Brooklyn scored first off a Dallas giveaway, and Giulianna Gianino made her professional debut at right back in Coney Island.
Jasmine Hamid‘s 70th-minute penalty hit the right post at Maimonides Park on Saturday, and Dallas Trinity stayed a goal down to Brooklyn FC. Sixteen minutes later, Seven Castain ran onto LJ Moore‘s pass and finished for a 1-1 draw.
Kickoff was pushed back 22 minutes, to 4:22 p.m. ET, with no explanation provided. The Peacock broadcast was also delayed.
The afternoon stayed dry under high cloud cover. The remnants of Hurricane Isaias, which had already pushed Friday’s Sporting JAX-DC Power match to November, were due in New York a day later.
Lee Nguyen made three changes from the 3-0 loss at Lexington. Giulianna Gianino, signed Sept. 22, made her professional debut at right back. Sydney Cheesman returned at center back beside Sophia Braun, who went the full 90 four days after training with her arm in a cast. Carissa Boeckmann moved up from right back into midfield next to Sofía Cedeño. Felicia Knox started in place of Jamie Shepherd, and Camryn Lancaster began on the bench. Castain paired with Hamid up front. Meila Brewer, bound for the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, was not in the matchday squad.
Brooklyn had Alex Smith (DTID) back on the bench after he missed the Oct. 2 win over Fort Lauderdale for his Pro licence course. He also made three changes. Nicolette Pasquarella started in goal with captain Bre Norris away with Mexico’s U-23s. Emma Loving took the holding role in place of Jennifer Cudjoe, who is with Ghana for Olympic qualifying. Carlee Giammona, who scored off the bench against Fort Lauderdale, led the line, and Catherine Zimmerman was not in the squad. The back four of Sara D’Appolonia, Sophia Lowenberg, Lauren Gogal and Laila Booker was unchanged. Sophine Kevorkian, the goalkeeper Brooklyn signed Tuesday, sat among the substitutes.
A Debut Shot in the Fourth Minute
Gianino had the first attempt of the afternoon, a fourth-minute shot that Pasquarella saved. Hamid headed a corner wide in the 13th minute, and Cedeño was booked a minute later.
Dallas held 63 percent of the ball in the first half and found little through it. Onyeka Gamero had shots blocked in the 17th and 26th minutes. Castain headed wide in the 26th.
Giammona’s Tackle, King’s Finish
Brooklyn’s goal came from the press. Giammona won the ball high up the pitch in the 30th minute, and Jess Garziano carried it on and played Tziarra King down the left. King beat her defender and drove a left-footed shot into the side netting for her second goal of the season.
“Unfortunately, we gave up a goal off our own transition,” Nguyen said.
Brooklyn had the better of the rest of the half. Neeku Purcell saved from Jilly Shimkin in the 37th minute. Two minutes later, Ashlyn Miller cut onto her left foot and crossed from the right, and Giammona could not get enough on it.
Gogal headed a set piece wide in the 43rd minute. In stoppage time, Giammona headed a corner wide and then forced a save from Purcell. Brooklyn went in ahead, and with more shots, six to five.
Six Yards Out
Dallas’s clearest chance before the penalty came in the 51st minute. Cedeño got on the end of it inside the six-yard box and sent it over the bar.
Miller and Gamero each shot wide in the next four minutes. D’Appolonia was booked in the 58th, and a minute later Brooklyn blocked shots from Hamid and Cedeño.
Nguyen sent on Moore for Gianino in the 62nd minute. Pasquarella saved from Castain a minute later.
Off the Right Post
Hamid was brought down in the box in the 70th minute. She took the penalty herself and hit the right post. It was her second missed penalty of the fall, after she dragged one wide at Sporting JAX in Matchday 3.
Brooklyn nearly doubled the lead straight away. King tried from about 25 yards in the 71st minute, and Purcell, caught off her line, dove to save. A minute later, Shimkin’s shot from a corner hit the post.
Nguyen made two more changes in the 73rd minute, Aria Nagai for Boeckmann and Lancaster for Knox. Knox left with six tackles, the most of anyone on the field. Brooklyn brought on Kristina Marković for Loving two minutes later, and Giammona was booked in the 78th.
Moore to Castain
The equalizer came in the 86th minute. Moore played Castain in behind Brooklyn’s back line, and Castain finished past Pasquarella with her right foot.
“It was a great team goal,” Castain said. “LJ set me up with a perfect ball, and I think it just shows how we’ve been working.”
It was Castain’s third goal of the fall and her first away from the Cotton Bowl. Moore’s pass was the first assist of her professional career.
Castain nearly had a second two minutes later, when Pasquarella saved her left-footed shot. Brooklyn sent on Sofia Lewis for Giammona. In the 90th minute, Gamero and King each shot wide at either end.
“I thought the fight from the girls all game was great, and then to be able to come back and get the point was good,” Nguyen said.
The Golden Girls finished with 64 percent of the ball and 541 passes to Brooklyn’s 299. Braun completed 60 of her 69. The shots were 14 to 11, with four on target for each side. Brooklyn made 22 clearances, and Dallas were caught offside six times.
“Sometimes when you’re playing possession, you don’t get as many opportunities, but the ones you do get are high quality,” Castain said. “It meant a lot to finally put one of those away for the team.”
Unbeaten at Home in Three
Brooklyn have now gone three home matches without a loss. They sit seventh on seven points from two wins, a draw and five losses.
King was Brooklyn’s sharpest threat all afternoon, with the goal and the long-range effort that forced Purcell into her best save. Pasquarella made three saves in Norris’s place, and Shimkin’s strike off the post was the closest Brooklyn came to a second.
Brooklyn are off next weekend and host Tampa Bay Sun on Oct. 24.
A Debut with Family in the Stands
Gianino played 62 minutes on her debut.
“I was happy to go back up Northeast and have my family here,” she said. “It was huge for me. I felt very supported and felt like I had a lot of trust instilled in me throughout the couple weeks building up.”
The draw leaves Dallas unbeaten against Brooklyn this fall, with a win and a draw. It moves the all-time series to four wins, three draws and three losses.
Dallas are on 11 points from three wins, two draws and three losses. That puts them level on points with Sporting JAX and DC Power, both of whom have a game in hand, and behind both on goal differential.
Around the League
Carolina Ascent won 3-0 at Tampa Bay Sun on Saturday night for a 10th straight regular-season road win. Jill Aguilera scored in the 38th minute, and Rylee Baisden doubled the lead off a Mia Corbin assist before halftime. Riley Parker finished it in the 80th from Audrey Harding‘s pass. Carolina lead the league on 19 points, and Tampa’s four-match unbeaten run is over.
Sporting JAX and DC Power did not play. Hurricane Isaias moved Friday’s match at Hodges Stadium to Sunday, Nov. 15.
Lexington SC, a point behind Dallas with two games in hand, visit Fort Lauderdale United on Sunday night. It is Fort Lauderdale’s first match under interim head coach Paul Jennison.
Dallas return to the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 17, for the State Fair Clásico against Chivas Femenil at 4 p.m., in the olive-green Live Oak kit. The friendly match does not count toward the league standings. League play resumes Oct. 25 at DC Power at 2 p.m. CT.