Gotham FC have yet another chance to clinch the NWSL Shield this weekend.
But they will have to do it without Jaedyn Shaw and Rose Lavelle, two of the club’s leading scorers.
Coach Juan Carlos Amorós confirmed Saturday that Shaw (knee) and Lavelle (neck) won’t be available for Sunday’s match in Orlando.
It’s yet another injury blow to a team looking to cap off its regular-season success with some silverware.
Earlier this month, Gotham lost defender Bruninha and rookie forward Jordyn Dudley to season-ending injuries.
“For us, it’s part of the game,” Amorós told The Post on Friday. “When there is a problem, you can focus on the problem or find the solution. We always find the solutions.”
Gotham have lost almost a dozen players over the past seven months, according to Amorós. That includes Esther González, who surprisingly signed with a Saudi club after Gotham mutually agreed to terminate her contract in July.
“An individual doesn’t win the competition, it’s a whole roster, it’s a whole team,” Amorós said. “So that’s where we put a lot of effort on, to be honest, is making sure that everyone is ready. So when the time to contribute is there, then… they are ready.”
Gotham FC have sat near or at the top of the NWSL standings for most of this season.
With two games left in their regular season, Gotham now find themselves in the thick of a fiercely contested hunt for the NWSL Shield, the trophy awarded to the team with the best regular-season record.
Gotham still remain in first place with 55 points. But the San Diego Wave (54 points) and Washington Spirit (52) are closing in on the Bats.
In order for Gotham to secure the Shield on Sunday, the Bats not only need to win, but also need the Wave to lose to Boston Legacy FC and the Spirit to draw or lose to the Kansas City Current.
Amorós said the team hasn’t discussed the various clinching scenarios.
“Obviously, we know that’s a possibility, but that’s not in our hands,” he said. “But what is in our hands is to win the game.”
Being without Shaw, who’s scored a team-leading 10 goals this season, and Lavelle, who’s netted four goals, will make that challenge even tougher.
Gotham’s offense has struggled at times to capitalize on opportunities. The Bats’ 35 goals are the league’s third fewest.
Meanwhile, Gotham’s calling card has been on the defensive end. They’ve conceded a league-low 22 goals this season.
“We need to take care of the little details that go around the game and then go and play the game, go and be ourselves,” Amorós said. “That’s always in our DNA.”
