On Sunday, Sept. 13, the Sporting Jax women’s team lost on the road to Brooklyn FC 3-2.
Brooklyn FC got on the board first, securing a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the match.
Sporting Jax had their work cut out for them, but it wasn’t long before they began to mount a comeback.
In the 17th minute of the match, defender Grace Phillpotts launched a ball toward the box, where forward Baylee DeSmit was waiting. After a few lucky bounces, DeSmit sent the ball flying into the back of the net to make the score 2-1. This was DeSmit’s fifth goal of the season.
“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.”
Brooklyn FC came out fighting in the second half, scoring their third goal of the game in the 82nd minute. Jacksonville was able to make it on the board one more time in the 94th minute when DeSmit found forward Paige Kenton, who found the back of the net to bring the score to 3-2.
“We had a slow start to the game, and they caught us on our heels,” said 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.”
Even though they did not earn the win, Sporting Jax showed their determination and mental toughness.
“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 will return home to Hodges Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m. to take on Lexington SC as the club celebrates Hispanic Heritage Night.
