By Thomas Mangieri
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Sun FC kicked off their second home game of the season, tying Dallas Trinity FC 1-1 during their Noche Latina event, celebrating Hispanic culture and community. The night kicked off with player walk-ins featuring a mariachi band alongside themed events hosted before the game, as well as themed foods for the night.
Tensions were high coming into the game, with Dallas looking to get revenge against the Sun. This is the first matchup since the Sun defeated Dallas in the semifinals last year, with the Sun going on to win the USL Super League Championship.
With the festivities out of the way, the game would kick off at 7:30 p.m. Dallas struck early with the first goal coming in the sixth minute, off an assist from Dallas forward Chioma Ubogagu to forward Allie Thorton, who found the back of the net.
Dallas threatened and put on the most pressure in the first half, with them having eight shot attempts. Most shots wouldn’t land, either being saved by Sun goalkeeper Emory Wegener or missing the mark completely.
In the second half, the Sun came out with more offensive promise, scoring a goal in the 68th minute of the game off a beautiful shot by midfielder Carlee Giammona from the top of the penalty box.
After the Tampa goal, it was still mostly Dallas threatening for the rest of the game, but nothing came of it as Tampa kept up the defense. The game ended in a tie, 1-1.
The game was mostly Dallas the entire way through, with them controlling possession for 61.2% of the game. They had an 80.7% pass accuracy rating with five more shots than Tampa. Three of those shots were on target compared to Tampa’s two.
Tampa played exceptionally well considering the significant injuries to their lineup, especially their back line with defenders Vivianne Bessette and Charlotte McLean being injured, as well as forward Parker Goins also being out. The suspension of midfielder Jilly Shimkin, who received a red card last week against Spokane, does not help the Sun either. Even with all the injuries, the Sun can still compete, and this game truly shows how deep this team is.
One of the standout players for them on Saturday was Sun’s goalkeeper Wegener, making her professional debut. The former Georgia Bulldog and Maryland Terrapin standout earned second-team All-SEC honors in the 2020-21 season and finished fifth in the SEC with six shutouts in 2021 during her time at Georgia. She saved two out of three shots on target, doing her job and preventing Tampa from losing another close one.
Tampa’s schedule doesn’t get any easier next week as they take on the second-place Fort Lauderdale United FC, who haven’t lost a game yet. Tampa is still searching for its first win to jumpstart this season, as this tie brings them to a record of 0-2-3.