On Saturday, Feb. 7, Sporting Club Jacksonville lost at home to DC Power FC 1-0. Prior to this match, Sporting Jax had won five of their last six games.
Halftime featured an energetic performance from the Terry Parker High School Marching Band.
DC Power played a very defensive game, and Sporting Jax struggled with forced passes, missed opportunities and an inability to finish chances.
They were able to cripple Sporting Jax by staying low and leaving them little to no space to work with.
This loss caused Sporting Jax to fall to second place in the Gainbridge Super League right behind Lexington SC. Sporting Jax will face Lexington SC on the road on Feb. 21.
Sporting Jax captain Sophie Jones gave all the credit to DC Power for playing a tough, physical game and admitted her team needed to tighten up in a few areas.
“Right now, it’s just watching film, learning from our mistakes and getting ready for the next one,” she said.
Paige Kenton echoed the sentiment of her captain and said the team can’t wait to get back to work. “None of us like to lose, so we are all going to be really amped for the next game,” she said.
Head coach Stacey Balaam noted that her team fell short in a few areas.
“We just failed to make use of our possessions,” she said.
Balaam said the most important thing will be how her team reacts going forward.
“We want a positive response from the team. We are looking for a good reaction from them to try and bounce back from this one,” she said.
Sporting Jax had been on a good streak, but according to the head coach sometimes a loss is necessary. “Sometimes we need games like this to give us a little bit of a reset,” said Balaam.
