This article was first published in the Tampa Bay Times on April 5.
By Ella Zinken
TAMPA — After three consecutive draws against Fort Lauderdale, the Sun finally broke through Saturday night, 2-0 against their in-state rival.
Team captain Jordyn Listro opened scoring in the 30th minute, netting her first career goal on American soil. Though she has scored in Spain, Listro called this moment particularly special, especially in front of a home crowd.
“I love intercepting the ball,” she said. “I stepped in and then I just hit it.”
The midfielder admitted she had a little extra motivation going into the match with Fort Lauderdale (9-6-5, 32 points), which hadn’t lost a game this spring.
“My last shot was terrible and (coach Denise Schilte-Brown) was like, ‘Jordan, stop shooting,’ ” she said, laughing.
A knee injury to Sun defender Jackie Simpson earlier in the game also hit close to home for Listro.
“I was emotional after she got hurt,” Listro said. “It definitely fueled the fire for me.”
The Sun took that 1-0 lead into halftime and came out determined to maintain pressure.
In the 60th minute, forward Ava Tankersley entered the game and wasted no time making an impact. The two-time SEC Forward of the Year at Arkansas scored in the 80th minute, sealing the victory with her first professional goal.
“Scoring goals is what I love to do,” Tankersley said. “I felt the love from all the teammates and the staff. It was awesome.”
Tankersley didn’t take her role as a sub lightly, and it showed.
“That’s my job — to change the game,” she said. “I think all the subs did a really good job of keeping the intensity high.”
“(Coach) asked me, ‘Are you ready?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And I think I did a good job,” added Tankersley, with Schilte-Brown nodding.
Schilte-Brown said the game felt like the team’s hard work had payed off.
“The fight was just tremendous from the first whistle to the end, and that’s just the kind of performance we’re going to need consistently moving forward.”
The win brings Tampa Bay (7-5-9, 30 points) just two points shy of fourth place — the final playoff spot — with seven games remaining on the spring schedule.
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Thumbnail image caption: Tampa Bay Sun forward Ava Tankersley, right, celebrates her first professional goal with Parker Goins as the Sun beats Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. [ MIKE CARLSON | Tampa Bay Sun ]