On a clear summer-like evening at Maimonides Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn FC and Sporting Club Jacksonville delivered one of the most dramatic contests in the USL Gainbridge Super League this season, finishing level 3–3 after a frantic second half that saw six goals, two red cards, and nonstop swings of momentum.
Brooklyn were without captain and Super League Player of the Month Kelsey Hill, while forward Jessica Garziano was also absent from the Starting XI. Head coach Tomás Tengarrinha used a 4-3-3 formation with Kelsey Daugherty in goal; Leah Scarpelli, Alice Barbieri, Nayeong Shin, and Jordan Thompson in defense; and a midfield of Hope Breslin, Samantha Kroeger, and Emma Loving. The front three of Ana Marković, Rebecca Cooke, and Sofia Lewis carried the attack.
Sporting Jacksonville set up in a compact 5-3-2 designed to absorb pressure and counter. Kaitlyn Parks started in goal behind defenders Meg Hughes, Sydney Phillpotts, Emily Brown, Julia Lester, and Caroline Murray. Midfielders Sophie Jones, Ashlyn Puerta, and Sophia Boman connected to forwards Leah Pannock and Paige Kenton.
Urgent, uptempo first half
Brooklyn opened with urgency, pressing high and testing Jacksonville’s structure. But it was Jones who nearly put the visitors ahead inside five minutes, driving a low shot wide of the far post. Brooklyn’s defense remained organized, cutting off Jacksonville’s rhythm through midfield. Both sides traded spells of possession while searching for control.
The breakthrough came in the 16th minute for Jacksonville, when Boman sent a curling cross that Hughes met with a perfect header to take a 1–0 lead. The visitors’ shape continued to frustrate Brooklyn, forcing long passes and rushed touches. Breslin was booked for a tactical foul, and Cooke received a caution before halftime.
Brooklyn ended the half with just 32% possession, underscoring how hard it was to sustain attacks against Jacksonville’s press. There was an edge to Brooklyn’s play – the club currently leads the league in yellow cards – as their physical, high-tempo identity that thrives on intensity and pressure. Yet that aggression can be disrupted when referees call fouls and slow the tempo.
Tyrese Alleyne-Davis
Second-half breakthrough
Tengarrinha’s side responded after the break. Scarpelli struck in the 66th minute, curling a right-footed free kick into the top corner beyond Parks to level the match at 1–1. The strike, hit with precision and power, could easily be a Goal of the Year contender and sent the crowd at Maimonides Park into celebration.
Three minutes later, Cooke nearly gave Brooklyn the lead, but her shot cleared off the line by Lester. Jacksonville regained the lead in the 76th minute when Kenton rose to meet a corner, heading it in to make it 2–1. But then Brooklyn answered again. In the 86th minute, substitute Samantha Rosette brought down a lofted ball off her chest and chipped a looping finish over Parks to make it 2–2.
Just four minutes later, Brooklyn finally took the lead when Thompson’s long throw found Cooke, who turned in traffic and fired a sharp right-footed strike inside the near post to make it 3–2. Scarpelli’s free kick, Rosette’s chip, and Cooke’s quick-turn finish all showcased the quality of this BKFC side.
Striker Kiki Marković made her Brooklyn debut when the 24-year-old was subbed on during stoppage time as the club tried to close out the win. In the 93rd minute, play stopped after a coming together between Kenton and Daugherty saw red cards for both players. Brooklyn was seconds away from securing their second win of the year when Jacksonville midfielder Puerta slipped a pass through to substitute Baylee DeSmit, who slotted home in the 95th to seal a 3–3 draw.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Next Up: Tampa Bay
Brooklyn finished the game with eight total shots — seven of which came in the second half. The team found their rhythm under Scarpelli’s leadership, Rosette’s creativity, and Cooke’s composure, though Brooklyn will feel it let two points slip away.
Brooklyn FC now have a record of 1W–3D–3L after seven games, and drop to 8th Place in the nine-team table. Sporting Jacksonville, now with a record of 2W–2D–2L, remain in 5th Place. Brooklyn next host Tampa Bay Sun FC at Maimonides Park in Coney Island on Saturday, October 11, at 6:00 pm ET. Tampa Bay are USL Gainbridge Super League defending champions, but are winless so far this season, which will give Brooklyn another chance to turn resilience into results
