Hodges Stadium | Jacksonville, FL — April 25, 2026
The Sporting Club Jacksonville women’s team (14-6-5, 47 pts) took on Lexington SC (12-3-10, 46 pts) Saturday in a matchup of the Gainbridge Super League’s top-two teams, falling 2-1.
Clash of the Titans
The 2025/26 season has largely been dominated by Sporting JAX and Lexington. The sides have sat in first place for a vast majority of the season, with Sporting JAX taking control of the top spot since February.
Going into Saturday, the season series was an even split, with Lexington taking the first meeting and Sporting JAX grabbing a 3-0 win in their last showdown. Eyes across the nation looked upon Jacksonville for an exciting matchup of powerful squads, and it lived up to the hype.
Early Offense
It didn’t take long for the league’s two highest-scoring teams to find their way onto the scoreboard. Lexington struck first in the 19th minute when midfielder Addie McCain found the back of the net.
Sporting JAX eagerly sought the equalizer, and that chance came just over 10 minutes later when midfielder Meg Hughes drew a penalty in the box. Fellow midfielder Ashlyn Puerta took to the spot, facing Lexington keeper Katherine Asman. She struck the ball, sending it past Asman to tie the match.
This marked Puerta’s 12th goal of the season, and was a welcome return to the scoring column for the 19-year-old phenom.
“I feel like it was coming for a while,” Puerta said. “It’s not about the goals for me, as long as the team’s doing well and the team’s scoring, then it’s good.”
Sporting JAX Head Coach Stacey Balaam added to this, praising Puerta’s value aside from scoring.
“She’s contributed in so many different ways,” Balaam said. “I think she’s just showing her worth on the field, whether it’s contributing to goals or scoring goals, but I’m glad she got one today.”
Roberts’ Return
Before the season, Sporting JAX midfielder and captain Parker Roberts suffered an ACL injury. Roberts took the pitch for the first time in a competitive match at Hodges Stadium on Saturday, coming on in the second half.
“I played in a couple other games, but being back on your home field, there’s really nothing like it, especially since I didn’t even really get a tease of it in preseason,” Roberts shared. “It just means everything to play in front of my family and this community.”
Looking Ahead
Lexington ultimately prevailed thanks to a goal from forward McKenzie Weinert. It may be their last meeting during the regular season, but these two teams could see each other again next month in the Gainbridge Super League Playoffs.
Saturday’s result narrows the gap on Sporting JAX’s lead atop the league table, but Balaam believes that the squad will bounce back quickly.
“It’s something that I think is a test of the character of this group, but I have no doubt that they’re going to respond the right way next week,” Balaam said. “We’ll get back to doing what we need to do, Back to Basics on the training ground, and hopefully we can move forward.”
They’ll be back in action next Sunday, May 3rd, at Hodges Stadium, taking on Brooklyn FC in the final home match of the regular season.
