Sunday afternoon’s showdown between Dallas Trinity FC and Sporting Club Jacksonville, resulted in a striking display of dominance from the Sporting JAX frontline, and proved exactly why they sit high at the top of the table.
The scoring started with Baylee DeSmit launching a beautiful shot into the back of the net. Paige Kenton followed DeSmit’s lead just two minutes later with a goal in the 47th minute before the half.
“Once we get going, we kind of just feed off each other,” said DeSmit, the night’s first goal scorer. “The whole team just has a really incredible chemistry, so making those kinds of plays, and then making them over and over again, is something that just happens for us and it’s fun to be a part of.”
The scoring didn’t stop there though. Sophia Boman and Meg Hughes capitalized on the momentum from the first half and placed two more goals in the back of the net to push the lead to four. The pair recorded their third (Boman) and second (Hughes) goals of the season.
“It was such a well placed ball by Paige (Kenton),” said Boman. “I knew that she saw me coming, and so I knew she was going to place it where it needed to go, and the goal was just a result of that connection.”
The win brings many milestones for the Gainbridge Super League leaders. With these three points, Kaitlyn Parks has now tied the regular season record of nine clean sheets with Spokane Zephyr’s Hope Hisey, and maintains a solid four consecutive clean sheets with this win.
Another star shines in Paige Kenton as she now leads the league in assists with seven on the season, and is tied at third with Gianna Gourley for goals with eight on the season.
“They are such a good group,” said Head Coach Stacey Balaam. “They just play so hard and give their all every time they step on the pitch, and that’s not something you can teach. Watching them is incredibly exciting.”
The team aims to bring the energy home for their next match at Hodges against Spokane Zephyr FC where the top two goalies in the league meet for the second time. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and is available to watch on Peacock.
