WEEK 3 SCHEDULE
Friday, August 28
Fort Lauderdale United FC v Brooklyn FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, August 29
Lexintgon SC v DC Power FC, 1:00 p.m. ET
Carolina Ascent FC v Tampa Bay Sun FC, 7:00 p.m. ET
Sporting JAX v Dallas Trinity FC, 7:00 p.m. ET
REWIND: WEEK 2
CAROLINA FIRST TO HIT 30 WIN MILSTONE
Carolina Ascent FC became the first club to record 30 regular season victories in the Gainbridge Super League with its 3-1 victory against Dallas Trinity in Week 2, with Head Coach Philip Poole also becoming the first manager to reach the landmark.
Winners of the 2024/25 Players’ Shield, Ascent has posted a 30-13-15 record overall in the regular season. Dallas Trinity FC currently ranks second in league history with 23 regular season victories.
BRACE FOR IMPACT
DC Power’s Loza Abera scored the first brace of the 2026 Fall season as she helped guide the way to her side’s 4-1 victory against Brooklyn FC on Friday night at Maimonides Park. It marked the third two-goal performance by Abera in the Super League’s regular season.
Sporting Club Jacksonville’s Baylee DeSmit also scored a brace on Saturday night in her side’s 3-2 victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC. It marked the fourth two-goal performance by DeSmit in the Super League’s regular season, tied for the most in league history with current Lexington SC forward Catherine Barry.
Most Braces in Gainbridge Super League Regular Season
T-1. Baylee DeSmit – 4
T-1. Catherine Barry – 4
T-3. Loza Abera – 3
T-3. Emina Ekic – 3
T-3. Gianna Gourley – 3
SETTING THE SCORING TEMPO
Sporting Club Jacksonville’s Baylee DeSmit scored a pair of goals in her side’s 3-2 victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC on Saturday night, moving DeSmit to 15 regular season goals in her Super League career. DeSmit reached the mark in her 26th regular season appearance and is currently scoring at a rate of a goal every 114.3 minutes, the best strike rate among any player with at least 15 goals in the Super League’s regular season.
Best Individual Strike Rate in Gainbridge Super League Regular Season (Min. 15 goals)
1. Baylee DeSmit – 114.3 mins/goal, 15 goals
2. Catherine Barry – 130.1 mins/goal, 17 goals
3. Gianna Gourley, 214.9 mins/goal, 15 goals
4. Allie Thornton, 224.1 mins/goal, 17 goals
5. Addie McCain, 241.6 mins/goal, 20 goals
SPORTING CLUB JACKSONVILLE LOGS FIRST COMEBACK VICTORY
Sporting Club Jacksonville recorded its first comeback victory in the Gainbridge Super League on Saturday night as it rallied from a one-goal halftime deficit for a 3-2 victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC at Hodges Stadium. The result marked the 15th comeback victory in the Gainbridge Super League’s history.
CAROLINA ASCENT EXTENDS ROAD WINNING STREAK
Carolina Ascent FC earned a 3-1 victory against Dallas Trinity FC on Saturday night at the Cotton Bowl, which extended the club’s current road regular season winning streak to eight games, dating to a 1-0 win against DC Power FC on March 17 at Audi Field earlier this year.
Ascent had previously surpassed a six-game streak by Sporting Club Jacksonville between Nov. 8, 2025-April 11, 2026 with its season-opening victory on the road against DC on August 15.
SPORTING JAX’S ASHLYN PUERTA REACHES 20 GOAL CONTRIBUTIONS
2025/26 Gainbridge Super League Player of the Year Ashlyn Puerta scored her first goal of the season on Saturday night in Sporting Club Jacksonville’s 3-2 victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC, marking the 20th regular season goal contribution of her career with 13 goals and seven assists. The 19-year-old is the sixth player to reach the mark in Super League history, the fourth to do so with one club, and the first to do so as a teenager, with the landmark arriving in Puerta’s 29th regular season contest.
JACKSONVILLE’S STACEY BALAAM MOVES INTO SECOND IN COACHING WINS
Sporting Club Jacksonville’s Stacey Balaam moved into second in Gainbridge Super League regular season coaching wins with her side’s 3-2 victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC on Saturday night at Hodges Stadium. Balaam broke a tie with Tampa Bay’s Denise Schilte-Brown with the result, with Carolina Ascent FC’s Philip Poole ranking first with 30 regular season wins.
Most Coaching Wins in Gainbridge Super League Regular Season
1. Philip Poole – 30 wins, 1.81ppg
2. Stacey Balaam – 18 wins, 1.97ppg
3. Denise Schilte-Brown – 17 wins, 1.22ppg
4. Tyrone Mears – 13 wins, 1.52ppg
WEEK 3 STORYLINES
FOUR PLAYER HEADED FOR 5,000 MINUTES IN CAROLINA-TAMPA BAY CLASH
Four players could join former Dallas Trinity FC standout Amber Wisner and current Lexington SC star Allison Pantuso in surpassing 5,000 regular season minutes when Carolina Ascent FC hosts Tampa Bay Sun FC on Saturday night. Carolina’s Jill Aguilera (4,999) and Tampa Bay’s Vivianne Bessette (4,691), Sam Kroeger (4,938) and Sydny Nasello (4,935) are all within range of surpassing the mark in their next outing.
LEXINGTON AIMS TO CONTINUE UNDEFEATED RUN AT HOME TO POWER
Lexington SC hosts DC Power FC on Saturday afternoon aiming to extend a six-game undefeated streak in the series between the two clubs. LSC has posted a 3-0-3 record against the Power in that span, recording 12 goals and conceding six. DC’s last victory in the series was a 2-1 win on October 25, 2024 at Audi Field.
WEEK 3 DISCIPLINE REPORT
TAMPA, Fla. – There are no new suspensions to report.
UPCOMING MILESTONES & ACTIVE STREAKS
Upcoming Milestones
Approaching 20 all-time regular season goals – one player has previously reached this milestone
Mia Corbin (CAR) – 17
Catherine Barry (LEX) – 17
Approaching 15 all-time regular season goals – six players have previously reached this milestone
Jasmine Hamid (DAL) – 14
Loza Abera (DC) – 14
McKenzie Weinert (LEX) – 13
Ashlyn Puerta (JAX) – 13
Approaching 10 all-time regular season goals – 18 players have previously reached this milestone
Audrey Coleman (CAR) – 8
Approaching 10 all-time regular season assists – four players have previously reached this milestone
Sam Kroeger (TB) – 9
Kiara Locklear (FTL) – 8
Mackenzie George (CAR) – 8
Meg Hughes (JAX) – 8
Approaching 20 all-time regular season shutouts – no player has previously reached this milestone
Hope Hisey (CAR) – 19
FTLvBKN
- Both Fort Lauderdale United FC and Brooklyn FC are still looking for their first win of the Fall season, with Fort Lauderdale coming off a bye in Week 2 and Brooklyn suffering a 4-1 defeat to DC Power FC last Friday night.
- Fort Lauderdale had previously opened their season with a 1-0 loss after a late game-winner by Sporting JAX in Week 1.
- Brooklyn FC’s Shin Na-Yeong became the first player in Gainbridge Super League history to concede two penalty kicks in the same game against DC Power FC, with both being converted by DC.
- Fort Lauderdale’s Haley Craig recorded three saves in the club’s season-opener against Sporting Club Jacksonville, moving to 61 saves in 13 appearances for FTL UTD. Craig is the seventh goalkeeper to record at least 60 saves in the Super League’s regular season.
- BKFC’s Jordan Thompson scored her second goal for the club after coming on as a halftime substitute against DC Power. Her lone prior goal for the club came against Fort Lauderdale United on February 13 earlier this year.
- Fort Lauderdale holds a narrow 3-2-3 edge in the all-time series and is undefeated in its last three meetings with Brooklyn, posting a 1-0-2 record.
- The last meeting between the sides produced a 3-3 draw on February 13 that saw Ella Simson score a 90th-minute equalizer for the hosts.
- FTL UTD’s Sh’Nia Gordon has scored three goals in seven career appearances against Brooklyn FC, the most by an individual player in the series.
LEXvDC
- Lexington SC returns to action after a bye in Week 2 having opened the season with a 3-0 victory against Brooklyn FC with three different goalscorers getting on the board.
- After a narrow loss in Week 1, DC Power bounced back with a 4-1 victory over Brooklyn, with Loza Abera recording a brace and both Emma Jaskaniec and Tyler Lussi scoring their first goals for the club.
- Lexington’s Addie McCain became the first player in Gainbridge Super League history to record 20 regular season goals with her 58th-minute tally against Brooklyn FC. McCain also became the first player to record 25 goal contributions in the league’s regular season.
- DC forward Loza Abera’s two-goal game was her third in the Gainbridge Super League, one off the league-high of four recorded by Lexington’s Catherine Barry and Sporting Club Jacksonville’s Baylee DeSmit.
- Lexington’s Allison Pantuso became the second player to surpass 5,000 regular season minutes in Super League history as she went the full 90 minutes against Brooklyn. Pantuso is now tied with former Dallas Trinity FC midfielder Amber Wisner on 5,040 minutes for the league’s all-time lead.
- Lexington SC has recorded a 3-1-3 record against DC Power in their all-time series, with the Power’s lone victory coming in the first meeting between the sides on October 25, 2024. Since then, LSC is 3-0-3 with a +6-goal differential in the series.
- Lexington SC’s Catherine Barry recorded two goals and one assist in the three meetings between the defending champions and DC a season ago.
- DC Power’s Gianna Gourley has recorded four goals and one assist in four appearances against Lexington, the most goals by a player in the series overall.
- Lexington SC is on a five-game home winning streak in the regular season and a seven-game streak overall with a pair of wins at home in the past postseason.
- DC Power is 7-5-3 in its last 15 road games in the Super League after last week’s victory in Brooklyn.
CARvTB – Game of the Week, Presented by Gainbridge
- Carolina Ascent FC has opened its 2026 Fall season with two road victories, taking a 3-1 win against Dallas Trinity FC last Saturday night at the Cotton Bowl in Week 2.
- Tampa Bay Sun FC suffered its first defeat of the Fall season last Saturday night as it fell 3-2 to Sporting Club Jacksonville after holding a halftime lead at Hodges Stadium.
- Ascent’s victory against Dallas Trinity marked its 30th regular season win in the Super League and extended its league-record road regular season winning streak to eight games dating to the past campaign.
- Carolina’s Philip Poole and Tampa Bay’s Denise Schilte-Brown are the last two Head Coaches who have remained at the helm for the duration of the Super League’s history, with Fort Lauderdale United’s Tyrone Mears beginning his second stint at the sideline for United this fall.
- Ascent holds a narrow 3-2-3 advantage in the all-time series between the clubs and is undefeated in the past five meetings between the teams. Carolina is on a three-game winning streak against Tampa Bay entering Saturday’s contest.
- Ascent defender Jill Aguilera has recorded two goals and two assists for Carolina in eight appearances against Tampa Bay, the most goal contributions by a player in the series.
- Carolina is 1-0-1 in its home openers all-time and played to a 2-2 draw against Tampa Bay in its 2025/26 home opener as Ascent’s Maddie Mercado scored an equalizer in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
- Tampa Bay is tied for first in the Super League with 12 shots on target and ranks second with 32 shots overall and an Expected Goals mark of 4.49xG through its first two games of the fall season.
- Carolina Ascent goalkeeper Sydney Martinez played collegiately under Tampa Bay Sun Head Coach Denise Schlite-Brown and with Sun standout Sydny Nasello, among others, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla.
JAXvDAL
- Sporting Club Jacksonville will look to add to consecutive victories to start the fall season after rallying for a 3-2 victory against Tampa Bay Sun FC last Saturday night at Hodges Stadium.
- Dallas Trinity FC is looking for its first win of the fall season after falling 3-1 against Carolina Ascent FC last Saturday night at the Cotton Bowl last Saturday night.
- Sporting JAX’s Ashlyn Puerta scored her first goal of the season against the Sun, moving to 20 goal contributions in the Super League regular season (13G, 7A). She is the first teenager to reach 20 goal contributions in league history.
- Jacksonville’s Baylee DeSmit scored a pair of goals against Tampa Bay for her fourth brace in the Super League regular season, which is tied for the league’s all-time high alongside Lexington SC’s Catherine Barry.
- Trinity’s Jasmine Hamid scored her first goal for the club against Carolina Ascent FC last Saturday, with the goal coming in her 10th appearance since her move to the club from Fort Lauderdale United FC last season.
- Sporting JAX’s victory against Tampa Bay was its first comeback win in club history, with the side having trailed by a goal at halftime. It also moved Head Coach Stacey Balaam into second place in regular season coaching victories with her 18th win in 30 regular season games.
- Dallas Trinity is tied for the league-high with 12 shots on target this season and has recorded 25 shots overall. Trinity ranks second in the league with a 63.2% shooting accuracy rate on unblocked shots.
- Sporting Club Jacksonville holds a 2-1-0 record against Dallas in their all-time series, but Trinity claimed a 1-0 win in its lone prior visit to Hodges Stadium on Sept. 5, 2025 when Rhea Moore scored the only goal with eight minutes to play.
- Jacksonville’s Paige Kenton has recorded two goals and one assist in three appearances against Dallas for the most goal contributions in the series across the two clubs.