Asheville City SC Wins the USL League Two Southern Conference Championship
With a 1-0 win over Corpus Christi FC, Asheville advances to the League Two national semifinals on Sunday night.
After an impressive regular season rout of USL League Two’s South Central Division, Asheville City SC has secured the Southern Conference Championship with a 1-0 win last night over Corpus Christi FC.
The undefeated Asheville squad now advances to the national semifinals, where they’ll face the winner of the Eastern Conference title, the Seacoast United Phantoms. The match is scheduled for tomorrow at 7:00 PM ET at TowneBank Stadium in Newport News, Va.
Who are the Blues of Asheville City SC?
Asheville City SC is a pre-professional team on the fourth tier of the U.S. Soccer Pyramid. Founded in 2016, the club develops both men and women’s players on the path to professional play - notable alums include the Greenville Triumph’s Jamie Smith (son of Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith) and Ghana national team player Jennifer Cudjoe.
Asheville’s regular season campaign was never in doubt. The undefeated team averaged 2.67 points per match (second only to Seacoast United) with a goal differential of 31 (second only to the Western Mass Pioneers), Asheville easily won the regular season title in the South Central Division, finishing 12 points ahead of Tennessee SC after 12 league matches.
In the USL League Two Playoffs, Asheville played its first two matches at home, but had to adjust their gameplan for flooding before the first match, and lightning during the second. They prevailed 4-0 over Nona FC of Kissimmee, Fla. on July 19 after moving the match to Buncombe County Sports Park due to weather conditions, with midfielder Simon Carlson scoring a brace.
Staying at the replacement pitch for the conference semifinals on July 21, Asheville trailed early against another Florida team, Brave FC of Summerfield, conceding a goal in the 29th minute before a lightning delay suspended play. Play resumed after dark.
In the second half, the Blues took over the game the Brave’s Henrique Compagnoni Gallina was sent off for sending his spikes into the back of Asheville player Sebastian Tregarthen’s leg. Eventually, Asheville would break through, with two goals in five minutes.
Asheville went on to win 2-1, advancing to the USL League Two quarterfinals for the first time in club history.
“We’ve created history for the club tonight and again, every year has been better. In 22’, we got to the playoffs. In 23’, we won the league and in 24’, the idea was to go further than the sweet 16, and now we’re in the last 8 so I’m just so happy,” said Coach Scott Wells after the match.
Yesterday’s match saw the Blues travel to Virginia as scores of fans watched from the Olde London Road Pub in Asheville. The 1-0 score doesn’t reflect Ashville’s dominant game, playing most of the match in Corpus Christi’s half of the field. Scores of fans watched the
Asheville broke through in the 35th minute, when Carlson took possession of the ball in the penalty box, artfully made his way through traffic, crossed the ball from the goal line, and found Izaiah Vignali at the top of the goal box. Vignali, a home town talent, volleyed the ball off his right boot for the winner.
Though Asheville continued to dominate, they wouldn’t break through again. Luck also came into play - Corpus Christi missed a couple open shots in the second half, but never equalized.
A win on July 28 puts Asheville in the USL League Two finals on Saturday, August 3. If they’re victorious, it would be the second USL title in as many years for a North Carolina team, after NCFC’s USL League One title last year.
However, there’s still two matches to play. If you’re in Western North Carolina tomorrow, it’s hard to imagine there’d be a better place to be than Olde London Road Pub with the South Slope Blues supporters group.