The Sporting JAX men’s team took on Brooklyn FC Saturday at Hodges Stadium, drawing 2-2 in a back-and-forth Eastern Conference duel.

Instant Action

Sporting JAX wasted no time getting things going Saturday night, striking first in the third minute. After an initial attack was halted, the home side rebounded when Harvey Neville completed a pass to Tyshawn Rose in the box. Emil Jääskeläinen was on the receiving end of Rose’s perfectly-placed cross, giving Sporting JAX an early lead.

Ahmad’s Addition

Just minutes later, Sporting JAX was back on the attack. Another brilliant cross, this time from Edgardo Rito, was what sparked the second goal of the evening. The ball soared into the box, where Ahmad Al-Qaq was able to redirect it into the back of the net.

“We wanted to build on the last one,” Al-Qaq said in reference to Wednesday’s win over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.

Looking Ahead

Brooklyn FC fought back, ultimately scoring two second-half goals to force a draw. While it wasn’t the win that Sporting JAX wanted, Saturday’s result gives the squad another point and extends their unbeaten streak to three matches.

“Unbeaten in the last three, so we’ve got to keep that form and make sure we’ve got the winning mentality and not lose the next game and give everything in the next one,” Jääskeläinen said.

Sporting JAX turns its attention westward as they gear up to face El Paso Locomotive FC on the road next Saturday, July 25. Following Saturday’s match, Sporting JAX Head Coach Liam Fox acknowledged the strides his team has made while emphasizing the importance of this upcoming fixture.

“We build on the things that we feel we’ve been improving on and we still need to tighten up those wee moments,” Fox said. Every game in the league is really difficult and really challenging, so we need to make sure that we’re on it all the time.”