DC Power FC navigated a 2 hour weather delay to get a 3-1 victory on the road and hand Sporting Jacksonville a loss in its first ever match. Gianna Gourley scored a brace after a Jade Pennock opener for Jacksonville, and Jaydah Bedoya added a third for DC Power to give them the 3 points.

The match, scheduled for an 8:00pm ET kickoff, was delayed two hours due to rain in the area that created an unsafe playing surface. They were finally able to get the field to a suitable condition, and the match began. It was a tight affair as both teams tried to settle into the match, but it was Jacksonville that struck first. Jade Pennock scored in the 7th minute to give Sporting Jax the 1-0 lead. It was the club’s first ever goal.

DC Power was able to claw their way back, gaining some momentum as the half continued. Then, in the 38th minute, Gianna Gourley was able to equalize, scoring a header right in front of the goal to make it 1-1.

The match went to halftime level, but DC Power came out with the edge to start the second half. In the 68th minute, Gianna Gourley went for it, chipping the keeper from the left edge of the penalty area to give DC Power the lead.

“I noticed that the goalie was playing a little bit more timid and then she started playing out [further],” Gourley said after the match. “So when we won the ball in our high press, I just figured might as well take the risk. And I like the chip shot a lot. I feel like it’s in my bag of tricks, so I figured might as well just try it. And it paid off.”

DC Power didn’t let up after gaining the lead, and just 7 minutes later, Jaydah Bedoya was able to make it 3, finishing a rebound from a tight angle to put DC up by two goals.

Sporting Jax wasn’t able to mount anything late, and the final whistle sounded for the 3-1 DC Power win. After the match, head coach Omid Namazi was happy about the determination his team showed to get their first win of the year on the road. “Obviously I’m happy for the whole group getting their first 3 points of the season, a W on the road. We’ll take it anytime. But obviously it was not an easy win,” Namazi said. “It came down to our grit and our determination and being all in because I felt in the first half Jacksonville had the better of play and they were able to keep possession and make us chase, which really tired us out. But in the second half we made some adjustments. We sat back a little deeper and were able to absorb some pressure and then hit him on the counter, which I felt worked to perfection. And when we got our chances, we put them away.”

“[We] started on our back foot, so we just started, you know, using our body more and just fighting more and just getting a little more gritty, really,” Gianna Gourley remarked. “You can make adjustments, but at the end of the day,you got to want it, and you got to be the team that wants it more.”

DC Power takes the 3 points home and prepare for their home opener next weekend against Spokane Zephyr. But, they’ll celebrate getting the 3 points to open the season as the foundation from which they hope to build momentum.