The match between Tampa Bay Sun and Fort Lauderdale FC kicked off under high-pressure conditions, characterized by blazing heat and fierce rivalry. Before this Florida Derby clash, both sides entered it with completely opposite states of confidence: Fort Lauderdale FC tried to come back from a defeat in the match against Carolina Ascent, whereas Tampa Bay Sun FC aimed to capitalize on their convincing performance in the previous match against those same favorites. The 90-plus minutes of this thrilling game contained many ups and downs, including an excellent start for the Sun, a couple of setbacks, an odd situation on the field, and finally, a successful tactical adjustment for Head Coach Denise Schilte-Brown.
After the initial whistle, both teams played with high intensity, but it was Tampa Bay that started the game strongly. Driven by the actions of Sydny Nasello, the Sun’s attack, consisting of Ashley Schuppe, Jordan Zade, and Shea Connors, successfully broke down the opponents’ defenses. On defense, the partnership of Brooke Bessette and Chism did not allow Fort Lauderdale any counterattack to develop.
In the 20th minute, Tampa Bay received their first golden opportunity: Nasello started a fast transition, found Connors in front of the Fort Lauderdale’s goal, and almost scored.
Nevertheless, football may be extremely unpredictable, and this happened only four minutes later in the 24th minute, when the team from Fort Lauderdale managed to score. They capitalized on a transitional mistake by Tampa Bay’s defense; Locklear made a precise pass that found Sh’nia Gordon open on the field, and she had no trouble scoring the opening goal (0-1).
After the goal, Tampa Bay lost their initial flow, and the backline got lower, which opened up new opportunities for the opponents to use a high press. The match turned into a scrappy battle.
In the 43rd minute, Nicole Vernis received a yellow card for a cynical foul from behind on Nasello, who played the role of Tampa Bay’s key player during the first half. In the last minute of the first half, the players were back in action when Gordon almost doubled their lead, dribbled past defender Scarpelli, and shot past Roque but hit the post. Tampa Bay started the second half with a 0-1 deficit.
Overcoming a deficit in the first half of the game is not a novelty for Denise Schilte-Brown’s team.
The Sun showed their ability to recover from the deficit several times:
- vs. Lexington (Sept 8, 2024): The Sun conceded a goal early in the match but managed to turn it into a 3-2 win.
- vs. Spokane Zephyr FC (Dec 14, 2024): Recovered from a 1-2 deficit in the second half of the match and won with Natasha Flint’s brace (3-2).
- vs. Dallas Trinity FC (June 7, 2025): Conceded a goal in the 17th minute of the semifinals but recovered in the end to win with a 2-1 score.
- vs. Fort Lauderdale United FC (May 2, 2026): Managed to overcome a 1-2 deficit in the second half of the match and won with a 2-1 score.
Realizing that there were some defensive mistakes on the left flank, Head Coach Denise Schilte-Brown decided to substitute Scarpelli for McNeill.
The beginning of the second half was similar to the end of the first: the teams had many fouls, but the Sun still tried to create chances for themselves. At the 56th minute, Nasello made a deep run down the flank and delivered a precise ball into the penalty box, which Zade shot over the post.
One minute later, in the 57th minute, the Sun decided to replace Jordan Zade with Samar Guidry, making her debut on the right wing.
In the 64th minute, the strangest situation occurred: the match was interrupted because the stadium lights did not turn on. After a short stoppage on the field, the lights were turned on and the match started immediately. This unexpected event did not spoil Tampa Bay’s rhythm of play.
Immediately after the restart, in the 65th minute, Tampa Bay managed to equalize: Nasello started the break and gave a precise ball to Tori Zierenberg, who equalized the score (1-1).
Now the team felt more confident and put a lot of pressure on Fort Lauderdale, forcing them into their half of the field. Zierenberg almost made the second goal, but Ft. Lauderdale kept the ball safe. In the 70th minute, Nasello dribbled past two opponents and almost scored, too. Fort Lauderdale had to use a low block to protect their score. Tampa was pinning them down.
At the 80th minute, Shea Connors scored with a brilliant shot over the keeper after a multi-pass build-up inside the penalty box, giving Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead. Tampa Bay finished the match without further problems.
First-Half MVPs:
- Tampa – Sydny Nasello (attacking drive) & Brooke Bessette (defensive duels)
- Ft Lauderdale—Sh’nia Gordon (goal, post strike) & Nicole Vernis (midfield bite)
Second-Half MVPs:
- Tampa Bay Sun: Sydny Nasello (2 Key Assists) & Shea Connors (Match Winner)
- Ft. Lauderdale: Cosette Craig (Quality saves keeping the match close)
Impact Sub: Samar Guidry (57′ debut, created 1v1 wing isolation)
The tandem of Sydny Nasello and Shea Connors is the core of the Tampa Bay’s attack this season:
- Sydny Nasello: 1 Goal | 3 Assists (Masterful playmaker; directly created both goals in the derby)
- Shea Connors: 4 Goals | 0 Assists (Clutch goalscorer; 80th minute winner marked her 4th goal in the season)
This victory once again showed the tactical skills of Denise Schilte-Brown. Substituting McNeill at halftime helped her correct the defensive mistakes that led to Fort Lauderdale’s goal, while replacing Zade with Guidry opened up opportunities to stretch the opponents’ defense, and starting a high press immediately after the strange stoppage of the game in the 64th minute caught the visitors off guard.
With such a positive flow, Tampa Bay Sun FC will focus on their next clash with DC Power FC. Facing a solid and physical opponent, Denise Schilte-Brown will try to use the recipe of this derby’s second half: stretching the wings with Guidry, breaking the low block of opponents with Nasello, and giving precise balls to Connors inside the penalty box.
Until Next Time, Vamos Sun!
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