Tampa, FL. – Tampa Bay Sun FC opened the 2026 Fall season with a 1-1 draw against Dallas Trinity FC Saturday night at the Cotton Bowl.
The match saw a physical opening half, with the Sun receiving three yellow cards. Darya Rajaee was cautioned in the 7′ minute, followed by Kelsey Hill in the 19′ minute and Sydny Nasello in the 39′ minute. Despite the physical play, neither side was able to find the breakthrough before halftime, sending the match into the break scoreless.
The Sun made its first change at the start of the second half, with Jordan Zade entering for Reagan Raabe. Dallas opened the scoring just three minutes later, as Seven Castain found the back of the net in the 48′ minute to give the home side a 1-0 advantage.
Dallas made its first substitution in the 58′ minute, bringing on Camryn Lancaster for Jamie Shepherd. One minute later, Carissa Boeckmann was shown a yellow card.
The Sun continued to push for an equalizer, making two changes in the 63′ minute as Parker Goins entered for Taylor Chism and Erika Zschuppe entered for Kennedy White. The substitution marked a milestone for Zschuppe, who made her professional debut. Dallas received another yellow card in the 64′ minute, with Sofia Cedeño cautioned.
Dallas made another change in the 73′ minute, with Ally Cook entering for Jasmin Hamid, before making three substitutions in the 82′ minute: Felicia Knox for Carissa Boeckmann, Aria Nagai for Sofia Cedeño and LJ Moore for Onyeka Gamero.
As the clock continued to wind down, the Sun made its final two changes. Tori Zierenberg entered for Shea Connors in the 89′ minute before Brooke Hendrix replaced Darya Rajaee in the 94′ minute.
Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, Zierenberg delivered when it mattered most. Making her club debut, she found the back of the net in the 90+3′ minute to level the match and send the Sun home with a point.
When asked what the late equalizer says about the mentality of the group, Head Coach Denise said:
“It says a lot. We kept believing, we kept pushing, and nobody accepted that the game was over. To find a goal in the 93rd minute on the road takes grit and belief. That mentality is something we want to build our identity around.”
For Zierenberg, the goal made an already memorable debut even more special. When asked what it meant to score in her first match for the Sun, she said:
“It means so much! It’s been a joy to be a part of such an amazing group of women and getting to play with them every day is awesome. Scoring is my joy and love for these girls shining through.”
Zierenberg’s late equalizer capped a memorable club debut, while Zschuppe’s professional debut added another milestone to the Sun’s season opener.
GOALS
48’ DAL: Seven Castain
90+3’: Tori Zierenberg, assisted by Jordan Zade
DEBUTS
Tori Zierenberg — Club debut, 90+3′ goal
Erika Zschuppe — Professional debut, entered 63′
UP NEXT
Tampa Bay Sun FC will travel for Week 2 against Sporting JAX on August 22nd at 7:00PM ET. The match will be held at Hodges Stadium. Tune into all Gainbridge Super League matches on Peacock.
