Sealey Strawn provides late heroics for Dallas Trinity FC

Dallas Trinity FC Academy player Sealey Strawn produced her first professional goal in the dying minutes to give the Trinity a deserved 1-0 win over Fort Lauderdale United FC.

“Fort Lauderdale, set up really well, and we found it difficult to kind of penetrate the back line,” said Dallas Trinity FC Head Coach Pauline MacDonald. “I think we dominated possession of the game. And I think, you know, for me, sometimes it’s not always pretty, but I think the team showed great character and spirit to continue to the end and secure the three points for us.”

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Coach MacDonald kept the 3-1-4-2 from the 2-2 draw with Carolina Ascent with Gaby Guillen dropping to the bench following two 90-minute appearances for Costa Rica in the past week.

Jenna Winebrenner made her second consecutive start on her return from injury in a back three with Washington Spirit loanee Waniya Hudson and Hannah Davison.

Julia Dorsey and Chioma Ubogagu lined up at wingback with the usual midfield three of Amber Brooks, Jenny Danielsson, and Sam Meza. Former Aston Villa striker Lucy Shepherd kept the start alongside Allie Thornton.

On the other side, FC Dallas youth product Addie McCain got the start up front for Fort Lauderdale United FC. McCain was a teammate of Thornton and Haley Berg in the FC Dallas WPSL team.

“We’ve played against each other since we were 10 years old, and then to be back on the [WPSL] team together, like you said, it came full circle,” said Trinity forward Thornton of facing McCain. “She’s a player I’ve always had a ton of respect for. She’s had a great career, and she has the accolades to show for it, and I think, yeah, her spot in the top of the league in middle scoring is completely deserved. So yeah, it’s always fun to meet up with her again to see the old quote, enemies, right?”

The first half hour was largely spent in the Fort Lauderdale half, with Dallas struggling to play into the 18-yard box. Chioma Ubogagu had a fairly tame effort easily held early on, before a couple of efforts from the edge of the area could only find the outstretched leg of a defender. The few times FTL broke forward, they tried to thread a ball in behind the high defensive line without a visiting player in pursuit.

Dallas felt they should have had a penalty in the 39th minute. Lucy Shepherd pressed the goalkeeper in possession, poking the ball free only to then go down under what they felt was contact from goalkeeper Makenna Gottschalk. With the referee uninterested, Fort Lauderdale ran the ball down to produce their first chance of the game, an off-balance effort from Gianna Gourley that hit the side netting.

Trinity almost gave the visitors a golden opportunity in the opening minutes of the second half. Madison White took a short goal kick out to Sam Meza in midfield. Anele Komani pipped the Solar product to the ball, but hit a hopeful effort well wide when there was space to run into.

An interception close to goal gave Dallas its first chance of the second half with Amber Brooks finding the ball on the left side of the opposition area. A cutback to Jenny Danielsson resulted in a shot held by Gottschalk. Brooks attempted to find Shepherd with a long ball in the aftermath, which Gottschalk spilled before United cleared the danger.

Dallas started to really take control, prompting Fort Lauderdale to aggressively press. The Trinity players were forced into wider areas looking for space, which produced Dallas’ best opportunity so far in the 64th minute as Lucy Shepherd narrowly missed on a header from a Jenny Danielsson cross.

Coach MacDonald looked to change the game in the 67th minute with a triple substitution. Cyera Hintzen, Sealey Strawn, and Gracie Brian replaced Chioma Ubogagu, Lucy Shepherd, and Waniya Hudson. Strawn moved to right wingback, Hintzen on the left, and Brian went into the midfield with Danielsson pushing up as a forward.

It took three minutes for the changes to almost produce a goal. Cyera Hintzen brought the ball down the Dallas left, a one-two with Allie Thornton resulted in the former Texas Longhorn making a run into the box before her shot was held at the second attempt by Gottschalk.

Addie McCain’s homecoming wouldn’t produce a league-leading seventh goal as the former Aggie was substituted in the 75th minute.

Jenny Danielsson had the ball in the net in the 77th minute, nicely finishing off a pass by Sam Meza but was rightly whistled after the ball fell nicely after inadvertent contact with her hand. Dallas started getting touches in the box, but just needed to convert more of the touches to try and gain control of a long pass into meaningful chances.

Dallas finally got their goal in the 87th minute with a huge contribution from two of those earlier substitutes. Amber Brooks powered a long ball from the Dallas half that Cyera Hintzen ran onto. Hintzen drove a low shot that Gottschalk parried away. Sealy Strawn was the first to react, crashing the six-yard box to force home her first DTFC goal just a month after her 17th birthday.

“I don’t even really have words to describe it,” said Strawn just days after getting back from a US U-19 camp to score her first senior goal. “It was amazing. It’s been an amazing week, especially for me, but it was a lot, and exciting, definitely!”

In the aftermath of the goal the league’s second top scorer, Allie Thornton, took a seat with Rachel Pace getting her first minutes for Trinity after a preseason injury.

The win pushes Dallas Trinity to third place in the USL Super League standings. With the three US U-17s due back this week, a strengthened DTFC heads to Lexington next weekend for a 6 pm kick-off on Saturday.

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