Over the weekend, the Gainbridge Super League kicked off its third season with four matches and all eight teams taking the pitch. Though it's a fresh season, many of last week's story lines for teams and players were continuations from the 2025/2026 season. Three of the four playoff teams from last season won their opening matches. Lexington, Sporting JAX, and Carolina all kept clean sheets after leading the league in them previously. Three of the top five scorers from last year are already leading this season's Golden Boot race. Let's take a look at the results.
DC Power 0 – 1 Carolina Ascent
During the 2025/2026 season, Carolina went undefeated against DC Power, winning three and drawing another in four meetings between the two teams. In three of the matchups, Carolina kept a clean sheet. Despite a rebuilt DC Power squad, the first meeting of this season continued this theme. Both teams had decent looks on goal, but the match remained scoreless for most of the first half. Carolina broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Addisyn Merrick launched a diagonal cross from near midfield that found Mia Corbin unmarked around the six yard box. With DC Power goalkeeper Katie Cappelletti tucked in close protecting the near post, Corbin headed it back across goal and off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net to give Carolina the lead. For much of the second half, both teams continued to find opportunities, but were unable to beat Cappelletti or her opposite number Sydney Martinez. In the 82nd minute, DC thought they had equalized the match and potentially earned a point after a Sam Cary Angel corner found Sydney Cummings in the box. Cummings headed the ball on target and beat Martinez but it hit off the post. The ball fell to Kayla Colbert, who put it in the back of the net. Officials waived the goal off thought because Colbert was determined to be offside. Colbert followed up the negated goal with two additional good chances, but neither beat Martinez. The match ended 1-0 in Carolina's favor. For Sydney Martinez, the win marked her second consecutive clean sheet against DC.
Lexington SC 3 – 0 Brooklyn FC
Lexington, last season's champions, opened their title defense against a Brooklyn side looking to rebound from a campaign to forget. Sarah Griffith thought she had opened up scoring for Lexington in the 38th minute when she directed a cross from outside the box past Brooklyn's keeper, Breanna Norris. The goal did not stand though, as Griffith was offsides prior to the cross. The score remained tied until the 77th minute when Catherine Barry, last season's Golden Boot winner, headed a high arcing deflection of the crossbar past Norris. Just three minutes later, Lexington doubled their lead, when Allison Pantuso broke up a Brooklyn attack in her own half and lofted pass from outside the Lexington half of the center circle that found a streaking Addie McCain alone in space in Brooklyn's defensive zone. McCain drove into the penalty area and put a shot past Norris before Norris or defender Laila Booker could close her down. Brooklyn continued to fight, but were unable to find an initial goal despite Jillian Shimkin hitting the crossbar. Second half substitute Hannah White sealed the match for Lexington when she volleyed a long distance cross from Alyssa Bourgeois past Norris.
Fort Lauderdale United 0 – 1 Sporting Jax
The Week 1 derby between two of the GSL's three Florida-based teams took a long time to decide and was not without drama along the way. Sporting Jax had an excellent opportunity in the 34th minute when a Ginger Fontenot pass intended for Sophia Boman rolled into the Fort Lauderdale 18 yard box, Fort Lauderdale goalkeeper Haley Craig fumbled her attempt to corral the ball and Ella Simpson's attempt to play it out of danger deflected off of Boman, who ultimately collected the loose ball. Boman's effort didn't yield a result as her shot sailed over the crossbar. Less than two minutes later, Fort Lauderdale created their own opportunity when Kiara Locklear raced onto a long clearance from Kelsey Oyler and found Grace Cutler in the center of the penalty area. Cutler forced a great sliding save from Sporting Jax keeper, Jamie Gerstenberg. Moments later, Fort Lauderdale thought they had taken the lead after catching Gerstenberg out of position, but it was negated by a Sh'nia Gordon offsides. The match looked like it was destined for a 0-0 draw until the 89th minute when Sporting Jax won a foul just outside Fort Lauderdale's penalty area. On the ensuing free kick, Baylee DeSmit, the GSL's second leading scorer during the 2025/2026 campaign, beat Craig with a low kick under the Fort Lauderdale wall and a deflection off of defender Shea Moyer. That goal was all Sporting Jax needed to lock up three points on the road.
Dallas Trinity 1 – 1 Tampa Bay Sun
The final match of the weekend had Tampa Bay paying a visit to Dallas and the Cotton Bowl. Both teams had opportunities in the first half to open up scoring, but neither team could breakdown the opposing goalkeeper. In the 33rd minute, Dallas had one of the best opportunities of the first half when Onyeka Gamero put a screamer on goal from the edge of the box, forcing Sun goalkeeper Liz Beardsley to parry it away for her defenders to clean up. Just four minutes after the halftime restart, Dallas managed to break through when Carissa Boeckman played a long pass through a seam in Tampa's defense and found Seven Castain. Facing off one on one, Beardsley stopped Castian's initial effort after coming out to cut her off, but the rebound ended up past her where Catian collected the ball again and put it in the back of the net. Dallas held on to the lead for the remainder of regulation and then 2 minutes and 22 seconds of an allowed 3 minutes of stoppage time. With time running out on the clock Tori Waldeck put a Jordan Zade cross into the back of the net with a leaping volley to save the day and secure a point for the Sun.
Week 2 Matches
Friday, 21 July
Brooklyn FC vs DC Power - 7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT - Maimonides Park, Brooklyn, New York
Saturday, 22 July
Sporting Jax vs Tampa Bay Sun - 7 PM ET/6 PM CT - Hodges Stadium, Jacksonville Florida
Dallas Trinity vs Carolina Ascent - 8:30 PM ET/7:30 PM CT - Cotton Bowl, Dallas Texas
All matches stream on Peacock.
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