Dallas Trinity FC draw against Brooklyn FC in 1st match under new coach Nathan Thackeray

Dallas Trinity FC returned from its winter break with a 1-1 draw against Brooklyn FC Saturday on a cold afternoon at the Cotton Bowl.

The result means Trinity grab a point in their first match under new permanent head coach Nathan Thackeray.

“It’s nice to get the first one out of the way, this is a starting point for us. We can now take the experiences from this game and grow for the next one as a group” Thackeray said. “Ties and losses happen a lot in soccer and we will be able to bounce back.”

Forward Camryn Lancaster broke free in the 58th minute to open the scoring for Dallas. She received a long through ball and an ill-timed challenge saw her beat the Brooklyn defender outside the box before scoring on a low-driven shot at the end of her run.

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“We literally talked about it at halftime. As soon as I get the ball in that pocket, in that zone behind the defense, I knew Cam was going to run,” midfielder Heather Stainbrook said about the goal. “It was perfectly executed.”

Brooklyn equalized in the 83rd minute in bizarre fashion. Brooklyn forward Rebecca Cooke received a pass in behind the Dallas defense and rattled it off the crossbar from close range. Trinity’s goalkeeper and defenders put their hands up and stopped playing, seemingly assuming the play would be ruled offside. Cooke, however, kept her composure and tapped the rebound home and scored. The goal stood.

Trinity sits in third place (6-5-3, 21 points) in the standings with one game in hand on leaders Sporting JAX (8-3-4, 28 points) and second-placed Lexington SC (6-0-9, 27 points). Dallas’ next match is next Saturday, Feb. 7 against Fort Lauderdale United FC.

Dallas Trinity FC hires Nathan Thackeray as new permanent head coach