Washington Spirit at Gotham FC

NEW YORK — Gotham FC defeated the Washington Spirit 1-0 on Wednesday night at Citi Field, breaking through in the 37th minute when midfielder Rose Lavelle collected a loose ball off a Washington turnover, drove into the box and lofted a shot over goalkeeper Sandy MacIver and under the crossbar. The goal, assisted by Jaelin Howell, was the only one of the night in a match played before 42,175 fans, a sellout that set a New York City record for attendance at a women’s sporting event and the second-largest crowd in NWSL history. Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger made nine saves, including a stoppage-time double stop on Claudia Martínez and Gift Monday, to preserve the shutout. Washington pushed for an equalizer late, sending on Rebeca Bernal, Deborah Abiodun, Gift Monday and Claudia Martínez in search of a response, but could not solve Berger down the stretch. The match also featured the return of Australian forward Sam Kerr, who played 26 minutes in her first NWSL appearance in nearly seven years. The win kept Gotham FC level on points with Washington atop the NWSL standings and extended the club’s unbeaten run against its longtime rival to five matches, including a fifth straight clean sheet against the Spirit.