DC Power resets its defensive lines, springs a road surprise; Lexington shows resilience to move top of standings
1. DC Power Turns Up the Heat, Springs a Surprise
At the halftime break on Saturday evening, DC Power FC was under pressure. Throughout the first half, the visitors had been clean in withstanding Sporting Club Jacksonville’s pressure, winning 9 of 9 tackles and making 11 interceptions, but was clearly on the back foot with only three touches in the attacking penalty area and one shot inside the box.
So, how did Head Coach Omid Namazi and his side adjust? They reset their lines of confrontation and in short order turned the game on its head.
While still holding less possession, the Power recorded more passes in the attacking half (108-94) after the break and won possession six times in the attacking third to none for Jacksonville in the second half. One of those resulted in the decisive moment in DC’s 1-0 victory as a missed clearance in the back line as Justina Gaynor set up Alyssa Walker for a simple finish.
The Power rode their luck late after Jacksonville’s Ashlyn Puerta hit the right post with a penalty kick with seven minutes to go, but the difference in DC’s front-foot defensive approach stood out. In the second half, the visitors recorded only four defensive actions in their own penalty area as only 21.5% of the game was played in their defensive third. In claiming their first win since mid-November, DC offered a potential blueprint for success in the spring.
“We made some adjustments in the middle of the field,” said Namazi. “Then the substitutions we made brought in a lot of energy as well. We need to thank our players that came off the bench for what they brought to the game and the energy level that they brought. The entire team, they all fought.”
2. Lexington Finds Fightback to Move into Pole Position
For around the opening 40 minutes at American Legion Memorial Stadium, Carolina Ascent FC had put in the performance it was looking for against Lexington SC. The hosts has created some good looks on goal while limiting LSC’s opportunities before Riley Parker produced an excellent run and finish to put Carolina in the driver’s seat.
Then, in a flurry of pressure over the final six minutes before the break, Lexington found another gear which proved the turning point in a statement 2-1 comeback victory that extended its undefeated streak and earned both its first win against Ascent in club history and its first comeback victory of the current campaign.
Was there an element of good fortune to LSC’s rally? Yes, and Carolina’s Meagan McClelland will likely have been replaying her decision to come off her line on what initially looked like an innocuous ball into the box and instead saw her get caught in no-goalkeeper’s land – resulting in Alyssa Bourgeois’ equalizer – over and over again. At the same time, those are the sorts of mistakes pressure can cause, and Lexington immediately kicked on to start the second half with McKenzie Weinert’s goal seven minutes after the break proving the winner.
“It’s what we’ve been talking about since the day we came back – mentality,” said LSC Head Coach Kosuke Kimura. “If we can keep our mentality and energy up at all times, we always have a good chance. When we go up against teams built to compete and built to run, we have to respect how they play. But when we come out with another level of passion or fire, it’s all we have to do. We conceded one goal, but overall, I thought we did a good job of attacking the game together.”
3. Dallas Shows Decisiveness in Attacking Breakout
Having logged its lowest Expected Goals mark this season in its return to action for the spring campaign seven days earlier, Dallas Trinity FC more than made amends in the attacking third with a sharp attacking display that augured far better for the road ahead. Trinity’s 4-0 victory against Fort Lauderdale United FC was a display of efficiency and decisiveness that created chance after chance against an FTL UTD defense that continued to struggle.
At the heart of Dallas’ display was its quick ball movement in the final third and decisiveness when opportunities presented themselves. The opening goal by Heather Stainbrook in the 25th minute set that tone, with her tight control and turning finish off Camryn Lancaster’s angled feed into the center of the penalty area resulting in a smart finish. Trinity ended the game with fewer final third entries than its hosts (27-39) but did far more when it got into the final third, taking 22 touches in the penalty area to 11 for United and logging 11 of 16 shots inside the box.
“I think it’s just finding our identity and playing to one another’s strengths,” said midfielder Wayny Balata, who bagged the side’s second goal of the night. “We have a lot of talent on this team, and a lot of people have been showing up, bringing their game. It just clicked and all came together tonight.”
As a result, Trinity went from its lowest single-game Expected Goals mark to its highest, logging a 2.76xG mark. For new Head Coach Nathan Thackeray, this should be a launchpad ahead of challenging contests against Lexington SC and Carolina Ascent FC in the next two weekends.