Post-Match Facts: 8-23-25
2025/26 Gainbridge Super League Fall Season
Sporting Jax (0-1-0, 0 PTS) 1 vs 3 DC Power FC (1-0-0, 3 PTS)
Saturday, August 23
Hodges Stadium
Player Notes
- Forward Gianna Gourley tallied her second professional brace with her go-ahead 68th-minute chip. Gourley remains Power FC’s all-time scoring leader with nine career goals.
- Forward Jaydah Bedoya’s 75th-minute goal marks her first for the district.
- Midfielder Ellie Gilbert claimed her first assist on Gourley’s second half goal in her Power FC debut.
- In her professional debut, Theoret won a team-high nine duels and played for 90 minutes.
Match Notes
- DC Power FC played its first match against expansion side Sporting Jacksonville.
- Saturday night’s match marks Power FC’s first victory with a multi-goal edge over their opponent.
Sporting Jax Lineup: Kaitlyn Parks, Grace Phillpotts, Georgia Brown, Julia Lester, Caroline Murray (Daviana Vaka 45’), Meg Hughes, Sophie Jones (Madison Kemp 71’), Sophia Boman, Ashlyn Puerta, Paige Kenton (Katherine Sullivan 81’) and Jade Pennock (Andrea Fernández 67′).
Unused Substitutes: Jamie Gerstenberg, Zara Siassi and Jessica Hunt.
Head Coach: Stacey Balaam
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DC Power FC Lineup: Morgan Aquino, Susanna Fitch, Sydney Cummings, Claire Constant, Paige Almendariz (Madison Murnin 45’), Anna Bagley (Loza Abera 63’), Emily Colton, Alexis Theoret, Ellie Gilbert (Katie Duong 71’), Gianna Gourley (Margie Detrizio 89’), and Jaydah Bedoya (Carleigh Frilles 88’).
Unused Substitutes: Katrina Guillou and Makenna Gottschalk.
Head Coach: Omid Namazi
DC Power Football Club Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Omid Namazi
On opening the season with a 3-1 road win…
“I’m happy for the whole group getting their first three points of the season,” Namazi said. “Win on the road, I’ll take it any time. Obviously, it was not an easy win. It came down to our determination and being all in.”
On Gianna Gourley’s impact in the second half…
“She’s just an opportunistic player,” Namazi said. “She may not do anything for 70 to 80 minutes and then she pops in with two goals. That’s just Gianna. She has that ability to finish when she’s given a chance. Tonight was no different. She got a couple of chances and she put them away. The patience is what’s key for her to stay in the game, stay focused and look for those chances and put them away. She was able to do that.”
On how to build on this win heading into the home opener next weekend…
“We need to make sure that grit and determination stays with us every game,” Namazi said. “On the other hand, we need to be better in possession. We need to be cleaner on the ball and be able to connect passes going forward. I think we lacked that in the first half especially. In the second half it got a little better. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
Forward Gianna Gourley
On her chip in the second half…
“I noticed the goalie was playing timider and then she started playing out so when we won the ball in our high press, I figured I might as well take the risk,” Gourley said. “I like the chip shot a lot and feel like it’s in my bag of tricks. Figured might as well try it and it paid off.”
On what to take away from this match moving forward…
“Just continuing to build chemistry and integrating the new signings,” Gourley said. “I think we have a really good bond and really good culture already. Just continuing to build on that, our game model and play confident.”
On how Gourley’s first goal opened up opportunities in the second half…
“We made a few adjustments and dug down deep inside,” Gourley said. “We started using our body more, fighting and getting grittier. You can make adjustment but at the end of the day you have to be the team that wants it more. We collected ourselves and grinded it out together.”