Marta and Jacqueline Ovalle put pressure on the Gotham team in Sunday's match. (Photo/Mario Casamalhuapa)
The defending National Women's Soccer League champions' season ended in the cruelest way possible Sunday afternoon. Jaedyn Shaw's free kick in the 97th minute gave NJ/NY Gotham FC a 1-0 victory over Orlando Pride in the NWSL semifinals, stunning a near sold-out Inter&Co Stadium into disbelief.
One foul. One set piece. One perfect shot. That's all it took to end Orlando's championship defense.
Jacqueline Ovalle, Orlando's $1.5 million world-record signing, committed the foul in the 95th minute that set up Shaw's game-winner. The 25-year-old Mexican star had played brilliantly all night, attacking relentlessly and creating multiple chances. But one costly mistake in stoppage time overshadowed everything else.
"We need to be smart," Marta said afterward, her voice heavy with disappointment. "We can't give easy fouls, free kicks like that, especially at the end of the game."
Coach Seb Hines deployed Marta at striker, using her as an extra midfielder to create space behind Gotham's aggressive defenders. The tactical adjustment worked. Pride dominated possession and created better scoring chances. But neither team could find the breakthrough.
The match turned physical. Injuries forced substitutions on both sides, with Orlando replacing the injured Julie Doyle with Simone Charley in the 54th minute.
Playing without injured star Barbra Banda – the 2024 championship MVP who suffered a season-ending hip injury in August – Pride needed someone to step up. Ovalle tried everything. She launched shot after shot, created chances, and never stopped attacking. Marta orchestrated from midfield, pulling strings and delivering dangerous crosses. But Gotham's defense, anchored by Sonnett and Jess Carter, held firm.
The numbers told Pride's story. Orlando outshot Gotham 11-5 as the Pride controlled the pace and created the better opportunities. Yet goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse and Berger kept their respective nets clean through 90 minutes.
"At the end of the game, I was pretty sure we were going to play 30 more minutes," Marta said. "I was talking to my players to be smart because they were tired, we were tired. But I saw that they were more tired."
Extra time seemed inevitable. Then came the 95th minute and Ovalle's foul on Rose Lavelle near the penalty area. Shaw stepped up for the free kick. Her right foot struck the ball perfectly, sending it into the bottom right corner; Gotham's only shot on target — the only one that mattered.
Pride players protested, disbelief written across their faces, but they mounted one final chance. Oihane Hernández's header from Marta's cross forced a spectacular save from Berger in the 100th minute. The rebound fell to no one and Berger, after her heroic save, was slow to get up. Then the referee's whistle blew and the game was over.
"The result was a tough one to take," coach Hines said. "I don't think it's a reflection of the performance. I thought we were brilliant tonight. I thought we were going to be the team that scored the first goal, but it wasn't meant to be. This is a cruel game, and you don't always get what you deserve."
Marta, currently nominated for the FIFA Marta Award for best goal of the year – an honor recognizing her spectacular solo effort against Kansas City in last year's semifinals – orchestrated Orlando's attack one final time. But even legends can't control everything.
The good news for Pride fans? Marta remains a contender for the award that bears her name. Banda will return healthy next season. Ovalle, at just 25, represents the future. But tonight, none of that mattered. The defending champions' season ended on one free kick. One cruel moment. Football doesn't always reward the team that deserves it most.
