Carolina Ascent Takes Off
Carolina Ascent Takes Off
Six teams kicked off the inaugural weekend of the USL Super League, the new top-tier professional women's soccer league in the U.S.
On Saturday, August 17, Carolina Ascent FC hosted the first-ever USL Super League match in Charlotte. Ascent defender and Mecklenburg County native Vicky Bruce secured her team’s 1-0 victory over DC Power FC with a set piece tap-in that became the first goal in Super League history.
“I was just so thrilled to be here, and I just wanted us to win as a team and get the result for the fans, and then to be able to [score the goal] at my home turf … the feeling's unmatched,” said Bruce at a post-match press conference. “I hope I can continue to help do that. And credit to the girls that assisted me [with a] great ball, great positioning, everyone just worked for each other the whole game. There’s nothing more I could have asked for.”
Above: Vicky Bruce scores the first-ever goal for the Ascent.
Bruce’s goal - and the Ascent’s win - came in front of a sellout crowd of 10,500 fans at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Traffic around the stadium in the two hours prior to the match was indicative of the success of the event, and all on-site parking filled up before kickoff.
“It was phenomenal to see the city show up and show out,” said Ascent head coach Philip Poole at the post-match press conference. “We've talked from day one about having a connection to our community and our people, and in terms of how our city repaid us tonight it was phenomenal. So I'm proud and happy we can give them three points and get off to a good start and we'll move forward from here.”
“Women’s Soccer is here”
Four other Super League teams kicked off their season during the inaugural weekend. Spokane Zephyr FC hosted Fort Lauderdale United FC on the West Coast after the Ascent match, and the next day Tampa Bay Sun FC hosted Dallas Trinity FC in the USL’s home city of Tampa.
The level of competition was high in the Super League’s inaugural matches, befitting a league (sharing space) atop the U.S. soccer pyramid. Both matches outside of Charlotte ended in 1-1 draws, putting the Ascent at the top of the table in the new league’s first weekend.
All three of the inaugural matches boasted sellout crowds, with over 21,000 attendees across the three venues. Soccer Sheet spoke with USL Super League president Amanda Vandervort about the excitement surrounding the league after the Ascent’s win.
“Tonight was incredible,” said Vandervort. “For the fans to show up like they did tonight I think is a demonstration of how passionate this city is about sports, about women, about women’s soccer. It was incredible.”
“This league is in an unbelievable position,” said Vandervort. “We’re excited about the future of women’s professional soccer, and I think tonight was an explanation point … women’s soccer is here.”
Poole, a former assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team, shared Vandervort’s belief in the importance of the match.
“It's about our city and our supporters and what this means for women's sports, what it means for women's soccer, what it means for our community,” said Poole.
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Ascent wins a hard-fought victory
Until Bruce scored for the Ascent, the DC Power challenged the home team, and Power striker Jorian Baucom led the way. Baucom’s first major scoring opportunity came in the seventh minute, but was foiled by Bruce’s perfectly executed tackle.
“There's some first game nerves in there and there's some jitters in there and I didn't think we were as clean as we could have been on the ball,” said Poole. “If we're going to rack up those points in these moments when we're learning, it's a great time to do so.”
Baucom remained an offensive threat throughout the match down to the final play, in which she volleyed a shot just wide of the goal, narrowly missing the chance to equalize.
“In terms of the feel of the game, you know, we're learning this league, right, we've never seen DC power play, which is their, you know, the worst thing as a coach, right, you're preparing for a team and an opponent and you're literally shooting dogs,” said Poole. “So the fact we've got some obstacles that we're able to come in three points and a packed stadium with a lot of energy, we're pretty happy.”
“Like Coach was saying, you know, we didn't really have much information on them going into the game,” said Bruce. “You just really had to get a feel for it playing-wise and this was our first game of the season. Obviously we can build on this, we can grow and things will change, but, overall [the USL Super League is at] a great level, I'm excited about, where our team is, where other teams are, and I think it's just going to be very competitive throughout the whole season.”
For both her defensive and offensive efforts, Bruce was named player of the match.
Poole acknowledged the Ascent’s early struggles, while praising the defensive prowess that earned the team the first - and so far only - clean sheet in Super League play.
“We were very disciplined defensively, we had a very, very clear identity I think,” said Pools. “In possession, it took us a little while to get going, we had some problems that we had to solve and we solved them pretty early in the game with some things that DC were taking away from us … I think that I give a lot of credit when Mia [Corbin] and Rylee [Baisden] came in around the 60th minute, they really settled us down and we needed that.”
While none of the Power’s shots were on target, the win wouldn’t have been possible without the talents of Rutgers University graduate Meagan McClelland in goal. The former NWSL player was a steady presence in goal, denying Baucom and the DC Power better scoring chances. She has a clear rapport with Bruce that should add to the team’s defensive cohesion as the season progresses.
Inaugural weekend observations
Soccer Sheet watched the Ascent match live in person, and watched replays of all three inaugural USL Super League matches on NBC’s Peacock streaming service. Here are some takeaways:
The vibes were immaculate. Watching the first game in person was a great experience, and it was made even better with touches like inviting the Dallas Sting - the United States’ original international women’s champions - to be part of the festivities.
In particular, the match in Charlotte felt like a very well-attended EFL League One fixture. There was energy and appreciation for the sport in a medium-sized setting.
However, the downside of good vibes is heavy traffic. We’re probably taking the streetcar to Charlotte’s next match.
We were very impressed by Tampa Bay Sun goalkeeper Ashley Brown Orkus, who kept Dallas Trinity FC to one goal despite seven shots on target. The saves themselves are even more impressive than the stat line.
DC Power’s Jorian Baucom is thrilling to watch whenever she has the ball.
Based on the level of talent in the league, the TV broadcast needs better video cameras that are up to the same standards as NWSL or MLS. The broadcasts were hard to watch at times.
The Ascent have - by a mile - the best kits in the league. While we liked Spokane and Tampa Bay’s home kits, the away kits for Dallas, D.C., and Fort Lauderdale were relatively plain, leaving something to be desired.
We feel just a little bit patriotic knowing for the first time in United States history, a woman of color became a major party nominee for President in the same week a new women’s professional league kicked off.
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