Fort Lauderdale United crushes Dallas Trinity in matchup of USL Super League heavyweights
Fort Lauderdale United FC (2-0-2, 8 PTS) earned a convincing 4-1 victory over Dallas Trinity FC (3-1-0, 9 PTS) on Saturday evening at Beyond Bancard Field, marking the team’s first home win of the season. The record-breaking performance saw Fort Lauderdale post the highest goal total by any team in a single match this season, extending its unbeaten streak to four matches. For Trinity it was their first dropped points of the campaign.
Midfielder Kelli Van Treeck was the star of the show, scoring her first two professional goals in the dominant win. Forward Kiara Locklear added her third goal of the season, cementing a crucial three points for the team. With the result, Fort Lauderdale United climbs to second place in the Super League standings. Also standing out was Stella Nyamekye, the Ghanaian International on loan from Gotham FC. Her touches and movement were sublime, and at just 19, we can expect continued growth from the player.
The initial breakthrough for Fort Lauderdale came in the 16th minute when Van Treeck capitalized on a deflected ball in the Dallas box, firing home to give Fort Lauderdale a 1-0 lead. The pressure continued, and the team's relentless attack paid off again in the 40th minute when a Darya Rajaee cross deflected off a Dallas defender for an own goal, sending Fort Lauderdale into halftime with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The second half was a showcase of the team's depth and attacking prowess. Just over a minute after midfielder Lily Nabet was substituted out in the 58th minute of her impressive debut, Van Treeck calmly slotted home her second goal of the night, completing a brace and extending the lead to 3-0. Dallas managed to pull one back in the 73rd minute, but the response from Fort Lauderdale was immediate. Locklear broke free of the defense, rounded the keeper, and scored her third goal of the season in the 81st minute, sealing the 4-1 record-breaking win.
On scoring her first two professional goals, Van Treeck said, “Whatever it takes to just get the win, but I'm just excited that we won and that we got our first three points here at home. It doesn't matter if I'm the one that puts in the back of the net, as long as we're putting in the back of the net and we're winning.”
Head coach Tyrone Mears was full of praise for his team's performance. "It was excellent. We would have liked another clean sheet, but you'll take that when you're scoring four goals. But yeah, Dallas have shown they are a tough team to play against. But again, I thought we were excellent." He also commented on how the team has grown after drawing its first two home matches. "I think it's just the team gelling, it always takes time. We've had a lot of changes, a lot of new players, but I think you can see, for instance, Kelli's impact coming into the starting 11. She's settling in really well, and we're still getting to know each other. The first two home games, we should have been coming away with three points in each of them, but tonight showed that the girls are learning."
Van Treeck also spoke about her chemistry on the right side with Sh'nia Gordon. "Sh'nia is just fun to play with. She makes it easy to play in front of her, and she's always making that run high. It's just nice to be able to just interchange — sometimes I'm the one that's flying, sometimes it's her and I'm dropping in a little bit, but ultimately, she just makes it easy to play with.” Mears echoed this sentiment about the team's new additions, particularly Lily Nabet. “Lily is a ball player, a very intelligent soccer player," he said. "I think it was always going to be fitness. I think with her, it's going to take her a little bit of time to get her up to scratch, but she helps a lot on the ball and she is very intelligent. She can play with pressure, can play forward, and she executes with that final ball really well to these attackers.”
Fort Lauderdale United will now have a two-week break before embarking on a three-match road trip, starting with a key clash against Brooklyn FC on Sunday, September 28.