Sporting JAX Women Defeat Brooklyn FC in Strong Display at Home
GSL Sporting Club Jacksonville

Sporting JAX Women Defeat Brooklyn FC in Strong Display at Home

Published on April 4, 2026 under Gainbridge Super League (GSL)
Sporting Club Jacksonville News Release


The Sporting JAX women's team (13-4-5, 44 pts) returned to the win column on Saturday, defeating Brooklyn FC (5-11-7, 22 pts) 2-0 to pad their lead atop the Gainbridge Super League table.

Both teams took to the pitch under a sunny sky, with temperatures in the 80s. Fans gathered at Hodges Stadium to support through the warm weather as their squad continued the march to the playoffs.

Despite entering as underdogs, Brooklyn wasted no time jumping on the offensive. Most of the match's opening five minutes was spent in their attacking third, but the Sporting JAX defense held strong to keep the visitors off the board.

In the following minutes, Sporting JAX did the same. A couple of chances came and went, including a promising free kick in the 12th minute. Things changed in the 17th minute when Paige Kenton opened the scoring with an assist from Ashlyn Puerta. An early deficit was something Brooklyn needed to avoid, and they now were in the hole.

Towards the end of the first half, Sporting JAX dialed up the pressure once again. A few chances presented themselves, but nothing came of them as the score remained 1-0 in favor of the home team at half time.

The lead nearly doubled when Sporting JAX defender Grace Phillpotts sent a nice cross into the box, with Kenton being the intended recipient. Kenton wasn't able to connect, though, and Brooklyn remained in the match for the time being. They had a few nice chances on the way, with the first coming courtesy of a corner kick. The Sporting JAX defense held strong, with goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks denying the equalizer.

The storm wasn't entirely over, though. Brooklyn made the home fans hold their breath in the 68th minute, with Rebecca Cooke setting up Jessica Garziano with a nice pass. The following kick sailed over the post, though, keeping things level once more. This would quickly change, but it wouldn't be in Brooklyn's favor.

Just a minute later, Sporting JAX sent a barrage into the box. A brilliant pass by Andrea Fernandez set up Kenton, who was denied by Brooklyn goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty. The ball deflected to Sophia Boman, though, who sent it through to the back of the net. This now marks the third-consecutive match that the midfielder has scored in. Roughly 20 minutes-plus stoppage time-remained and Sporting JAX now held a commanding 2-0 lead.

"I think it was big for us because we don't want the momentum to shift," Boman said about the goal. "And just being able to keep them on the back foot and kind of put the game back in our hands was really good."

While the score remained the same, the final moments weren't absent of excitement. Hodges Stadium nearly erupted when Fernandez attempted a bicycle kick in the box, which ultimately didn't succeed. Sporting JAX finished out strong, grabbing a 2-0 win. Another win continues the wildly-impressive inaugural campaign for Sporting JAX, which head coach Stacey Balaam talked to following the match.

"It's been incredible," Balaam said. "To put a group together that's never played with each other before. They didn't know each other. They've come from all different cultures, different environments. Two thirds of them haven't been professionals before, so they've had to learn how to transition into the pro environment."

A win was just what Sporting JAX wanted, but the group did have takeaways to work on for the coming week.

"We weren't generating much in attack either-that's something we'll look look at moving forward into next week," midfielder Abby Boyan said postmatch. "We had control over a lot of our possession, but we just weren't being as useful with it and purposeful."

With this result, Sporting JAX now moves back to four points clear in the standings of second-place Lexington SC. This win also moves the club one step closer to clinching a playoff berth. Draws or losses from Spokane Zephyr FC on Saturday and DC Power FC on Monday would seal the deal.

This doesn't mean the mission is finished for Sporting JAX, though. A top seed, along with home-field advantage, is still on the line.

"One game at a time, always," Balaam said in reference to the postseason. "And that's the mentality of the group, because they know we're not looking beyond that. If you look too far ahead, you can overlook the next thing in front of you, and we don't want to ever do that, because that's where you can get trapped and we can slip up."

The march continues next Saturday on the road at Fort Lauderdale United FC, when they'll look to pick up another three points.

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Gainbridge Super League Stories from April 4, 2026


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