Carolina Ascent looks to climb to top of USL Super League

CAROLINA ASCENT

The Carolina Ascent will try to jump start the second half of the USL Super League season after falling to third after three straight losses to close the first half.

Carolina Ascent were resilient as Teflon for 80% of the first 14 matches of their debut season. 

But their last three games dropped them from the top of the table to third as the first half of the USL Super League’s inaugural campaign went into winter break. For the first 13 weeks, the Ascent stood atop the standings. They won the first-ever Super League match at home in front of 10,500 fans at American Legion Memorial Stadium and were undefeated for 11 consecutive matches with five wins and six draws.

While impressive, the lack of points allowed Brooklyn FC and Dallas Trinity FC to catch and pass the Ascent. Combined with improvement across the league, with injuries to key players disrupting team lineups, and previous serendipity abandoning them late in games, the Ascent lost their last three matches.

Now rested and fit, coach Philip Poole’s team is focused on reestablishing their position as a preeminent contender for the Super League’s first championship trophy. That campaign begins at home on Saturday evening against Lexington SC. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

When asked to describe the first half of the season, Poole observed, “I think it went as expected. I think there's going to be some highs, some lows, some bumps, some great successes, some areas that as a league, and teams, we could have, should have been better in this area. But overall, looking at it from our perspective as the Carolina Ascent, pretty good.”

Poole lauded what the USL-SL, which is level with the NWSL as a first-tier league, accomplished as a whole, especially compared to where the NWSL was 11 years ago in its first season. The NWSL was the first professional women’s soccer league to last more than three seasons. Along with the WNBA, 2024 proved to be a benchmark year for women’s professional team sports with record revenues and audiences both in-person and on TV.

“When you compare the two leagues at the six-month stage, we're in great shape,” he said. “I get asked this question a lot about, are we in competition? I actually think we are differentiating ourselves. I like to look at it that way. Until we’re on the same seasons, until there's a competition that can test us against each other, it's so difficult to say that.

“The USL Super League differentiates itself with the type of football, with the type of players, and obviously with the season.” 

While the NWSL plays a spring to fall schedule similar to MLS, the Super League runs a fall to spring season that lines up with the European calendar.

What will it take?

It starts in earnest on Saturday.

“I think we've shown we can beat anyone in our league and take points off everyone,” Poole said. “We've shown we can defend really well, and we've shown we've shown some quality. I think no one gets into this to give it a good go. You get into this to win things. So that's, that's the goal.”

“What's it going to take? I think you look at some of the games we've played and we’ve had so many chances to put teams away, to turn 1-nil into two-nil, two-nil into three and end it. The next piece is now taking the lead and playing from a lead.”

“Those moments create a little bit of momentum. They create a little bit of feel good. We had to work incredibly hard for those results. We want to continue to work on being a little bit more clinical in front of the goal.”

Comings and goings

Two academy players from the season’s first half, midfielder/winger Jaida McGrew and goalkeeper Molly Vapensky have departed to get an early start on their collegiate careers – McGrew at Florida State and Vapensky at Duke.

The Ascent added three new players, announcing on Friday that goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak Murphy will be signing with the team for the remainder of the 2025 season. The 27-year-old North Carolina graduate is returning to the Carolinas after spending the past two seasons playing for Pitea IF in Sweden’s top league Damallsvenskan.

“Sam comes to us having gained top flight experience in Europe. She will immediately improve our squad and push for minutes,” Poole said. “Sam’s connections to the Carolinas as a UNC Tar Heel will allow our fans to connect with her immediately.”

She will have to compete with Megan McClelland who established herself as one of the best goalkeepers over the first 14 matches, leading the league with 37 saves and six clean sheets.
Two others were announced in January.

A North Carolina State University alum, defender Jenna Butler played with Carolina Ascent FC USL W League team prior to signing with NWSL Washington Spirit for the 2024 season. A five-year member of the Wolfpack program from2018-22, Butler started 86 games, eighth-most in school history. She scored seven goals, four of which were game-winners, and eight assists.

Bolstering the offense will be striker Riley Parker, who joins after playing the in the fall with Tampa Bay Sun FC, where she recorded 423 minutes across 10 games with six starts. Before joining Tampa Bay, Parker was drafted by Racing Louisville FC as the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.

Parker was a standout striker at Alabama, where she earned All-American and SEC Forward of the Year, and 2022 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. She set the Crimson Tide record for single-season goals with 17, and tied for the career lead with 10 game-winning goals.

Must see TV

While all Super League games will be streamed on Peacock, a new partnership between the Ascent and Cox Media Group will see all of Carolina’s away games broadcast for free over the air on WSOC sister station WAXN (Channel 64) and several on Telemundo.

TV64 is available over the air for free, and it’s also on all major cable and satellite providers. Telemundo Charlotte is available over the air on digital channel 9.2 and on local cable providers.

The Ascent’s first away game on TV64 kicks off live at 9 p.m. on March 8 against the Spokane Zephyr. Telemundo’s first live match will be at 7 p.m. on March 15 against Tampa Bay.

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