McKenzie Weinert notches brace as Spokane Zephyr top Tampa Bay 3-2

McKenzie Weinert scored two goals, and the Spokane Zephyr topped the Tampa Bay Sun 3-2 in front of a crowd of 2,248 in a USL Super League match at ONE Spokane Stadium on Saturday.

Spokane (9-8-7) only needed four shot attempts to score three times – with two goals in the first 30 minutes.

In the 14th minute, midfielder Taylor Aylmer scored off Spokane’s first corner kick for a 1-0 advantage.

Emina Ekic launched the ball from the right corner, finding Aylmer at the top of the goalie box on the opposite side after Tampa Bay goalkeeper Ashley Orkus punched it upward to clear it.

Aylmer rebounded the ball and blasted it into the top-right corner of the frame.

At the 25-minute mark, Ekic, who leads the team with six assists, found Weinert with a ground pass that sneaked past multiple defenders. Weinert received the through ball and tapped it past Orkus to provide Spokane a brief 2-0 lead.

Tampa Bay (9-6-9) quickly answered with a goal from midfielder Sydny Nasello in the 27th minute.

The Zephyr relied on their defense to manage the Sun’s aggressive offense, registering 45 clearances to hold Tampa Bay to one goal in each half on 24 shot attempts.

Spokane defender Sarah Clark, who has 129 clearances on the season, led both defenses with seven.

“I think we did a really good job eliminating their chances … reading the game and being in spots we think those balls are going to be, and getting our toe on it first,” Clark said.

Weinert notched her first two-goal game of the season in the 68th minute in similar fashion to her first-half goal, but instead of Ekic, Katie Murray placed the pass.

The Sun pulled one back in the 77th minute on Natasha Flint’s penalty kick.

Spokane, which scored 13 goals in the first half of the season, has scored 20 since Feb. 22, helping it slowly climb into the playoff race.

The Zephyr sit in sixth place, tied with Brooklyn, ranked fifth, and fourth-place Fort Lauderdale with 34 points .

“Something we’ve been working on is … not just creating the opportunities, but what ones we’re getting … really getting our forwards facing goal toward goal,” Zephyr head coach Jo Johnson said. “That’s really been the focus all spring, is getting into better opportunities so we can have higher percentage shots.”

Spokane faces off against Lexington (4-15-5) on Saturday at ONE Spokane Stadium at 6 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on SWX and Peacock.