The Tampa Bay Sun soccer club claimed the first-ever USL Women’s Super League title on Saturday night, defeating Fort Lauderdale United 1-0 in extra time at a packed Riverfront Stadium in Tampa. Danish international Cecilie Fløe delivered the decisive goal in the 100th minute, sealing the championship in the league’s inaugural season.

The game-winning play began with Sydny Nasello breaking down Fort Lauderdale’s defense along the back line before slipping a well-placed pass to Fløe, who timed her run between two defenders and scored her 12th goal of the season. The goal capped a tightly contested final between two teams that had each advanced to the title match with 2-1 semifinal wins.

Tampa Bay (13-6-10) earned its spot in the championship by edging out Dallas Trinity, while Fort Lauderdale (11-9-9) reached the final after upsetting the top-seeded North Carolina Ascent, the Players’ Shield winners, last weekend.

The Super League, which concluded its debut season with the final, holds Division I status in the U.S. professional soccer pyramid alongside the NWSL. While it does not yet share the NWSL’s national profile, the Super League represents a major expansion in professional opportunities for women in the sport. The league plays a fall-to-spring calendar, in contrast to the NWSL’s traditional schedule, and will add a ninth team next season.

USL secured Gainbridge sponsorship agreement

In April, the league announced a major naming rights sponsorship agreement with financial services firm Gainbridge, a seven-figure deal that was unveiled at the Business of Women’s Sports Summit last week. USL Super League president Amanda Vandervort said the agreement reflects increased corporate confidence in women’s sports.

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“It’s a testament to where women’s sports have come, that it’s attractive for a brand to take over the naming rights,” Gainbridge CEO Dan Towriss said during the announcement.

The USL earned Division I status from U.S. Soccer after meeting key requirements, including launching with at least eight teams in large media markets and securing stadiums with capacities of at least 5,000. Vandervort noted that expanding access to women’s professional soccer remains the league’s core goal.

“Before we launched the USL Super League there were 12 women’s professional teams in the NWSL,” Vandervort previously said. “But there were a lot of communities that didn’t have access to women’s pro soccer.”

Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.