Dallas Trinity’s winless streak stretched to five as The Golden Girls fell 3–2 to DC Power in their return to the newly renovated Cotton Bowl Stadium on Sunday.
Back home after a long hiatus, Trinity stepped onto the pitch under a bright, sunny Texas autumn sky in Fair Park, both sides desperate for a return to form. Defender Samar Guidry returned to the lineup after serving a one-match suspension for a red card at Lexington on September 26, replacing Tamara Bolt. Camryn Lancaster also rejoined the starting XI, taking the spot of Sealey Strawn, who returned from national duty with the United States Women’s National Team’s U-20 squad.
Head coach Chris Petrucelli stuck with his familiar flexible 4-2-3-1, shifting captain Amber Wisner into a more advanced midfield role behind Allie Thornton, with Lancaster and Chioma Ubogagu on the wings.
The match opened with both sides pressing high and trading possession early. A sparse but spirited Cotton Bowl crowd made its presence felt, cheering on Trinity as the teams exchanged early blows.
Lancaster nearly opened the scoring in the 10th minute, forcing a save from Power keeper Morgan Aquino that resulted in a Dallas corner, but Trinity couldn’t convert.
Just three minutes later, DC’s Jaydah Bedoya broke through the Dallas line, shaking off Cyera Hintzen and finishing low past Rylee Foster to give the visitors an early lead. Power kept the pressure on with another shot that rolled just wide minutes later.
The home crowd refused to let the energy fade. Following the goal, drums and chants echoed through the Cotton Bowl, pushing the players forward. In the 18th minute, Gracie Brian was shown a yellow card for a hard tackle, and the crowd roared louder. Two minutes later, Dallas drew level when Lancaster found space at the edge of the 18 and ripped a shot across goal into the bottom corner, opening her 2025-26 USL-S account.
Dallas stayed on the front foot. Thornton forced another save from Aquino in the 24th minute, but the Young Matilda would not be tested on the ensuing corner.
On the other end, defenders Hannah Davison and Maya McCutcheon kept DC’s counterattacks in check with timely tackles and clearances. Dallas nearly took the lead in the 42nd minute, earning a free kick from just outside the box, but Aquino again came up big. The first half closed even at 1–1.
The second half started fast for Dallas. Aquino turned away two quick chances, first from Ubogagu, then from Thornton, as Dallas controlled the pace.
Play paused briefly when Aquino took a knock in goal, but once the match resumed, DC found their moment on the counter in the 70th minute, when Susanna Fitch fired from the top of the box, her shot blazing past Foster to restore the Power lead. Petrucelli immediately brought on Strawn and Bolt in search of a spark.
“Especially being at home, it’s a great opportunity to put those games away. It’s important to get our rhythm going back in our next two games. When we do, it’s only up from here.”
Sealey Strawn on the importance of getting home results
As the sun set over Fair Park, the temperature dropped, and so did Trinity’s momentum. DC added a third in the 78th minute when striker Gianna Gourley cleaned up a rebound inside the area.
“It was exciting, anyways. We played well enough to win, but it’s just hard to win when you give up three goals. I thought we played hard, looked energized, and at times did some really good things tonight.”
Head Coach/General Manager Chris Petrucelli
Dallas refused to fold. In the 85th minute, a set piece found Brian, who tucked it home to pull one back, also her first of the season. Dallas pushed hard in the final minutes, including 8+ minutes of injury time, but the clock ran out before Trinity could find an equalizer.
“It feels absolutely amazing. We love our fans so much and we couldn’t perform without them. All the smiles we see after the game, win or lose, are really uplifting.”
Midfielder Gracie Brian on being back at home for league play
The Golden Girls will look to break their five-match skid next Saturday when Sporting JAX visits Cotton Bowl Stadium for a 4 p.m. CT kickoff. The theme for the match is “Salute to Service”, as the club celebrates Veterans Day, honoring military veterans. All matches stream live on Peacock.