Players' Shield and Final Playoff Spot on the Line this Weekend | News & Notes - Week 31

WEEK 31 SCHEDULE

Saturday, May 16
Spokane Zephyr FC v Brooklyn FC, 4:00 p.m. ET
Lexington SC v Tampa Bay Sun FC, 5:00 p.m ET
Carolina Ascent FC v Sporting JAX, 7:00 p.m. ET
Dallas Trinity FC v Fort Lauderdale United FC, 8:30 p.m. ET

REWIND: WEEK 30

SPORTING JAX’S ROAD WARRIORS SET NEW LEAGUE MARK
Sporting Club Jacksonville added to its haul of Gainbridge Super League single-season records last Wednesday night as its 1-0 victory away at DC Power FC saw the side move to 10 away wins in the regular season. Sporting JAX’s mark concluded a battle for the record with Carolina Ascent FC, which recorded its ninth away victory of the season against Fort Lauderdale United FC on Saturday night in its final road game of the season.

Previously, the single-season high for road victories had been set by Ascent with six away wins in the 2024/25 campaign, a mark equaled by both Lexington SC and DC Power FC this season.

DALLAS TRINITY’S SAMAR GUIDRY JOINS FASTEST GOALSCORERS LIST
Dallas Trinity FC’s Samar Guidry got her side off to a flying start against Tampa Bay Sun FC on Saturday night, scoring just 104 seconds into the contest at Suncoast Credit Union Field to record the third-fastest goal in the Gainbridge Super League’s history.

Guidry’s goal was the second-fastest in a game in the 2025/26 season, trailing only Carolina Ascent FC’s Maddie Mercado, whose goal after 43 seconds against Fort Lauderdale United FC on August 30, 2025 ranks as the fastest in league history.

LEXINGTON SC’S CATHERINE BARRY REACHES 20 GOAL CONTRIBUTIONS LANDMARK
Lexington SC’s Cat Barry scored her league-leading 16^th goal of the season on Sunday afternoon in LSC’s 3-1 victory against Brooklyn FC, moving Barry to 20 goal contributions this regular season. Barry is the first player in Gainbridge Super League history to record 20 goal contributions (16G, 4A) in a regular season campaign.

LEXINGTON’S McKENZIE WEINERT REACHES DOUBLE-DIGIT GOALS
Lexington SC’s McKenzie Weinert recorded her first two-goal performance of the season on Sunday afternoon in LSC’s 3-1 victory against Brooklyn FC to move to 10 goals this regular season. The 27-year-old is the fifth player to reach double-digit goals this season, and the 10^th all-time to reach the mark in a regular season.

Weinert and teammate Cat Barry (16G) are also the second set of teammates to reach double-digit goals in the same season, following the Sporting Club Jacksonville trio of Ashlyn Puerta (12G), Baylee DeSmit (12G) and Paige Kenton (10G) during the current campaign.

LEXINGTON TAKES AIM AT EQUALING HOME WINS RECORD
Lexington SC took a 3-1 victory at home to Brooklyn FC on Sunday afternoon, moving the side into position to equal the single-season record for home wins and points when it hosts Tampa Bay Sun FC on Saturday. LSC is 7-2-4 this season, with Tampa Bay having gone 8-2-4 in the 2024/25 regular season.

DC POWER ELMINATED FROM POSTSEASON CONTENTION DC Power FC was eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday night following Dallas Trinity FC’s victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC, a result which moved fourth-place Trinity four points clear of the Power ahead of their contest against Spokane Zephyr FC later in the night.

CURRENT GOLDEN LEADERS

Goals

1. Catherine Barry (LEX) – 16
2. Ashlyn Puerta (JAX) – 12
3. Baylee DeSmit (JAX) – 12
4. Paige Kenton (JAX) – 10
5. McKenzie Weinert (LEX) – 10

Assists

T-1. Paige Kenton (JAX) – 7
T-1. Ashlyn Puerta (JAX) – 7
T-1. Sam Kroeger (BKN) – 7
T-1. Meg Hughes (JAX) – 7

Goals-Against Average
(Minimum of 60% of minutes played)

Kat Asman (LEX) – .89
Kaitlyn Parks (JAX) – .97
Hope Hisey – 1.04
Meagan McClelland (CAR) – 1.19
Morgan Aquino (DC) – 1.22

WEEK 31 STORYLINES

RECORD WATCH

Sporting Club Jacksonville’s Paige Kenton, Ashlyn Puerta, Meg Hughes and Brooklyn’s Sam Kroeger currently sit at seven assists this season, equaling the single-season record set in 2024/25 by Golden Playmaker winner Jill Aguilera. Whoever scores the eighth assist will set a new single-season record.

Dallas Trinity FC’s Amber Wisner sits on 4,950 minutes entering the final game of the regular season. Wisner would become the first player in Super League history to reach 5,000 regular season minutes if she logs 50 of a potential 90 minutes in Trinity’s final regular season contest.

IRON WOMEN
So far this season, five players have played in every minutes for the 2025/26 season:

Sydney Cummings (DC) – 2,520
Kat Asman (LEX) – 2,430
Hope Hisey (SPK) – 2,430
Amber Wisner (DAL) – 2,430
Reese Tappan (SPK) – 2,430

CLINCHING & ELIMINATION SCENARIOS

Sporting JAX clinches Players Shield IF…

Sporting Club Jacksonville wins/draws at Carolina Ascent FC, moves to 56/54pts
OR Lexington SC draws/loses vs. Tampa Bay Sun FC, ends on 51/50pts

Lexington SC clinches Players Shield IF…

Lexington SC wins vs. Tampa Bay Sun FC, moves to 53pts
AND Sporting Club Jacksonville loses vs. Carolina Ascent FC, ends on 53pts
Lexington holds goal differential tiebreaker

Lexington SC clinches Top-Two Finish IF…
1. Lexington SC wins vs. Tampa Bay Sun FC, ends on 53pts

2. Lexington SC draws vs. Tampa Bay Sun FC, ends on 51pts
AND Carolina Ascent FC wins by fewer than 15 goals vs. Sporting Club Jacksonville, ends on 51pts
Lexington holds goal differential tiebreaker

3. Lexington SC loses vs. Tampa Bay Sun FC, ends on 50pts
AND Carolina Ascent FC draws/loses vs. Sporting Club Jacksonville, ends on 49/48pts

Carolina Ascent FC clinches Top-Two Finish IF…

1. Carolina Ascent FC wins by any margin vs. Sporting Club Jacksonville, moves to 51pts
AND Lexington SC loses vs. Tampa Bay Sun FC, ends on 50pts

2. Carolina Ascent wins by 16-goal margin vs. Sporting Club Jacksonville, moves to 51pts, +27GD
AND Lexington SC draws vs. Tampa Bay Sun FC, ends on 51pts, +26GD

Dallas Trinity FC clinches Playoff Spot IF…

1. Dallas Trinity FC wins vs. Fort Lauderdale United FC, ends on 40pts

2. Dallas Trinity FC draws vs. Fort Lauderdale United FC, ends on 38pts
AND Spokane Zephyr FC draws/loses vs. Brooklyn FC, ends on 37/36pts

Spokane Zephyr clinches Playoff Spot IF…

1. Spokane Zephyr FC wins vs. Brooklyn FC, ends on 39pts
AND Dallas Trinity FC draws/loses vs. Fort Lauderdale United FC, ends on 38/37pts

2. Spokane Zephyr FC draws vs. Brooklyn FC, ends on 37pts
AND Dallas Trinity FC loses vs. Fort Lauderdale United FC, ends on 37pts
Spokane holds goal differential tiebreaker

WEEK 31 DISCIPLINE REPORT

TAMPA, Fla. – There are no new suspensions to report.

UPCOMING MILESTONES & ACTIVE STREAKS

Upcoming Milestones
Approaching 20 all-time regular season goals – no player has previously reached this milestone
Addie McCain (LEX) – 18

Approaching 15 all-time regular season goals – Five players have previously reached this milestone
Jasmine Hamid (DAL) – 13
McKenzie Weinert (LEX) – 13
Ashlyn Puerta (JAX) – 12
Loza Abera (DC) – 12
Carlee Giammona (TB) – 12
Baylee DeSmit (JAX) – 12

Approaching 10 all-time regular season goals – 18 players have reached this milestone
Rebecca Cooke (BKN) – 9
Madi Parsons (TB) – 8
Sealey Strawn (DAL) – 7
Alyssa Walker (DC) – 7
Audrey Coleman (CAR) – 7
Mackenzie George (CAR) – 7
Sh’nia Gordon (FTL) – 7

Approaching 10 all-time regular season assists – four players have reached this milestone
Sam Kroeger (BKN) – 9
Kiara Locklear (FTL) – 8

Approaching 10 all-time regular season shutouts – four players has previously reached this milestone
Meagan McClelland (CAR) – 9
Morgan Aquino (DC) – 9

Active Streaks
Consecutive regular season minutes played across seasons
Amber Wisner (DAL) – 4,950

SPKvBKN

Spokane Zephyr FC concludes its five-game homestand to end the regular season having earned a 1-0 victory against DC Power FC on Saturday night in its most recent outing, keeping the side in contention for the fourth and final postseason berth.
Brooklyn FC will complete its campaign following a 3-1 defeat against Lexington SC on Sunday afternoon that extended the club’s winless run to three games.
Spokane’s Emma Jaskaniec scored the lone goal of the game against DC Power, notching her second game-winning goal in the past four games for Zephyr. Jaskaniec previously scored the decisive goal in the club’s 2-1 win against Sporting Club Jacksonville on April 19.
BKFC’s Rebecca Cooke scored her ninth goal of the regular season in her side’s contest against Lexington SC. She would become the first Brooklyn player to reach double-digit goals in a season with a tally against Spokane.
Zephyr has gone 3-0-1 over the first four games of its season-ending home stand, which ranks as the second-longest home undefeated streak in club history. Zephyr recorded a six-game home undefeated streak (5-0-1) between March 15-May 31, 2025 to conclude the 2024/25 season.
Brooklyn and Spokane are even with a 2-2-3 record in the all-time series between the clubs, with Zephyr having taken a 3-0 victory when the teams last met on March 14 as Ginger Fontenot and Tori Zierenberg each recorded a goal and assist.
Spokane goalkeeper Hope Hisey and defender Reese Tappan have played every minute of the regular season for Zephyr, two of the five players who could earn Ironwoman status with a full 90 minutes on Saturday night.

LEXvTB

Lexington SC enters the final game of the regular season still in contention for the Players’ Shield after a 3-1 victory against Brooklyn FC last Sunday in their most recent outing as McKenzie Weinert scored a pair of goals and Cat Barry logged her league-lead 16^th goal of the season.
Tampa Bay Sun FC enters its final game of the campaign following a 2-0 defeat to Dallas Trinity FC last Saturday night for the side’s fourth loss in its past five outings.
Lexington’s Cat Barry recorded her 20^th goal contribution of the regular season with her goal against Brooklyn, becoming the first player to reach the mark in a regular season campaign. Barry is also the third player to record 20 goal contributions for a club in the Super League’s history, joining Allie Thornton (Dallas Trinity FC) and Mia Corbin (Carolina Ascent FC).
Tampa Bay has been more successful on the road than at home this season and enters Saturday game having won three of its past four road contests after a 2-1 victory against Fort Lauderdale United FC on May 2 in its most recent away outing.
Lexington’s McKenzie Weinert recorded her first two-goal game of the season against Brooklyn FC to move to 10 goals in the current campaign. Weinert and Barry are the second set of teammates to record double-digit goals in the same regular season in Super League history and have the most combined goals between two teammates in a Super League campaign.
Lexington SC goalkeeper Kat Asman leads the Super League with a 0.89 goals-against average entering the final game of the regular season. With a shutout, Asman would be guaranteed to claim the Golden Glove award ahead of Sporting Club Jacksonville’s Kaitlin Parks, who enters the weekend with a 0.97 goals-against average.
Tampa Bay has gone 4-1-1 against Lexington SC in the all-time series between the clubs, but the last meeting between the teams saw Lexington take a 4-0 victory as Catherine Barry recorded a second-half hat trick following McKenzie Weinert’s first-half goal.

CARvJAX

Carolina Ascent FC will try to continue a five-game winning streak and 10-game undefeated streak as it heads into its final game of the regular season following a 3-0 victory against Fort Lauderdale United FC last Saturday night.
Sporting Club Jacksonville can clinch the Gainbridge Super League Players’ Shield and the No. 1 seed in the postseason with either a win or a draw following its 1-0 victory against DC Power FC last Wednesday night for the club’s second consecutive victory.
Carolina’s current winning and undefeated streaks are each one result from equaling the club’s record marks, with Ascent having logged a six-game winning streak between March 23-April 26, 2025 and an 11-game undefeated streak between Aug. 17-Nov. 9, 2024.
Jacksonville set a Super League single-season record with its 10^th road victory of the season against DC Power FC, with the side having recorded 33 goals and a +18-goal differential away from home this season, both also single-season records.
Carolina’s Mia Corbin recorded a goal and assist in Ascent’s 3-0 victory against Fort Lauderdale United and became the second player in Super League history to record 20 goal contributions for a single club. Corbin has recorded 16 goals and five assists for Ascent over the club’s first two seasons.
Jacksonville’s Ashlyn Puerta enters Saturday’s contest with 19 goal contributions this season, recording 12 goals and seven assists in the campaign. The United States youth international has recorded seven goals and five assists in 12 road appearances this season as she looks to become the second player to record 20 goal contributions in a regular season campaign.
Sporting JAX has gone 2-0-1 against Carolina Ascent previously this season, with Jacksonville having taken a 1-0 victory when the teams last met on January 31 at Hodges Stadium. Sporting Club Jacksonville is the lone Super League club Carolina has yet to take victory against in its history.

DALvFTL

Dallas Trinity FC will try to clinch the fourth and final berth in the 2026 Gainbridge Super League Playoffs as it enters its final contest off a 2-0 victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC last Saturday night.
Fort Lauderdale United FC will conclude its campaign looking to break a five-game losing streak following a 3-0 loss to Carolina Ascent FC last Saturday night at Beyond Bancard Field.
Dallas’s Samar Guidry scored the fastest goal in Trinity’s history and the third-fastest goal in Super League history against Tampa Bay, finding the net after 107 seconds at Suncoast Credit Union Field.
Fort Lauderdale United’s 58 goals conceded is the second-highest total in a Super League regular season, trailing only Lexington SC’s 62 goals against in the 2024/25 campaign.
Trinity’s Camryn Lancaster recorded a goal and assist in the side’s victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC, becoming the team’s leading scorer this season with four goals. Lancaster’s six goal contributions are also the team-high this season.
FTL UTD’s Kiara Locklear enters the final game of the season with 19 goal contributions for the club over two seasons. Locklear would become the fourth player to reach 20 goal contributions in the Super League for a single club with either a goal or assist.
Dallas’ Amber Wisner could complete her second consecutive season earning Ironwoman status in playing every minute of the regular season and would also become the first player to surpass 5,000 regular season minutes in league history should she play at least 50 minutes of the contest.
Fort Lauderdale United holds a 3-2-1 record against Dallas Trinity in the all-time series between the clubs, with the sides each having claimed one victory in their two prior meetings this season. Dallas earned a 4-0 victory when the sides last met on February 7, which marked Trinity’s highest-scoring game of the campaign.