The Sporting Club Jacksonville (11-4-4, 37 pts) women’s team is heading west this weekend as they look to continue their dominance in Gainbridge Super League play, taking on Dallas Trinity FC (8-6-5, 29 pts).
Dallas Trinity FC vs. Sporting JAX
Sunday, March 22 at 5:00 p.m. ET
Cotton Bowl Stadium | Dallas, TX
Watch Live on Peacock
Up to Speed
Sporting JAX most recently took the pitch against Fort Lauderdale United FC, earning a convincing win, 2-0. A quick start allowed the team to lead going into half time, and they never looked back. A strike from midfielder Baylee DeSmit and a header by Georgia Brown, who then channeled her inner Rory McIlroy, highlighted a strong offensive night for the visitors.
This stretched Jacksonville’s lead over second-place Lexington SC to seven points (now six following Lexington’s draw on Wednesday).
In their last 10 matches, Sporting JAX has won eight, while drawing once. During this stretch, the Gainbridge Super League newcomers have also outscored opponents by a wildly-impressive margin of 20-3. Stacey Balaam’s squad is dialed in and will look to continue its first-year rampage this weekend.
The Opponent
The schedule proved to be a bit cruel to Dallas Trinity FC, who faces Sporting JAX this weekend just a few days after a showdown with second-place Lexington SC on Wednesday. After grabbing a late lead, they suffered a brutal letdown when Lexington SC scored in stoppage time to level.
One has to wonder whether this match will impact Sunday’s, for better or worse. These two sides have faced off twice this season, once in Jacksonville and another at the legendary Cotton Bowl Stadium. Both times, the road team has come away the victor, with Sporting JAX scoring a 2-0 win in the most recent meeting in November.
In comparison to their opponent, Dallas has a bit of a tempered offense. They’ve taken the second-least shots (213) in the league, while scoring just 24 times this season. Across the pitch, though, they are defensively sound. Six clean sheets, along with 963 duels won and a tackle success rate of 64% help make it difficult for opponents to come away with victories. This was the case for Sporting JAX in September, when they lost 1-0 following a late concession.
The Verdict
Put simply, Sporting JAX has been on fire, and it’s happening at the right time. With just nine matches remaining until the playoffs, every match and every point counts more now than ever.
Jacksonville will look to overwhelm Dallas with the offensive firepower that nearly each Gainbridge Super League has witnessed. Meanwhile, Dallas will have to lock things down defensively and remain disciplined. They will certainly be determined, too, after the disappointing ending on Wednesday.
Sporting JAX has been dominant, but they’ll have to keep it up if they want to maintain this torrid pace. Things are heating up behind them, and the margin for error is growing slimmer if they want to lock in a playoff spot, and potentially a No.1 seed.
