USL soccer: Zephyr defeat Tampa Bay 2-1; Velocity score winner in extra time against Ballard

Ally Cook scored a go-ahead goal in added time and the Spokane Zephyr escaped with a 2-1 USL Super League win over the Tampa Bay Sun (6-5-6) Wednesday at Riverfront Stadium in Tampa , Florida.

Both offenses struggled to break through their opponents’ backlines as the game remained scoreless at the end of the half, despite Spokane putting up eight shots to Tampa Bay’s two.

In the 61st minute, Spokane opened up the scoring and seized a 1-0 lead after a chip-shot goal from long range by midfielder Taylor Aylmer.

At the 89-minute mark, Tampa Bay leveled the game after Sydny Nasello drew a Reese Tappan foul. Off the set piece, Erika Tymrak fed forward Natasha Flint, who threaded the ball past multiple Zephyr defenders and into the back of the net.

The 1-1 tie only lasted a couple of minutes. In the 90th minute, the Zephyr pulled back ahead. From the middle of the field, defender Haley Thomas lobbed a pass to Cook, who then beat two defenders to the ball in the penalty area, and blasted a shot past Tampa Bay goalkeeper Ashley Orkus.

With their second win in as many games, Spokane (5-7-6) will finish its two-game road trip against first-place Fort Lauderdale (9-5-4) Saturday at Beyond Bancard Field at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.

• Reese Tappan and Nadia Cooper, recent senior standouts from the Washington State soccer team, have both signed contracts to play with USL clubs. Tappan, a four-year starter and senior captain at WSU, signed with the Zephyr. Cooper, the Cougars’ starting goalkeeper for the past four seasons, signed with Minnesota.

• The Spokane Velocity defeated Ballard (USL2) 1-0 in extra time in the first round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Wednesday at Interbay Stadium. In the 120th minute, Spokane’s Anuar Pelaez scored off an assist from Neco Brett.

Promotion/relegation system set for 2028

USL Championship League and League One owners, including from the Spokane Velocity, have voted in favor of establishing a promotion/relegation system, set to launch in 2028.

This move comes after the USL decided to create a Division I men’s league. Teams in the eventual three leagues will be promoted or demoted between the three tiers based on their season performance. The USL becomes the first United States soccer league to incorporate this system, and joins some of the world’s top leagues that have promotion/relegation, including the English Premier League.

Velocity sign Mead High’s Wells

The Spokane Velocity signed local standout Rocky Wells to the club’s first USL Academy contract. The 17-year-old is a junior at Mead High School and still retains NCAA eligibility.

USL League One honors

Defenders Camron Miller and Derek Waldeck were selected to the USL League One’s Team of the Week for the second week of the 2025 season. In Spokane’s tie against One Knoxville Sunday, Miller scored the Velocity’s first goal of their second season. He also notched 17 clearances and won nine duels. Waldeck logged a 73% passing accuracy rate.