Spokane Zephyr FC lost a hard-fought match to Dallas Trinity FC on Sunday afternoon that ended in a 2-1 finish at ONE Spokane Stadium.
In the 36th minute of play, Dallas Trinity FC scored their first goal that came off a Chioma Ubogagu cross which found Hannah Davison for a diving header.
Zephyr went into halftime down 1-0 after creating four shots with one on target and limiting Dallas Trinity FC to only two shots total in the half. Spokane had created four corner kick opportunities but were unable to convert them.
In the 58th minute of the second half Spokane found themselves in a 2-0 deficit from another goal by Trinity FC that came from a cross by Jenny-Julia Danielsson to Gracie Brian for another diving header to the back of the net.
Spokane responded in the 72nd minute of play, getting its first goal of the game following a corner kick from Marley Canales. The kick found McKenzie Weinert, who sent a strike that was deflected to an area that allowed for a one-touch goal from Taylor Aylmer.
Toward the end of the match, Spokane was able to create multiple chances to tie the match up, but were unable to convert.
Weinert found herself in a foot race with the Dallas Trinity goalkeeper and was tripped up while making an attempt on the ball but play continued as the official did not call a penalty for either side.
“Kenzie took a touch on the goalkeeper, and the goalkeeper took her out,” said Zephyr head coach Jo Johnson. “And in any other league, that’s a penalty kick… so just the consistency would be nice.”
The decision not to give Zephyr a penalty kick sparked an uproar of boos from the crowd. There was some arguing from Spokane’s bench, resulting in a yellow card being issued to coach Johnson and a red card handed to Thais Reiss.
Zephyr finished the match with a total of 16 shots and five on target, showing why they are second in the league in total shot attempts.
“I thought we worked through the middle really well, and we’re getting those chances, and that’s the first step, so the next step is definitely finishing those chances,” Canales said.
Spokane now has a record of 1-2-3 on the season and are sitting in sixth place in the league standings.
“I think it’s a matter of us taking today, taking how we feel, and just building upon it,” Aylmer said on Zephyr’s mentality going forward. “We had a lot of good moments, so how do we just build upon those moments and have more of them, and then just add in that final piece of executing in front of goal.”
Zephyr will play their next match against Lexington Sporting Club on Sunday, Oct. 13 at ONE Spokane Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m and the theme for the match will be “United” to recognize the unity within Spokane.
