TAMPA – After two draws, the Tampa Bay Sun Football Club won its first game of the season, 3-2, at Lexington Sporting Club on Sept. 8, but the USL women’s soccer team is still searching for its first home win.
The Sun lost to Brooklyn FC, 0-1, on Sept. 14 at Riverfront Stadium but forward Sydny Nasello remains optimistic.
“I think we’re just trying to find our identity – what our tactics are and what Tampa Bay Sun football is and trying to bring that every single day,” Nasello told reporters after the game. “The first game obviously, you’re making history. There’s a lot of emotions. There’s a lot of fans. It’s something to celebrate but as we go forward, we do have an identity now and we know what kind of football we want to play.”
Nasello played every minute of the match in front of a home crowd that is very familiar with her game. The 24-year-old grew up playing soccer in Land O’ Lakes and was a star at the University of South Florida from 2018 to 2021. Before joining the Sun, she played for the Florida Tropics and Turkish club Fatih Vatan Spor.
“I love this city,” Nasello said. “I’ve grown up here. My dad retired here from the Navy – lived in Land O’Lakes, so it’s really nice to be able to have all my family and friends celebrate all the small victories and not have them be so far away. It’s so much more exciting to have them here. It’s the people who got me here.”
Sun head coach Denise Schilte-Brown also coached Nasello at USF.
“She is such a role model,” Schilte-Brown said. “Everybody in Tampa Bay obviously gets to look on the pitch and emulate these women but we have one of our most talented players and with a special ability that’s homegrown. She played in the Tampa Bay clubs. She grew up in Land O’ Lakes – didn’t leave, blessed us with coming to USF and now she blessed us again by being here at Tampa Bay Sun. I just think every little girl would be so excited because they say, ‘I see it. I can be this.’ That’s pretty exciting.”
Against Brooklyn FC, Schilte-Brown said the Sun was the more aggressive team.
“We were the one impacting the game,” Schilte-Brown said. “We were setting the tone of the game. They were chasing us. That happens in soccer. You give up one goal and the anxiety gets to you a little bit.”
The Sun will go on the road for their next two contests.
They’ll take on the Carolina Ascent FC at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in Charlotte and the DC Power at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 in Washington, D.C. Both games will stream live on Peacock.
The Sun’s next home game pits them against in-state rivals Ft. Lauderdale United at 7 p.m. Oct. 12. Tickets are available now at TampaBaySunFC.com for the game, which celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Night.
