Carolina Ascent's Woes Continue as Charlotte FC Wraps Preseason
The Ascent's winless streak extended to 5 matches as the 2025 Players' Shield winners fell below the playoff line. Meanwhile, Charlotte FC concludes the Coachella Valley Invitational with a win.
Carolina Fall to Spokane 0-2, Fall to 5th
It seemed like nothing could go right for Carolina Ascent FC (5-5-7, 20 points) on Valentine’s Day.
Shots wouldn’t go in for the home team, but Spokane Zephyr FC (5-7-7, 22 points) converted all of their on-target shots. Both the offsides flag and a questionable foul took goals back from the Ascent, and Carolina’s players became visibly frustrated when the officials wouldn’t call fouls after physical plays.
Then, at halftime, the club’s new t-shirt cannon broke down.
Luckily, the live Valentine’s Day wedding at halftime went off without a hitch — no small feat with 2,064 attendees — but after 45 minutes, the damage on the pitch had already been done. The Ascent were unable to recover from Spokane’s two first half goals, and fell 0-2 for the team’s third straight loss as Carolina fell to fifth in the table, one spot below the playoff line.
Ascent head coach Philip Poole was frustrated at how many chances hadn’t gone his team’s way in 2026.
“I don’t think we’ve played great in any of the three games we’ve played so far in the spring, yet we’ve had the chances to win at Jacksonville and to beat Lexington,” said Poole. “And again, we had enough chances in this second half today to make a game of it. If we’re going to put up zeros, it would be nice if someone came and absolutely battered us. That’s the most frustrating thing.”
Soccer Sheet asked Poole if he thought the calls influenced the game, but for him, it came back to an uncharacteristic run of form.
“Nah, I don’t think the calls impacted [Spokane’s two goals],” said Poole. “That was poor from us, a bit fortunate for Spokane.”
Carolina’s struggles shouldn’t minimize Spokane goalkeeper Hope Hisey’s Player of the Match performance; Hisey had 5 saves on the day and added her 6th clean sheet of the season, becoming the first goalkeeper in league history to record 15 clean sheets in all appearances.
Listen: Ascent Coach Philip Poole’s Post-Match Remarks
An off-target cross, or an amazing Golazo?
Neither of Spokane’s two goals were of the kind a team wants to give up … that is, unless, Spokane’s 27th minute goal by Ginger Fontenot was an intentional shot instead of a cross that found its way to the goal.
If it was an intentional shot, it’s immediately in the running for the USL Super League goal of the year, but Fontenot remained coy when asked about the blast during halftime.
“We were able to catch them in transition … they [left] a lot of space in front of me to keep driving to goal, and I saw an opportunity and just went for it,” said Fontenot “I just knew I had to get it back post. It went in, so I think it’s a good result overall.”
The Zephyr’s second goal came from a defensive breakdown. Spokane’s Lena Silano made a shot following a fast break that Carolina center back Jenna Butler misplayed. Butler was not able to trap a long ball from Spokane’s third and Silano pounced, besting McClelland to slot in an easy goal in the 33rd minute.
“I think it’s frustrating because we know how talented this group is,” Ascent forward Mackenzie George told reporters after the match. “Right now it’s about putting the pieces together — building chemistry, figuring out which combinations work best on the field — and we haven’t quite found that recipe yet. But we will.”
When does “uncharacteristic” become characteristic?
There were bright spots for the Ascent: defender Jill Aguilera gave a box-to-box performance, with important defensive stops and offensive shots on target. New addition Shea Groom lifted a chip over Hisey and into the net early in the match, but the referee called a foul on the play — much to the surprise of the match commentators.
“Carolina is really good on the ball, and they’re a great possession team.” said Fontenot. “We knew that if we wanted to get chances, we had to be organized defensively.”
Despite the defensive breakdowns, Carolina had a stronger attack, with 16 shots to 4 for Spokane, and 5 shots on target to 2. The Ascent forced 35 clearances, while the home defense only had to get rid of the ball 15 times.
The team is now below the playoff line despite having what was arguably the best midseason transfer window in the league’s history. Incoming transfers Groom, midfielder Lily Nabet, and forward Ava Cook have a combined 180 appearances in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top-ranked women’s league in the world.
Poole called the current run of form “uncharacteristic,” including Butler’s error that led to the second goal.
“We have to be mature,” said Poole. “All of us, from me down, we have to be mature, and it’s hard trying to integrate a couple of new players that are coming in off NWSL preseason, so trying to get them fit is important. The team is mature enough, but also we have no choice, right?”
The Ascent’s next match is this Saturday, February 21 at home against Dallas Trinity FC at 2:00 PM.
Charlotte FC Ends Preseason Play on a High Note
Charlotte FC’s squad is back in the Queen City after concluding their 2026 preseason with a 2-1 victory over Minnesota in the Coachella Valley Invitational.
Idan Toklomati had two goals in the match, both assisted by designated player and fellow Israeli international Liel Abada. Toklomati started the scoring by getting a shot past Minnesota United goalkeeper Drake Callendar, who was recently added from Charlotte FC’s 2025 roster.
Charlotte gave away the lead minutes later as a through ball got past Charlotte’s backline and the Loons’ Bongokuhle Hlongwane beat Kristijan Kahlina for the equalizer. Early in the second half, Toklomati headed in the game-winning goal off of a chip from Abada.
Watch: Soccer Sheet’s Jorge Torres speaks with Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith
Charlotte FC’s Preseason Results
Note: Only matches with published results are included
Saturday, January 31
Preseason Friendly
Charlotte FC 1 — 0 Sporting KC
Saturday, February 7
Coachella Valley Invitational
Charlotte FC 0 — 1 San Jose Earthquakes
Sunday, February 8
Preseason Friendly
Charlotte FC 2 — 1 Phoenix Rising
Saturday, February 14
Coachella Valley Invitational
Charlotte FC 2 — 1 Minnesota United FC
“They've had a tough pre-season. We've worked them hard,” Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith told reporters after the match against Minnesota United. “The numbers are bigger than they were last year, so I expect them to be fitter, and we'll be fresh for next week to be ready and there's things that we can keep coaching to make them better and we'll continue to do that. We've had some good chances that we didn't take but we've also give away some opportunities to the opposition as well. So on both sides with and without the ball, there's still work to be done but it's definitely a work-in-progress towards doing what we want which is to achieve something this season.”
Center back Andrew Privett, who saw his playing time decline in 2025, had the opportunity to wear the captain’s armband and play a large part in Charlotte’s preseason.
“I came in personally with the mentality to grow and to show myself as a veteran, a guy who's had enough games for experience, and to take another step forward,” said Privett. “And then starting off with preseason as a group, we have a good mix of veteran guys who have tons of experience here in the league and overseas. And we also have a good mix of younger guys for the second team coming in and making an impact. So seeing those guys grow each day, each week, it's been really good to see. So I think it's good getting them integrated in the group. And overall, we have a really good squad going forward.”
Smith told reporters today that the squad is in good health; the only player missing is center back Henry Kessler (hamstring), who was signed from free agency after two seasons with St. Louis. Kerwin Vargas is following a concussion protocol, which is why he was seen training off to the side earlier today, but is expected to be ready for Saturday’s season opener.
“We’ve done more distance, more high-speed running, and more sprinting than we did last preseason,” Smith said. “That should hold us in good stead. We’re in a good place fitness-wise. There’s still room to grow, but tactically we’re in a better place.”
Smith will speak with the media again on Thursday ahead of Charlotte’s season opener at St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, February 21 at 2:30 PM ET/1:30 PM CT. After a 10:30 PM ET kickoff away against the Los Angeles Galaxy on February 28, Charlotte’s first home match will be on Saturday, March 7 as the Crown hosts Austin FC at 7:30 PM ET.
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