Spokane Zephyr have chance at redemption in regular season finale on Saturday

May 15—Second-year midfielder Emma Jaskaniec knows what's at stake when the Spokane Zephyr host Brooklyn FC in their regular -season finale at ONE Spokane Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m.

Jaskaniec was on the 2024-25 Spokane squad, which fell just one point shy of making the playoffs after they finished the USL Super League's inaugural season tied with Fort Lauderdale in points. With one win, two losses and three draws against them, Spokane lost the head-to-head tiebreaker for the last postseason bid.

This weekend the Zephyr find themselves in a similar position with a chance at redemption.

Jaskaniec credits the team's success this year to the way head coach Nicole Lukic has them "bought in."

Despite taking the reins eight games into the season, after Spokane (9-9-9, 36 points) had gone 2-2-4, Jaskaniec said Lukic has given her team "so much confidence."

Part of that, Jaskaniec said, is because she values them as people and "not just who we are as players."

"Knowing that your coach has your back no matter what, just makes you want to go out there and do everything you can to get three points," she said.

Since Lukic's arrival, the fifth-place Zephyr have gone 7-7-5.

"Coming in ... having to pick off where they left off, not knowing any of the girls — these aren't the girls that you recruited — is a really hard job. And I think she's just taken that in stride," Jaskaniec said. "The more time we've spent with her, the more wins we've gotten, and the more everybody's buying in. We're growing because she's ... believing in us," she added.

Spokane has gone undefeated at home in its last four games including a win against top-ranked Sporting JAX, and a scoreless draw with Lexington.

Last weekend, Jaskaniec, who has started in 25 of 27 games this season and is top three in minutes played (2,234), scored the game -winner late in the second half against D.C. Power off a corner kick. Spokane and D.C. were tied with 33 points. The Zephyr eliminated Power and pulled within one point behind fourth-ranked Dallas Trinity (10-10-7, 37 points) — and are now in a duel for the fourth and final postseason spot.

"There's nothing like it, to score a goal in a playoff push," Jaskaniec said.

Lukic said Spokane's greatest strength has been its defense. Led by Reese Tappan's team-leading 150 clearances, 32 blocks, and 30 interceptions, the Zephyr have found success in using its back line to push its attacking front — led by forward Lena Silano's six goals and four assists — to begin fast -break opportunities and catch the opposing team's defensive unit off guard. Spokane put it all together in the spring.

In the fall, while the Zephyr's defense allowed just 11 goals, their offense only scored eight. It took until the last game in the season's first half for Spokane to net three in a win over Fort Lauderdale.

In the second half of the season, since January, Spokane has scored 15 goals and conceded 13.