Hodges Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla. — Oct. 31, 2026
The Sporting JAX women’s team rallied multiple times on Saturday, clawing back to earn a point in a 4-4 draw against Brooklyn FC.
A Rapid Response
Brooklyn quickly jumped ahead in the first 25 minutes of the match, gaining a 2-0 advantage. Sporting JAX found themselves in an early hole, but a response was on the way.
Two minutes later, Sporting JAX earned a free kick in a dangerous position. Defender Grace Phillpotts lined up the kick, sending it towards the box. From there, forward Baylee DeSmit connected with a header to get Sporting JAX on the board with her eighth goal of the season.
Less than 10 minutes later, an equalizer was delivered. In the 33rd minute, Brooklyn failed to clear the ball from the final third. Sporting JAX forward Paige Kenton muscled her way through the opposition, gaining possession and sending a shot past the keeper. Suddenly, the deficit was gone and the match was tied.
“I think our faith in our attack and our creativity [helped us come back],” Kenton said. “We see it every day in practice. We know we can score goals. We’re scoring all week. We’re working with each other. Our cohesion up front is outstanding.”
Another Rally
Sporting JAX fought hard to erase Brooklyn’s lead, but the visitors entered the second half energized to find a new one. They struck quickly, grabbing two more goals to reestablish their lead from earlier in the match.
Much like the first half, though, a response from the home team was on the way. In the 67th minute, Kenton drew a foul in the box to award her squad a penalty kick. Midfielder Ashlyn Puerta stepped up to the spot, converting to shrink the gap back to one goal.
The attack didn’t stop there, though. Not too long after, it was Kenton and Puerta working together to create the equalizer as Puerta tied things up with a shot in the 80th minute. Puerta joins DeSmit atop the Gainbridge Super League with eight goals scored this season. As with the tying goal. Puerta and Kenton have proven to be a dynamic duo in the past and are showing that again this season, something they spoke to following the match.
“We were both battling illnesses in the first part of the season, so I think we were a little off our game in the first part,” Puerta said. “But we’ve been really working in training, finding each other and getting back into that groove.”
“I’m happy we’re back to connecting,” Kenton said. “She’s so talented; you get the ball to her and she creates something magic.”
This is something that Sporting JAX Head Coach Stacey Balaam also pointed to postmatch as a strength of the team.
“They built that relationship with each other, and they’ve got that chemistry on the field and obviously playing with each other last year,” Balaam said. “You’ve always got to be on the same page for things like that to click, and they just have a great understanding with each other and they’re always dangerous to defend for teams.”
Fighting ‘Til the End
With the match tied, time remained to seek the winning goal. Sporting JAX tried relentlessly, nearly coming close on multiple occasions. In the end, though, the match ended locked up at 4-4. Two multi-goal comebacks was not anything that Balaam had seen in her career, which she spoke to postmatch. While it’s not what she hoped to see, she was proud of the grit that her squad showed to fight and ultimately salvage a point.
“No, [I haven’t seen that], and I don’t want to make it a trend because it’s always an uphill climb when you down a goal or two goals,” Balaam said. “The work ethic of the group to come back and come back into the game – Ashlyn, Baylee, Paige – just showing up and showing their importance and their value in the team was incredible.”
Looking Ahead
Sporting JAX hits the road next weekend to take on Dallas Trinity FC in the Gainbridge Super League Match of the Month. Fans can tune it at 5 p.m. ET on Peacock. They’ll return to Hodges Stadium on Sunday, November 15 at 5 p.m. to take on DC Power FC. Fans looking to attend can purchase tickets by clicking here.
