Dallas Trinity FC 3, Spokane Zephyr FC 1
Dallas Trinity FC ended a four-match winless run Saturday afternoon at the Cotton Bowl, defeating Spokane Zephyr FC 3-1 in front of a crowd of 2,979 Fair Park faithful.
The win, fueled by an own goal, an Amber Wisner penalty, and a late Jenny Danielsson strike, moves Dallas to 9-8-5 and extends their cushion over the teams chasing them in the playoff race to six points with five matches remaining.
On a day that started with heavy rains, the sky cleared in time for a sunny kickoff just shy of 70 degrees. Nathan Thackeray made several changes from Tuesday’s lineup. Maya McCutcheon stepped in at center back alongside Wisner in place of Hannah Davidson. Sealey Strawn earned her first start up front after a string of impactful substitute appearances, with Bethany Bos dropping to the bench. Camryn Lancaster returned to the right wing with Chioma Ubogagu again on the left, and Jasmine Hamid was named to the bench for her first appearance in a Dallas kit after arriving from Fort Lauderdale just 24 hours earlier.
Spokane pressed high from the opening whistle, but The Golden Girls matched their energy and quickly established a rhythm of their own. Strawn’s runs behind the Spokane backline were a constant threat, and Ubogagu and Heather Stainbrook combined well through the lines. The opening goal came in the 15th minute out of exactly that kind of movement. Stainbrook’s shot across goal created chaos in the Spokane box, and a miscommunication between defender Kelsey Oyler and goalkeeper Hope Hisey saw Oyler touch the ball into her own net. Golden smoke rose from the supporters’ section — Spokane’s third own goal of the season.
Dallas continued to threaten. In the 32nd minute, Ubogagu’s cross found Strawn at close range, and she struck the left post. The rebound fell back to Strawn, who missed narrowly again in the 33rd. Lexi Missimo drew a strong save from Hisey in the 43rd from the top of the box. Dallas went into halftime ahead 1-0, having dominated possession at 63 percent, with four big chances to Spokane’s one, and three shots off the woodwork that could have made it considerably more comfortable.
Spokane made three changes at halftime, bringing on Ally Cook, Catherine Rapp, and Charley Boone. Cook’s impact was immediate — and costly. In the 47th minute, she fouled Samar Guidry in the box, earning a penalty just two minutes into the second half. Wisner stepped up and powered it to the bottom right corner. 2-0. Her third goal of the season, and her second penalty conversion in as many weeks.
“I practice penalties twice a week after training,” Wisner said afterward. “It started when I was a kid. My dad would make me hit penalties in the same spot I wanted before I could come inside. When the referee blows the whistle, it’s not a shock to your system. You’re mentally and physically prepared.”
Sydney Cheesman came on for Guidry in the 57th minute, returning from concussion protocol for her first extended run in a Dallas kit since her debut at Lexington. Jasmine Hamid made her Dallas debut in the 67th minute, replacing Ubogagu, and immediately set up a Strawn chance in the 69th. Bos and Danielsson came on in the 79th.
Dallas hit the post again in the 59th through McCutcheon, and Stainbrook had a goal called back for handball in the 58th. For long stretches, it felt like the kind of afternoon where the scoreline never quite reflects the performance.
Spokane made it nervy in the 88th minute when substitute Madelyn Desiano crossed for Catherine Rapp, who finished to the top left corner to make it 2-1. The Cotton Bowl tensed. Then, three minutes into stoppage time, Tyler McCamey launched a ball forward that found Danielsson in the box, and the substitute finished low to the bottom left corner to seal it. 3-1.
“Whatever it takes, individually and collectively, to get three points — that was the message,” Wisner said. “Don’t tell Nathan, but I don’t really care about the performance at this point. I want three points. We need three points.”
Thackeray was measured. “It was better today, and we got execution,” he said. “We’re still creating enough chances to support a few more. A bigger margin would have been a little bit fair.” He credited Strawn’s starting role for unlocking the attack. “She’s got the willingness to really run in behind. We felt that was going to break the line a little bit differently.” On Hamid’s debut, he was equally direct. “She did a really good job and assisted a chance, so there will be opportunities.”
Strawn, who departs for the U.S. Under-19 Women’s National Team camp in Argentina this week, reflected on her starting role. “I think it was just using that intensity and going nonstop,” she said. “As a team, the last two results weren’t the greatest, and we really wanted to go into this game and give it our all.”
On the national team call-up, she was measured. “I take it week by week. I’m still here for what we need to accomplish. Then, leading into camp, I flip my mindset.”
Thackeray’s Golden Girls head to Maimonides Park to take on Brooklyn FC on the Coney Island Boardwalk a week from Sunday. They remain firmly in fourth place in the table.
STARTING LINEUPS
DAL: McCamey; Hintzen, McCutcheon, Wisner (C), Guidry; Stainbrook, Missimo, Lancaster; Strawn, Ubogagu; Bos (bench: Hamid)
SPK: Hisey; Oyler, Tappan, McCoy; Thomas, Jaskaniec, Braun, Fontenot; Zierenberg, Silano; Knox
SCORING SUMMARY 15′ — DAL: Own Goal (Kelsey Oyler) 48′ — DAL: Amber Wisner (pen.) 88′ — SPK: Catherine Rapp (Madelyn Desiano) 91′ — DAL: Jenny Danielsson (Tyler McCamey)