Sporting Club Jacksonville battled tough conditions and a resilient Spokane Zephyr FC side to earn a hard-fought result Saturday night at Hodges Stadium.

Spokane opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but Sporting JAX answered quickly as Sophia Boman finished a rebound in the 22nd minute to level the match at 1-1.

“Trying to deal with the conditions, this wind has been unreal tonight and keeping our composure and remembering our style of play was important to us,” said Grace Phillpotts.

After a slower start, Sporting JAX settled in and controlled much of the possession, finishing with 71% possession on the night. The club generated 15 shots, including four on target, while continuing to apply pressure in the attacking third despite high winds throughout the match. 

“The ball was bouncing in weird ways, so that was definitely keeping us on our toes,” said Sophie Jones. 

Defensively, goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks anchored the backline with five key stops to keep Spokane off the board following its early goal.

“We feel like it’s a little bit of a setback, but it’s a point on the board,” said Coach Stacey Balaam. “We know that every game is so tough and so competitive, and Brooklyn is going to come with a different style, a different look, different identity. So the things that we’re going to learn from this is going to be a progression to move into next week.” 

Sporting JAX remains atop the table as the club continues its push toward the playoffs in its inaugural season.