Carolina Ascent unbeaten but not where they want to be

CAROLINA ASCENT

Carolina Ascent's Mia Corbin celebrates after scoring against Tampa Bay in a draw at American Legion Memorial Stadium. The Ascent is winless with a pair of draws going into Saturday's game at Sporting Jax.

The Carolina Ascent haven’t lost, but haven’t won, either. 

With 10 new players, team chemistry is still finding its happy place and looking for consistency through 90 minutes. The first two matches have followed the same pattern. Ascent scored first - it took only 43 seconds in the opener at Fort Lauderdale – then surrendered two goals in the second half before a late equalizer in added time to secure a point.

Aside from the refuse-to-lose attitude that’s secured the comebacks, that’s not a formula coach Philip Poole wants to follow. He knows his team could have and should have done better.

“We pushed and pushed and pushed,” he said just after the Tampa Bay match.” Should have got the third (goal), but it should never have gotten to that. Disappointed that that's not three points for Carolina Ascent. There's a positive in there somewhere, but it doesn't feel like it right now.”

The Ascent are on the road to play Sporting Jax, the Gainbridge Super League’s first expansion team. The third Florida team in the league is 1-2-0 after three matches, losing the home opener to DC Power 3-1, beating rival Tampa Bay 3-2 on the road, and falling to Dallas Trinity at home 1-0.

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. and will be streamed live on Peacock and broadcast on WAXN (channel 64). 

Not closing out matches was a common refrain from Poole last season, where his side began the campaign undefeated in their first 11 matches. But six of those were draws, which allowed other teams to stay in the hunt. Then came three straight losses to close the first half of the season. They started the second stage of the season with two wins, two losses – all one-goal margins – and a draw before something clicked and the Ascent started finding the net with lethal effect. Beginning with a 4-0 rout of Lexington on March 23, they climbed back to the top of the table with six straight wins, outscoring the opposition 21-2 with five of those games being shutouts.

The 18 returning players know what that feels like, and the newcomers, many who watched it from the other side, want to enjoy it for themselves. 

The foundation to do that again is there. It took time to find that sweet spot last season, and it may take more or less time to capture it again. 

Last year’s leading scorer, Golden Boot runner-up Mia Corbin, scored her first goal of the season against Tampa, while newcomer Maddie Mercado scored her second for the Ascent, the blast that secured the draw.

“If you look at the stats, you look at the data, I think you'll find that we've dominated passes, possession, shots, chances, corners, everything,” Pool said. “It's two ways here, right? We've got to capitalize and put things in the back of the net more. But again, you look at the Fort Lauderdale game, we have a five, 10-minute spell of just we take a breath, we slow down, and it hurt us. … It’s one of those little things that you're happy to pick points up. I thought we were much better than Tampa tonight in possession, with chances, with corners, with stats.”

And they were. Against Sporting Jax, the Ascent just have to be better in one stat – goals scored.

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