With just two games to play in the USL Super League season, Dallas Trinity traveled east to take on the team chasing them for 2nd place and home field advantage in the opening round of the playoffs, Tampa Bay Sun.
Despite Sun Captain Jordyn Listro earning the first red card in league history in the 25th minute for kicking Amber Brooks in the face, Trinity was unable to capitalize on the player advantage and fell 1-0 to tighten the gap to just 1 point between the two clubs. The red card was symbolic of the scrappy game between the two clubs, with 25 combined fouls.
Still overloaded with injuries, Trinity Coach Pauline MacDonald shifted the shape to more of a 3-4-3 but that seemed to leave a hole in the middle as DTFC was unable to control midfield in their usual manner.
“We just have to put this game behind us,” said forward Cyera Hintzen after the loss. “We all know that we’re disappointed with how we came out and how we played tonight. However, we also know that’s not who we are. We need to come out with a fresh start, and I think we’ll be in a good situation come Thursday.”
Hannah Keane scored a cracker of a goal in the 13th minute for her 2nd of the season.
Up a player, Tinity dominated possession 67% to 33%, which led to a small shot advantage (15-11), but were unable to create clear opportunities against the scrappy Sun defense, earning just 4 shots on target.
“I think that sometimes the best way to bounce back is to be able to do it really, really quickly,” Coach MacDonald stated. “We have that opportunity, which is fortunate and sits in our favor right now. It’s about rest, recover, refuel, evaluate, and go again.”
Dallas Trinity FC continues its road trip with a visit to DC Power FC (4-12-7, 19 points) on Thursday, May 8, at Audi Field at 6:00 pm CT on Peacock.
