TAMPA — Despite being laden with injuries, the Sun rallied in the second half to tie Super League-leading Dallas 1-1 Saturday night at Suncoast Credit Union Field.

Tampa Bay goalkeeper Emory Wegener, making her first professional start, overcame an early goal and Carlee Giammona scored the equalizer for the defending champion Sun (0-3-2), who continue to seek the first win of their second season.

Tampa Bay was coping with injuries to key players such as defenders Vivianne Bessette and Charlotte McLean, and forward Parker Goins. It also was missing midfielder Jilly Shimkin, who was serving a suspension after receiving a red card last week.

The Sun relied on their roster’s depth to compete.

“You don’t focus on what you don’t have,” head coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “You focus on what you do have, and then you keep building in the progress that’s been made. Sometimes, in the moments of injuries, it’s the opportunity for some players to shine and get their chance. I really loved what they did (Saturday).”

Forward Allie Thornton set the tone early for Dallas (3-1-1), scoring into the top left corner in the sixth minute. The match stayed that way through halftime.

Wegener didn’t let the early goal shake her confidence.

“That’s just the job of a goalkeeper,” she said. “You’ve got to move on. If you stay in your head, you’re done for. You just have to trust yourself, trust your teammates, and go from there.”

Schilte-Brown praised the composure of her young goalkeeper.

“She’s been so professional at practice, so competitive,” she said. “It’s been the hardest goalkeeper choice at our club, because they’re really, really talented. I would never know this was her professional debut, the way she’s managed herself.”

Despite the early deficit, the Sun held their ground and fought back.

“We managed to play together, be aggressive when we needed to,” Schilte-Brown said, “and aside from that five-minute lapse, it was a really competitive game.”

Wegener kept Dallas off the board the rest of the way, and Giammona tied the score in the 68th minute with her team-high third goal of the season, which is tied for the league lead.

As on all of the others, forward Sydny Nasello assisted on the goal.

“Every single one of my goals, Syd has done her job and gotten me the ball,” Giammona said.

“We’re a dangerous team, and I think we’ve shown that,” she continued.

For Wegener, her home debut was a huge milestone.

“Not gonna lie, there were nerves. But it’s good to be nervous, because you care,” she said.

“Mostly I was just excited to go out there with the team. It meant everything. This is why we’re here. This is why we love playing at home. The crowd was amazing.”

While the Sun weren’t completely satisfied with just a point, Schilte-Brown said she saw value in her team’s result.

“(Saturday), the tie felt like progress,” she said. “We’re not celebrating ties, but competing for a tie at home (Saturday) was something we can still be proud of.”

The Sun have a bye next week, a chance to regroup before resuming play Oct. 4 at home against Fort Lauderdale.

“Get healthy, stay together, stay positive, continue this momentum,” Schilte-Brown said.

“Sometimes you lose a little momentum with a bye, so it’s about maintaining it while getting healthy and enjoying the pause.”

Sun up next

vs. Fort Lauderdale, 7:30 Oct. 4, Suncoast Credit Union Field Streaming: Peacock