The Sporting JAX women’s team got back in the win column on Sunday, May 3, as they defeated Brooklyn FC 2-1 at Hodges Stadium.
Sporting Jax honored their fans at their last regular season home game as the theme of the night was Fan Appreciation.
Baylee DeSmit drew a penalty kick in the 16th minute of the match and a minute later, the midfielder scored the first goal making it 1-0.
“I was very confident, we have been training PKs at practice,” DeSmit said.
DeSmit would find the back of the net again in the second half, which was her second goal of the day and her 11th of the season, bringing the score to 2-0. She was voted “player of the match” by the fans.
Sporting Jax gave up a goal late in the second half and went down a player, which activated goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg for the first time since September.
“Every week, I just try to improve and work with the team and try my best to fill my role and do my job,” Gerstenberg said.
Brooklyn FC tested Gerstenberg in the last 15 minutes, but she kept her composure to help her team win the match 2-1.
After the match, Sporting Jax signed autographs and took pictures with fans.
The Sporting Jax women’s team has already secured a playoff spot, but home field advantage is still up for grabs, and head coach Stacey Balaam said that is the goal.
“When you look at the crowd today and how much they were behind our team, that shows how important it is for us to play in front of our crowd and for our community,” she said.
