The Sporting Jax women’s team extended their winning streak on Saturday, Aug. 29, with a 2-0 win over Dallas Trinity FC. They are now 3-0 on the season.
Jacksonville’s leading scorer Baylee DeSmit provided the first goal of the match to give her team the lead going into halftime. This was DeSmit’s fourth goal of the season, and she now leads the Gainbridge Super League with the most goals scored this season.
Her goal gave Jacksonville the spark they needed and paved the way for a strong second half. New signing Cat Rapp, formerly of Spokane Zephyr FC, made her Sporting Jax debut Saturday, subbing into the match in the 75th minute.
Less than five minutes after taking the pitch, Rapp broke away from the Dallas defense and found midfielder Sophia Boman near the goal. Boman was able to find the back of the net to make the score 2-0.
“I think we have a lot of depth and a lot of people who are ready for their moment,” Boman said following the match. “They’re going to grind, they’re going to give us what we need. Huge shoutout to Cat, that was super unselfish; she did great out there.”
Sporting Jax Head Coach Stacey Balaam could not be happier with what she is seeing from her new players.
“It was the first time that we had all of the new players in the active roster, so it was kind of a special moment for all of them,” Balaam said. “For Cat to get her debut on the field and contribute right away just speaks highly of our depth and the quality of the players that we have.”
Sporting Jax goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg turned in another impressive performance on Saturday, marking her second clean sheet of the season.
“I feel like we were in control; we had our plan, we knew what we had to do, and sometimes it’s all about patience and just being ready for when we have the moments,” Gerstenberg said.
Balaam is happy with her team’s current position in the standings, but she also understands there is no room for complacency.
“Every three points is so important,” Balaam said. “This is a really tough league, and we know that three points is really hard to go get. And every game is different, so we have to really be disciplined throughout the week in how we prepare, and the ladies showed that tonight.”
The Sporting Jax women’s team will face DC Power FC on the road on Friday, Sept. 4.
