Ann Arbor, MI:  In a USL W League season-opening clash in Ann Arbor on Saturday night, Flint City AFC (1-0) got out of the gates quickly, capitalizing in the 21’ and 28’, through Jenna Blackburn and Samantha Woods, respectively, to force Ann Arbor to regroup. 

AFC Ann Arbor (0-1) would make a bid before the halftime whistle, as Aneline Kieh got the Mighty Oak off the mark in the 37’ with a goal from outside the box.

It wouldn’t be enough, though, as the depth of the Flint City side regained the two-goal cushion before halftime, Bella Gaetino notching the first of her two goals on the night in the 45’. 

Immediately after the halftime restart, Gaetino would quickly find the back of the net in the 48’ stretching the lead to 4-1 to Flint City. Wrapping up the scoring on the evening was Justina Gaynor in the 81’, sending Flint City to the top of the table after one match in the division. 

AFC Assistant Coach Dennis Darnoi was happy about the result, saying, “It’s a great start to the season, for sure. I thought the players recognized very early who Ann Arbor’s threats were and negated those threats. The training session that we had the Thursday before was energetic and was replicated at the match, especially in the early stages. And when players make their own adjustments in the game, it makes my life that much easier and makes me excited for the future of this squad.” 

Darnoi went on to add that “[Bella] Gaetino was a stalwart in the central midfield and the attacking players in front of her made efficient runs that she could play into with ease.”

The Flint City AFC women are back in action on May 13th as they go to Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck to face Detroit City FC at 7:30pm.

Flint City AFC open at Kettering’s iconic Atwood Stadium on Saturday, May 20th at 7:30 PM.  There will be a post game fireworks show and mega kids zone courtesy of Dort Financial Credit Union.  Tickets are available at www.gopassage.com and season tickets for the women and men are still available by visiting www.flintcitybucks.com/ticket

GO AFC!