Trinity’s unbeaten streak reaches five as winter additions debut in frigid Cotton Bowl
On a brutally cold January night at Cotton Bowl Stadium, the Nathan Thackeray era began much like the weather itself: a bit chilly, occasionally promising, but ultimately leaving everyone wanting more warmth.
Dallas Trinity (6-5-3, 21 points) and Brooklyn FC (4-6-6, 18 points) played to a 1-1 draw Saturday night in near-freezing temps before an announced crowd of 1,527 – though only a few hundred hardy souls appeared to actually brave the near-freezing conditions.
Camryn Lancaster’s 58th-minute strike gave Trinity the lead, but an 83rd-minute defensive breakdown allowed Rebecca Cooke to equalize for Brooklyn. The result extends Trinity’s unbeaten streak to five matches and keeps them in fourth place in the Gainbridge Super League standings.
Thackeray deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation for his debut, a shift from the systems Chris Petrucelli favored. All three of Trinity’s January signings – goalkeeper Tyler McCamey, defender Lauren Flynn, and midfielder Heather Stainbrook – earned starting positions in their club debuts.
The full starting XI: McCamey in goal; a back line of Cyera Hintzen, captain Amber Wisner, Hannah Davison, and Flynn; a double pivot of Stainbrook and Wayny Balata; an attacking line of Chioma Ubogagu, Lexi Missimo, and Lancaster; with Jenny Danielsson operating as a false nine up top.
For McCamey, it marked her first professional start.
The results were mixed. The first half was a disjointed affair. Brooklyn controlled possession and camped in Trinity’s half for long stretches, but neither side managed to seriously trouble the opposing goalkeeper. Flynn picked up a yellow card in the opening minute for a sideline challenge, setting an early tone of caution that pervaded the opening 45 minutes. The sparse crowd came to life in the 33rd minute when Wisner made a sliding block inside the penalty area to snuff out a dangerous Brooklyn opportunity.
“I thought it was really sloppy, to be honest,” Thackeray admitted afterward. “Not just from us, the whole game in general. It looked like a game where two teams have not played for six weeks, and then also two teams have not been able to train properly for a little while.”
The sides went to the locker room even, with Trinity recording two shots on target, Brooklyn none.
Whatever Thackeray said at the break seemed to work. The second half brought more purpose, even if execution remained spotty. McCamey made her first professional save in the 46th minute, confidently turning away a Brooklyn corner. And in the 58th minute, the plan Thackeray had drilled into his team came to fruition. “We literally talked about it at halftime,” Stainbrook said. “As soon as I get the ball in that pocket, in that zone behind the defense, I knew Cam was going to run.”
Stainbrook’s pass from midfield found Lancaster on the right side. The Mansfield, TX native and TCU alum took two touches and curled a right-footed shot perfectly inside the far post. 1-0 Dallas.
It was Lancaster’s second goal of the season and her fourth career goal against Brooklyn – a statistic she couldn’t quite explain. “I couldn’t tell you, but I’m just happy to have scored and wish we could have come out with a win.”
“We’d worked on it,” Thackeray noted. “Not necessarily focusing on Cam scoring a goal. Maybe it was a cross, but she looked at it and finished it well.”
Trinity had chances to extend the lead. Thackeray made his first substitutions in the 70th minute, bringing on Allie Thornton for Missimo, then added Sealey Strawn and Kiley Dulaney in the 74th for Danielsson and Ubogagu, respectively. In the 77th minute, Dulaney’s cross found Strawn inside the box, but her shot rang off the right post.
In the 83rd minute, defensive communication broke down in precisely the way Thackeray feared. A dangerous pass sequence – Catherine Zimmerman to Ana Maria Markovic to an unmarked Rebecca Cooke – resulted in an easy finish past McCamey, who hesitated looking for an offside flag that never came. “Lauren Flynn said she didn’t realize that there was a player on the outside of her,” Thackeray explained. “She tried to shepherd it out of play. The communication has to be better. We have to be able to protect the goal really quickly in moments of emergency like that.”
The goal was “super disappointing,” Thackeray said, particularly given Trinity had limited Brooklyn to low-percentage opportunities throughout the match. The numbers supported that assessment: Brooklyn managed 14 total shots but only four on target, while Dallas dominated possession 60.8% to 39.2%.
The chaotic week leading up to the match didn’t help. Winter weather shut down training for three days – Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. When the team could reconvene Tuesday and Wednesday, they were relegated to 5-v-5 indoor facilities. Thursday brought a half-field session, and Friday was the first day back outside, though not on grass and only for a light session anyway. “We won’t be a team that’s built on excuses, we’ll be a team that seizes opportunities,” Thackeray said. “That’s gotta be the mindset.”
For the new additions, the baptism by ice was complete. All three logged significant minutes in their debuts under trying conditions. “It was exciting to be able to play with all the new girls and implement the things that we’ve been putting in the past few weeks,” Lancaster said.
Thackeray, now just seven training sessions into his tenure, was philosophical about the result and the road ahead: “This is a starting point for us,” he said. “Adversity is a huge area for growth and development. Ties and losses happen all the time in soccer, so we’ll be able to bounce back.”
Trinity now embarks on a three-match road stretch through February, starting with Fort Lauderdale United FC on Feb. 7, before returning home for the I-45 Texas Showdown on Feb. 28.
The Thackeray era has begun. It’s early, it’s cold, and there’s work to do. But Trinity remains unbeaten in five, sits in playoff position, and showed glimpses of the tactical ideas their new coach is implementing. On a frozen afternoon at the Cotton Bowl, that’s not nothing.
TRINITY LINEUP (4-2-3-1): Tyler McCamey; Cyera Hintzen, Amber Wisner (C), Hannah Davison, Lauren Flynn; Heather Stainbrook, Wayny Balata; Chioma Ubogagu (Kiley Dulaney 74′), Lexi Missimo (Allie Thornton 70′), Camryn Lancaster (Caroline Swann 88′); Jenny Danielsson (Sealey Strawn 74′)
SCORING SUMMARY: 58′ – DAL: Camryn Lancaster (Heather Stainbrook) 83′ – BKN: Rebecca Cooke (Ana Maria Markovic)