Carolina Ascent are climbing towards the top

CAROLINA ASCENT

After a slow start, the Carolina Ascent have risen to third in the Gainbridge Super League with three wins and a draw over their last four matches.

Carolina Ascent fans anxious about a return to the dominant form they showed last season can step back from the edge.

The 2024-25 Players’ Shield winners have found their foothold with three wins and a draw in the last four matches, scaling the table up to third place in the nine-team Gainbridge Super League.

They will play Fort Lauderdale United (3-1-4), who they are level with on points (13), on Saturday at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m.. After three games on the road, it’s the first home match since early October.

For players and fans, the last time FTL came to Charlotte is a bitter memory. Poor officiating on a confusing throw-in situation led to the first of two goals for the visitors in a playoff semifinal that the Florida side won 2-1 after extra time on June 8. According to informed sources that it has been proposed and discussed at length, the second year GSL has yet to employ Video Assistant Referee technology. The NWSL, which is in its 13th season, began using VAR in 2023.

Hiking to the summit

The Ascent (3-2-4) can overtake Spokane (3-3-5, 14 points) for second pending the Zephyr’s match against Tampa Bay Sun on Sunday. Tampa (0-3-5, 5 points), the defending GSL champions, are the only team yet to register a win this season.

Fifth-place Sporting JAX (3-3-3, 12 points) are away to Dallas on Saturday. Lexington SC remains at the top, undefeated in nine games (4-0-5, 17 points).

The Ascent are coming off their most comprehensive performance of the season, a 2-1 win away against Spokane, who were on a six-game unbeaten streak.

Rylee Baisden scored both goals in the game that pushed the Ascent from fifth to third. A late penalty kick kept the team from achieving its first shutout of the season. 

“I thought it was a very dominant performance from Carolina Ascent tonight,” coach Philip Poole said after the game. “I think it felt comfortable until, obviously, late in the game. The penalty made the last 10 minutes a little bit nervy, but those are some of the situations that we’ve got to continue to improve on. It was good for us to stand up and get it done in the end.”

“We controlled the game in possession and also out of possession. I think that we pressed well, and we also recovered the ball really well. I think we were really good defensively and as a result, we got a lot of opportunities in transition on the attack.”

We see you

The October success of the Ascent has been recognized by the league this week, with Audrey Harding being honored as the GSL Player of the Month, Philip Poole named the Coach of the Month, and defenders Jill Aguilera and Sydney Studer selected for the Team of the Month.

Harding is tied for the league lead in assists (four) with Jessica Garziano of Brooklyn FC and Lexington SC’s Tatiana Fung. Third in the league in chances created (15), she has goal contributions in Carolina’s last five matches, four of those in October. She leads the team in shots (12) and scored the lone goal in the 1-1 draw with Lexington on Oct. 10.

“I’m just taking each game at a time, focusing on our team’s structure, and playing with confidence in what I know I can bring for this team – both offensively and defensively,” Harding said after the win in Spokane.
Last season’s GSL Defender of the Year and Golden Playmaker, Aguilera scored her first goal of the season, the game-winner in a road 2-1 victory at Brooklyn FC. The left-back leads the squad in crosses attempted, tackles won, duels won, passes, and fouls drawn. She is the only player on the roster to play every minute of the first nine games.

Studer leads the team with 35 aerial duels won this season, clearing crosses and disrupting opposition attacks. Partnering with Jenna Butler in the central defense, she has been key in stabilizing a back line that is looking to regain the stinginess it had last season.

Poole, the 2024-25 Gainbridge Super League Coach of the Year, earned the monthly honor for the first time this season. He was honored twice during the team’s run to the best regular-season record in the inaugural campaign. 

As a team, the Ascent are second in the league in goals (17) and shots (122), but very balanced in who’s taking them. Madison Mercado, who was recalled from her loan by the NWSL Seattle Reign, still leads the team in goals (four) and shots (15) from her six matches with the club. Since then, the attack has broadened with Rylee Baisden scoring three times to match Mackenzie George’s total. Nine players have six or more shots.     

Alyssa Walker has scored twice and four others – Harding, Aguilera, Mia Corbin, and Brianna Martinez – have scored once. 

While they are scoring more than last season, they have also been conceding more, with no clean sheets so far after leading the league in shutouts last season. The Ascent are not where Poole, a former goalkeeper himself, wants to be, but they are getting closer as the recent unbeaten streak attests in their ability to close out matches.

Puerto Rico on the line

Carolina Ascent defender Jill Aguilera, goalkeeper Sydney Martinez, and forward Maria Tapia have been called up by the Puerto Rico Women’s National Team for the upcoming CONCACAF qualifier against St. Lucia on Dec. 1.

“We love it when our players are selected to represent their national teams,” said Poole. “For a player, there is no higher honor. I know Jill, Sydney, and Maria will take this opportunity with great humility, pride, and honor. As a club, we will support our players when they are selected, as we believe it is a huge boost to their careers and our profile as a club.”

A box-to-box defender for Carolina, Aguilera, who has earned nine caps for Puerto Rico, plays up front for the national team, scoring six goals in nine games. She scored the game-winning goal against Haiti in the preliminary round, cementing Puerto Rico’s historic qualification for the 2024 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Martinez, who joined the Ascent this season from Brooklyn, started all three matches on that Gold Cup squad and kept the clean sheet in Puerto Rico’s 1-0 win over Haiti. She has eight international caps.
This is the first senior national team call-up for Tapia, who is on an academy contract with the team. She made two appearances for Ascent last season.

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