Match Recap: AFC Ann Arbor Women Drop Season Opener Against Rivals Detroit City FC 2-1

May 16, 2026

The AFC Ann Arbor women’s team welcomed fans back to Hollway field in a rivalry match-up against Detroit City FC for their home opener on Teacher Appreciation Night. Ann Arbor stuck with their rivals, fighting until the final whistle. But they would come up short, falling 2-1.

This rivalry didn’t disappoint with both teams getting off to a hot start. The Mighty Oak were dangerous in the attack early, putting the DCFC goalkeeper to the test, but she proved ready for the challenge.

Detroit opened the scoring after forcing a costly turnover, which started a counter-attack that was finished off by Kaiya Stewart, burying a shot into the bottom left corner to break the deadlock, putting DCFC in front.

Stewart continued to cause problems for the Mighty Oak defense, going on a solo run and laying a pass off to Drew Martin on the right wing, who would cut in and drive one into the near post and doubled the lead for Detroit in the 31st minute.

Ann Arbor would find their answer just 5 minutes later, getting themselves back in the game. Captain Sarah Scaling whipped a beautiful cross into the box from a free-kick which fell perfectly to the foot of Ainara Aldeano, who guided it into the bottom left corner for the first goal of the season.

The Mighty Oak had their backs against the wall early in the second half after a deflected shot wasn’t properly controlled, hitting a defender's hand, leading to a DC penalty kick. Goalkeeper Jordan LeVasseur made an incredible acrobatic save, stretching into the top right corner and pushing the ball out to keep the scoreline at 2-1.

LeVasseur made big saves all night, keeping her team in the game until the end as they pushed on for a leveler. Ann Arbor spent the majority of the second half on the attack, forcing Detroit to sit back and deal with their pressure. Despite the valiant effort, AFC Ann Arbor were unable to get back into the game as they would lose to their rivals in the season opener.