign FC on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Closing Take

Kansas City opened like a team with the perfect first play scripted, but Gotham had Kerr, and Kerr had history to make. The Current will remember the 22 seconds. Everyone else will remember number 80.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by GothamFC.com and KansasCityCurrent.com.