Spokane, WA — With a playoff spot on the line, Spokane Zephyr FC took care of business at home, defeating Brooklyn 4-0, finishing the regular season with a 10-9-9 record and rising above the playoff line with 39 points.
Spokane will now await the result of Dallas Trinity FC’s match versus Fort Lauderdale United FC later this evening. Zephyr FC will clinch the last playoff spot in Gainbridge Super League if Dallas loses or ties against Fort Lauderdale, with Trinity FC currently at 37 points heading into their regular season finale.
Spokane’s head coach Nicole Lukic reflected on the win following Saturday’s match.
“Great way to finish the regular season at home. That’s what we wanted to do today, make Spokane proud, get a win, and feel like we did our best,” said Lukic.
Zephyr FC struck gold early, with defender Reese Tappan crossing in a dangerous ball into the penalty area that was accidentally knocked in by Brooklyn midfielder Ryan Childers for an own goal that gave Spokane a 1-0 lead in the 2nd minute. Tappan’s pass was directed towards midfielder Katie Murray, whose positioning forced Childers into a bad spot.
Brooklyn FC almost struck back in the 6th minute, with defender Jordan Thompson receiving a corner kick inside the box and attempting multiple shots feet away from the net that was deflected by Spokane’s backline to protect its clean sheet.
One of Brooklyn’s best chances of the first half came in the 32nd minute, with defender Kelsey Hill connecting on a header attempt off a corner kick that was a bit too strong, with goalkeeper Hope Hisey punching it over the goalpost.
Spokane padded its lead in the 36th minute, with midfielder Felicia Knox firing a beautiful shot outside the box that curved perfectly past Brooklyn goalkeeper Nikki Pasquarella and into the back right of the net. Knox’s score was her fourth of the season, giving her side a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Knox spoke on what it would mean for Spokane to clinch a playoff spot later tonight for the first time in club history.
“I think we’ve put in the work for the last half of the season to deserve that. If it goes our way or it doesn’t, we know we’ve done everything we could to be prepared for that,” said Knox.
Zephyr FC nearly scored again to open the second half, with Maya Hansen attempting a distanced strike that went just wide left in the 48th minute.
Attempting to avoid its first scoreless match since April 4th, Brooklyn defender Annie Williams tried a long-ranged shot in the 55th minute that sailed wide right of the goalpost.
Spokane forward Thaiss Reiss kept the momentum going for the home side, knocking in a goal in the 82nd minute inside the penalty area to give Zephyr FC a commanding 3-0 lead. The goal was Reiss’s first of the season.
Zephyr FC put the finishing touches on its regular season finale in the 88th minute, with forward Lena Silano, who leads the team in goals scored this season, knocking in a score of her own to give Spokane a 4-0 win, the largest margin of victory in team history.
Silano spoke on the playoff push that Zephyr FC went on in the last half of the season and what it can build towards the future of the club.
“Being able to compete for a playoff spot is an amazing experience, not a lot of people can do that,” said Silano. “Hopefully we can do that more in the seasons coming forward and create a culture.”
Saturday’s regular season finale was also a milestone for Hisey and Tappan, who each became iron women, playing in all 2,520 minutes of the regular season. Spokane has now had iron women in each of its two seasons, with captain Sarah McCoy reaching the milestone last year.
With Spokane’s playoff fate in the hands of the Dallas and Fort Lauderdale’s match later on Saturday, coach Lukic has full belief in her team’s ability to make a run if they get into the postseason.
“If you look at our results versus the top three teams, we beat Carolina 2-0, beat JAX 2-1, and drew 0-0 with Lexington. So if we can get in, I like our odds just as much as anybody else,” said Lukic.
With the regular season over, Zephyr FC will await Dallas Trinity FC’s result versus Fort Lauderdale later tonight as the two sides fight for the last playoff spot. Stay tuned on the USL Spokane website for more information on the upcoming season at uslspokane.com.
