For the first 61 minutes of Sunday’s match, everything revolved around Rose Lavelle, her debut in the Gotham FC starting lineup and the season-high in minutes she logged.
It revolved around Gotham, plagued by injuries early in the season, inching closer to normalcy.
But by the time their 2-1 win against the Chicago Red Stars (5-3-1) ended, it was Ella Stevens — who subbed for Lavelle in the 61st minute — that was the center of their celebration against her former team from the past three years.
She deposited a header into the net in the 90th minute off a corner kick, and that helped Gotham (3-2-3) extend its unbeaten streak to five matches with the victory at Red Bull Stadium.
It also marked the first time this season that Gotham scored multiple goals in a match.
Stevens’ tally, her second of the season, helped salvage the extra points for Gotham after it initially took a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute.
But before that became a record-breaking goal, Lynn Williams shifted toward the left post — uncovered — and waited.
Gotham’s Esther González had attracted the rest of the Chicago Red Stars’ attention, with a centering pass from the left sideline soaring across the field and toward her right foot.
Instead of tapping the ball toward Chicago’s net, Gonzalez lifted her foot, redirected the ball toward Williams and watched as the forward’s 79th NWSL goal settled into the back of the net — passing Sam Kerr and breaking the league mark for career goals with her third of the campaign.
Gotham’s offense helped control the bulk of the game’s possession early, with Lavelle and Williams then turning those attacks into scoring chances.
Lavelle, who missed the first four matches with a leg injury, started her first match since signing with Gotham in the offseason.
She nearly set up González for a goal in the ninth minute and again 24 minutes later.
Then, in the 38th minute, Lavelle sent the ball to Yazmeen Ryan for a shot that bounced right down the middle, but Mackenzie Wood — making her first NWSL start in place of injured goalkeeper, and United States women’s national team goalie, Alyssa Naeher — saved the chance.
It didn’t take long for Chicago to equalize after Williams gave Gotham the one-goal lead, though.
Penelope Hocking snuck between a pair of defenders and tucked the rebound into the net after Ann-Katrin Berger made the initial save off USWNT star Mallory Swanson’s free kick in the 74th minute.
And that’s where it all stayed until nearly the end.
Even as Gotham kept pressuring Chicago’s net late. Even after Williams nearly scored again on multiple occasions.
Gotham still has managed just two goals just one this season, still has struggled to turn chances into tallies, still has adjusted and tweaked — and kept adjusting and kept tweaking — its lineup with all of the injuries.
But again on Sunday, there were signs that everything had started to come together.
