Soccer fans held their breath on Friday, as USWNT and Gotham defender Emily Sonnett was stretchered off the Portland field with injury in the opening minutes of the Gotham vs Thorns game’s 2-2 draw.
“Gotham FC defender Emily Sonnett left Friday’s match at Portland with a suspected left knee injury,” read a team statement. “She will receive further evaluation in New Jersey.”
“Emily’s one of our key players as a leader on and off the pitch, so it’s really difficult when you lose such a great and key player that early in the game,” added interim manager Shaun Harris.
The game that followed pitted the No. 5 Portland’s potent offense against No. 2 Gotham’s staunch backline.
Superstar signing Sam Kerr played hero for the Bats. The Australian international scored her first goal since returning to the NWSL, securing the result in the 62nd minute.
“I thought we were quite poor today, to be honest,” Kerr said postgame. “We were probably lucky to get away with the tie.”
Gotham’s roadtrip continues with Wednesday’s visit to No. 14 Bay FC, kicking off at 10 PM ET (CBS Sports).
