Maimonides Park | Brooklyn, NY — Sep. 13, 2026
The Sporting JAX women’s team took on Brooklyn FC in a Gainbridge Super League match on Sunday, falling 3-2 in a hard-fought duel.
Baylee’s Banger
Brooklyn FC jumped out to a fast start, securing a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the match. Sporting JAX had their work set out for them early, but it wasn’t long before they began mounting a comeback.
In the 17th minute of the match, defender Grace Phillpotts lofted a ball toward the box, where forward Baylee DeSmit fought for it. Following a few bounces, it found its way back to DeSmit outside the box, who launched a shot that soared into the back of the net. The deficit was cut in half, and this moment–DeSmit’s league-leading fifth goal of the season–helped energize Sporting JAX’s efforts to equalize.
“I was in a good pocket of space and I was just focusing on the ball and making good contact,” DeSmit said. “You don’t have to power the ball all the time if you make good contact and put it in frame; it’s amazing what that can do.”
Fighting Back in the Second Half
Brooklyn maintained their lead going into the break, but Sporting JAX wasn’t going to make it easy for the hosts.
“We had a slow start to the game and they caught us on our heels,” Sporting JAX Head Coach Stacey Balaam. “Finding yourself down 2-0 in the first 10 minutes leaves you with an uphill battle for the rest of the game. Baylee again with her quality kept our chance alive going into the second half with a quality finish.”
The squad sought the tying goal hard, but that task became more difficult when Brooklyn Catherine Zimmerman scored her second goal of the match in the 82nd minute to go up, 3-1.
Sporting JAX shook this off and went back to work, continuing the fight. It came to fruition in the 94th minute when DeSmit found forward Paige Kenton, who scored to bring the deficit back to one. It ultimately wouldn’t be enough, though, as the match soon came to end with Brooklyn ahead.
Looking Ahead
While it wasn’t the result Sporting JAX wanted, days like these can help the team learn and improve as they continue through the season.
“We have to now recover physically but respond appropriately for the next match,” Balaam said. “The motivation will be there, but our minds need to be focused.”
“We will learn a lot from this game and take these lessons with us for the rest of the season,” Kenton added. “Despite the result, this game teaches us that we can push for late goals and keep putting teams under pressure until the very end, which will be valuable as the season moves forward.”
Sporting JAX returns home next Sunday, September 20 at 5 p.m. to face Lexington SC as the club celebrates Hispanic Heritage Night. Fans looking to attend can purchase tickets by clicking below.
