Nineteen-year-old midfielder Ashlyn Puerta set a Gainbridge Super League record on Friday night, scoring four goals as Sporting JAX beat Fort Lauderdale United FC 4-1 at Hodges Stadium. It is the most goals by one player in a league match.
Fort Lauderdale took a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute, but Puerta answered with a penalty kick in the 23rd minute after Sporting JAX forward Paige Kenton was fouled in the box. The score was level at halftime.
Sporting JAX went ahead for good less than 15 minutes into the second half. Captain Sophie Jones played a pass to Meg Hughes, whose cross Puerta finished for her second goal. Puerta completed her hat trick in the 74th minute with a shot between a defender’s legs, and she scored her fourth in the 84th minute on an assist from Andrea Fernandez, who had come off the bench.
Head coach Stacey Balaam credited the team’s persistent attacking pressure. Puerta said the squad was “all over it” on both ends of the field. Defender Georgia Brown, back from international duty with Scotland, said the win should carry momentum into the second half of the season.
Fort Lauderdale United returns to action Thursday, Oct. 22, against Carolina Ascent at Amerant Bank Field. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
