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Jaedyn Shaw again? Yup, we highlighted a Shaw goal from her Gotham debut two weeks ago. This one is an assist, but it was too good to pass up, especially on a weekend when many of the best goals lacked any sort of clinical buildup.
Gotham was already leading the Thorns 1-0 and well on their way to a 3-0 beat down, when a midfield takeaway and then some sublime passing doubled the lead near halftime.
It started with Emily Sonnett stepping up to challenge an outlet pass from behind. This was not a great outlet pass, and you can see that even unchallenged, Samantha Coffey would have had limited options. The ball wound up squiring loose and Coffey lost her feet, allowing Gotham to take possession.
Josefine Hasbo (above, facing the ball) was first to it and she wasted no time, redirecting the ball up field with a single touch. Hasbo’s touch began a sequence in which four players took a total of five touches in working it into an attacking position.
Hasbo’s first ball went to Rose Lavelle who immediately played it back. Below is Hasbo between touches with Lavelle upfied and almost hidden between two Thorns defenders.
Notice how Lavelle is angled toward the Thorns goal while both defenders appear fixated on the ball. Meanwhile, Jaedyn Shaw is running free in space in the middle of the park. The next touch is directed toward Shaw, but take note of two things. One is how Lavelle has broken free and is bursting into space, looking for a seem to run into. The second is, there is no way Shaw can do anything with this pass, right?
Words could never do justice to the touch Shaw put on the ball to unlock Lavelle. So just watch the full clip and enjoy poetry in motion.
And here is a quick look at all three Gift Monday goals Sunday, the first Spirit regular season hat trick in a decade.
