By Kaya Crawford, Gonzaga University ‘26
Spokane Zephyr FC earned the club’s first win in history with a 1-0 victory over DC Power FC at ONE Spokane Stadium Sunday afternoon.
“It was unbelievable,” Emma Jaskaniec said. “To get the first win in Zephyr history is nothing short of amazing.”
This was the first time the sides met and both were looking for their first win entering the match.
Haley Thomas earned her first start, replacing Sydney Cummings on the backline. Emma Jaskaniec also made her first start for Zephyr.
“Getting my first start as a professional is nothing short of amazing,” Jaskaniec said. “It’s really a dream come true. Like I’ve dreamed about this day since I was three years old. So to actually have it happen was unbelievable.”
Zephyr gained control of the game early in the first half. Their first chance came six minutes in as Natalie Viggiano found space in the top left corner of the box to shoot, but the shot deflected off her teammate Sophia Braun.
Spokane’s breakthrough moment came off a set piece in the 18th minute after Jaskeniec was taken down in the offensive half. Sarah Clark sent the ball across the penalty box and found Thomas who buried the ball in the back of the net off a diving header to put Zephyr ahead 1-0.
“I honestly could not have asked for better coaches and a better team to do this with,” Thomas said. “I feel like everyone is supporting me the whole way, making me feel as comfortable as I can. And I’m honestly just so excited for the next game already.”
DC had a breakaway moment in the middle of the half as a through ball from Yuuka Kurosaki found Alex Kirnos near the top of the penalty box. Nino came out of the goal to stop the pass that was laid off to Jorian Baucom and Thomas was able to clear the shot away off the goal line.
In the 37th minute, McKenzie Weinert recorded her second shot of the day off a hard strike to the left side of the goal that DC’s keeper was able to deflect out of bounds. Spokane had five shots in the first half with one on target. They led 1-0 going into halftime for the third time this season.
Zephyr came out in the second half on the attack causing DC to maintain aggressive play. A foul on Jaskaniec outside the penalty box set Spokane up for another scoring opportunity, but they were unable to find the back of the net off the cross from Emina Ekić.
Spokane earned 10 corner kicks to DC’s one. Despite the many opportunities, Zephyr were held to one shot in the second half and were unable to find a second goal.
Izzy Nino earned her first clean sheet of the season and had one save.
“She’s gotten better each week, definitely,” head coach Jo Johnson said. “Even in the passing ranges, we’ve seen her be able to hit different ranges with her feet, which opens up our build. She’s definitely a big presence back there for us, and we just have a lot of trust in her abilities, so we’re happy for her to get the clean sheet too.”
With the win, Spokane moved up a spot to fifth in the USL Super League standings and now holds a record of 1-1-2. DC remains in seventh place with a record of 0-3-2.
Spokane will have their first road match next weekend against DC Power at Audi Field on Sunday, Sept. 29. Kickoff will be 11 a.m. PT with the match being broadcast on PeacockTV. Zephyr will return to Spokane on Oct. 6 to face Dallas Trinity FC at 2 p.m. PT. The match is Breast Cancer Awareness Day with the theme “Brave.”
“You got the first game check, first win check,” Johnson said. “Now we’ve got to go on the road and get the first road win check, and then get the three points.”
