The Sporting Jax men’s and women’s teams were both in action on Saturday, Aug. 15.
The men’s team took on Eastern Conference rival Indy Eleven at Hodges Stadium. This was their first home game in nearly a month, and fans were excited for their return.
“I think the crowd tonight was really nice,” Sporting JAX goalkeeper Jake McGuire said. “They brought some good noise for us, and it’s good to be back on our own field.”
Sporting Jax put up a fight, but ultimately fell, 1-0, after Indy Eleven took the lead in the closing minutes.
Despite the loss, McGuire made several impressive saves throughout the game. He had four saves with one coming in the 39th minute, when he stopped a dangerous Indy header off of a free kick to help keep things scoreless going into halftime.
The men’s team is still working on growing together as a unit.
“Everybody working on themselves individually and collectively, it’s going to come
together,” said McGuire.
Marcus Godinho made his debut in Saturday’s match, helping Jacksonville’s defense keep
Indy’s attack scoreless for most of the night.
The men’s team will be on the road for the next two matches, the first of which will be against Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday, Aug. 22. They will then face Brooklyn FC on Aug. 29.
The Sporting Jax women’s team won their season opener against Fort Lauderdale United FC. They managed to score in the 89th minute for the 1-0 victory.
The late game-winning goal came from Baylee DeSmit, one of the team’s standouts in their inaugural season.
“It feels great,” said DeSmit. “I hope it’s just the beginning, but obviously it feels great to get that win under our belt to start off.”
DeSmit had a strong start to her professional career in the 2025-26 season, where she made 25 appearances with 12 goals and two assists. Her 12 goals brought her even with teammate Ashlyn Puerta, the 2025-26 Player of the Year recipient, for the most goals on the team.
The women’s team will be back at Hodges Stadium for their home opener against Tampa Bay Sun FC on Saturday, Aug. 22.
