SPORTS WRAP
BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY, JR.
PHOTOS BY FELICIA LAGUERRE OWENS
The Gotham FC has been having a good season this year in the National Women’s Soccer League. This past Friday, Gotham FC hosted a game in the NWSL x LIGA Mx Femenil Summer Cup at Red Bull Stadium. In the quarterfinal match, FC shut out a tough Chivas de Guadalajara Femenil team 3-0.
After a brief storm delayed the game for a bid, a fairly decent crowd attended this game and saw midfielder Katie Stengal and Ella Stevens put on a show. In the 31st minute, Stevens assisted Stengal on a nice cross for the first goal to make the score 1-0.
In the 63rd minute, Stengal returned the favor and assisted Stevens on a goal for a 2-0 advantage. Eight minutes later, Stevens assisted Stengal on the final goal for the 3-0 lead.
Gotham FC had 12 shots on goal compared to just 5 for Chivas, all of which were stopped by goalkeeper Michelle Betos. As of this writing, FC owns Group D of the Summer Cup.
Over in France, the 2024 Paris Olympics continue. While other events are still going on, some events have concluded. Among them are the gymnastics competitions, with Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and the team as a whole leaving with hardware. Biles now owns 7 Gold Medals and 10 overall, while Suni Lee and Chiles scored bronze, and the team won Gold in the team competition.
In swimming, Katie Ledecky added some more Gold to her legacy, and the U.S. women took Gold in the 4×100 meter relay, setting a record at 3:49.63. However, the U.S. men shockingly settled for Silver in the freestyle 4×200, making the first time they did not win Gold in a non-boycotted Olympics.
As of this writing, the United States have a total of 82 medals, and their 22 Gold is tied with China for the most in that category.
On the hardwood, the U.S. men and women are dominating the field, with some local star power on the courts. While you may already know about Bam Adebayo representing Newark, you may not know about Newark’s own Ezinne Kalu-Phelps, who is competing on the Nigerian Olympic basketball team. Another local star is Newark Tech’s Mariah Perez, who is playing for Puerto Rico. The 6’3” forward attended RISE Academy in Newark at a young age, and played at Dayton University.
