Kaya Crawford, Gonzaga University ’26
Following a 17-day break between matches, Spokane Zephyr FC is traveling to Florida for the first of their final two matches of the fall schedule to face Fort Lauderdale United FC on Saturday at Beyond Bancard Field.
Spokane sits seventh in the USL Super League standings with a 2-4-6 record. Fort Lauderdale is fifth with a 4-5-2 record.
The first meeting between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw in front of a sold-out crowd at ONE Spokane Stadium on Aug. 17, the first-ever Zephyr match. Emina Ekić scored the lone goal for Spokane in the 16th minute after nutmegging a Fort Lauderdale defender and drawing a foul in the penalty box. She converted the penalty and made history as Zephyr’s first goalscorer.
In their most recent match on Nov. 20, Spokane played Dallas Trinity FC to a scoreless draw. Emma Jaskaniec had a pair of chances in the first half. In the 26th minute, she nearly capitalized off a Zephyr fast break, but her shot curled just wide. Seven minutes later, she had a golden opportunity to shoot in the center of the box but missed slightly left.
The match marked Hope Hisey’s third clean sheet.
“It’s hard to shutout teams on the road and we accomplished that through a collective effort tonight,” Hisey said following the match.
Fort Lauderdale defeated Dallas 2-1 on Sunday. Jasmine Hamid scored the fastest goal in USL Super League history, sending the ball into the top right corner of the goal just two minutes into the match. Addie McCain scored in the 81st minute to secure the win for Fort Lauderdale.
FTL has scored in eight consecutive matches with McCain leading the league in goals with seven on the season. Zephyr’s last three matches have ended in draws, but two wins to close out the fall schedule could catapult them above the playoff line.
The match kicks off at 4:30 pm PST and can be streamed on Peacock.
Zephyr will close out their fall schedule and conclude their six-match road trip on Dec. 14 in a rematch with Tampa Bay Sun FC. Zephyr will begin their spring schedule on Feb. 22 on the road against Dallas.
