Smith and Kelly Make First Starts in Brooklyn FC's Loss

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Smith and Kelly Make First Starts in Brooklyn FC's Loss

April 28, 2025 - USL Super League (USLSL)
Brooklyn FC News Release


Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Football Club (Brooklyn FC) women (9-7-9) dropped a 1-0 loss to DC Power FC (4-7-12) on Saturday evening at Maimonides Park. Defender Nikia Smith and forward Caroline Kelly earned their first starts for the Brooklyn FC.

In the 24th minute, Brooklyn goalkeeper Neeku Purcell came off her line and punched away a ball floated into the box, keeping the score level early on.

Brooklyn nearly scored in the 30th minute when midfielder Jessica Garziano intercepted an error from DC Power and passed to forward Luana Grabias, racing down the right wing. DC goalkeeper Morgan Aquino denied Grabias' first shot, and a defender blocked her second attempt.

DC broke through in the 37th minute when winger Emily Colton sent a through ball behind the Brooklyn backline to forward Gianna Gourley, who scored the match's lone goal.

"It's been a tough couple weeks, but we keep going. It's that simple. We do have three games left," said Brooklyn defender Tori Hansen. "We're still in contention for playoffs, and that's what we're going to try to do. Three games, we can get at least nine points with that. And yeah, we just keep going."

Four minutes later, Brooklyn full-back Smith dispossessed DC midfielder Yuu Kurosaki and drew a yellow card. It marked Smith's first start for Brooklyn FC.

Severe weather delayed the match early in the second half for 40 minutes due to lightning.

Following the restart, Brooklyn made substitutions, introducing forward Dana Scheriff, forward Salma Amani, and full-back Ginger Fontenot. Despite late pressure, Brooklyn could not find an equalizer.

"How do I define success? I'm very competitive, so I think success will be getting into the playoffs. We are gonna keep competing," said Sporting Director Kevin Tenjo. "We believe in this group of girls, just letting you guys know they are giving their 100%. At this point the results are not with us. But yeah, we keep fighting. And of course, the goal is to be in the playoffs."

"I think being a professional soccer player is making decisions. It's not all the time that we're going to make the right decisions," said Grabias. "Of course, we need to take our chances, like Kevin said, like they [DC Power] have their chances. They score. We have our chances. We didn't. But at the end of the day, it's just about big decisions."

Next up, Brooklyn FC will travel to face Fort Lauderdale United FC (9-7-7) on Saturday, May 3rd, with kickoff set for 7:30 PM ET.

Before then, we invite all Brooklyn FC fans to join a special event at Street Soccer USA Park in the Bronx. A 5v5 adult co-ed tournament will kick off at 3:00 PM. After the tournament, stick around for a Brooklyn FC Watch Party, as our women's team takes on Fort Lauderdale United FC! Sign up as a team or individual by clicking the link to register.

All matches are available live on Peacock. Multiple home match ticketing options, including multi-game and single-game, are available. For more information, visit www.brooklynfootballclub.com and follow Brooklyn FC's official social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

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