Personal Honors on the line for Carolina Ascent Players Tonight
Mia Corbin, Jill Aguilera, and Meagan McClelland could sweep the USL Super League's "Golden" awards tonight - Carolina Ascent FC plays Dallas Trinity FC in Texas at 8:00 PM EDT on Peacock.
Carolina Ascent FC already had the best inaugural season a team could hope for: they set the attendance record for a women’s professional sporting event in the Carolinas on day one; they won a trophy before the season ended (the inaugural USL Super League Players’ Shield); they’ve clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs; and they’re widely regarded as the best organization in the young league.
You’d be forgiven for thinking all that’s left is the playoffs, but there happens to be a lot on the line for Ascent players - individually. Carolina Ascent FC plays their final regular season match against Dallas Trinity FC in Texas at 8:00 PM EDT.
Three “Golden” awards will be determined tonight: the Golden Boot (the player with the most goals), Golden Playmaker (the player with the most assists), and the Golden Glove (the goalkeeper with the lowest goals against average).
Five Carolina Ascent players remain in the hunt for these awards: forwards Mia Corbin and Audrey Harding; midfielder and co-captain Taylor Porter; fullback Jill Aguilera; and goalkeeper Meagan McClelland.
Fittingly, three of their top competitors for the awards - Dallas Trinity’s Madison White, Chioma Ubogagu, and Allie Thornton - will be fighting head-to-head with the Carolina players tonight.
First, a Footy Award
Mia Corbin - Soccer Sheet’s 2024-2025 Carolina Ascent MVP
After the Carolina Ascent’s regular season title-clinching victory on May 17, Soccer Sheet’s Yara Al Bayyari joined Carolina Ascent FC owner Dan DiMicco and USL Super League president Amanda Vandervort in presenting the first-ever Footy Award honoring a Carolina Ascent Player.
Corbin has had an undeniable season for the Ascent, leading the team in goals with 12 and in goal contributions with 13. While a league-leading 15 different players have scored for the Ascent - indicative of an injury-plagued season with shifting lineups - Corbin has stayed healthy the entire season and is one of only three Ascent players to appear in every match.
Perfect Attendance:
Taylor Porter - 2430 Minutes in 27 Matches
Already Accomplished: BKN: Allison Pantuso (2520 minutes in 28 matches)
Other Contenders: DAL: Amber Brooks; SPK: Sarah Clark
While not an official award, Ascent head coach Philip Poole has mentioned to Soccer Sheet that he hopes Taylor Porter can pull off the “Ironwoman” and play every minute of the USL Super League Season.
With 2430 minutes logged already, the captain is one full 90 away from being the only player on the team to complete this feat. Porter is also one of only four players in the league who could still pull off the feat; Brooklyn FC’s Allison Pantuso is the first player to reach the milestone, playing 2520 minutes.
Porter is also in the running for Golden Playmaker, and is tied for 9th in the league with 4 assists.
Golden Glove
Meagan McClelland - 1st - .97 Goals Allowed Average
Other Contenders: Hope Hisey (SPK) – 1.0 GAA; Madison White (DAL) – 1.04 GAA
Carolina Ascent FC goalkeeper Meagan McClelland hasn’t seen much playing time this spring.
Though she led the league in clean sheets and saves for most of the season, her last full match was a March 2 loss to Fort Lauderdale United FC as the club experienced winter doldrums and uncharacteristic losses. Former UNC goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak Murphy took over between the posts after joining the squad over the winter break.
If you haven’t been following the Ascent closely, the change at #1 may be a surprise. Multiple sources within the Carolina Ascent organization have confirmed to Soccer Sheet that the change wasn’t intentional. The team wanted to have the two best goalkeepers in the league. McClelland didn’t lose the job, Murphy won it.
At 0.53 per match, Murphy has the best Goals Allowed Average in the league after conceding only 5 goals all season. However, because McClelland has played the most matches, she’s the only one eligible for the Golden Glove. The club seems to acknowledge this since they gave McClelland 45 minutes in the team’s last match, helping her lower her goals allowed percentage from 1.0 to 0.97 per match and putting her firmly in first place in the Golden Glove race.
Tonight, whether McClelland is on the bench or on the pitch, she’ll be looking at one of her biggest competitors for the title, Dallas’ Madison White. If McClelland doesn’t take the pitch, White can only hope to tie for second place as a clean sheet against Carolina tonight will give her GAA of exactly 1.0 per match (25 goals in 25 matches).
The biggest competition is Spokane’s Hope Hisey, who could lower her GAA to .95 per match (20 goals in 21 matches) with a clean sheet tonight. Spokane Zephyr FC hosts Fort Lauderdale at 9:00 PM EDT tonight in Washington State, so Carolina fans will have to wait to see if Hisey and Emina Ekić — more on her next — stall the climb of their Ascent opponents.
Golden Playmaker (Most Assists)
Jill Aguilera — 1st — 7 assists
Other Contenders: Chioma Ubogagu (DAL) – 6 Assists; Emina Ekić (SPK) – 6 Assists
If this were an award for goal contributions, Spokane’s Emina Ekić would be in the lead with 16, and there’s still a chance she could take home this award or the Golden Boot tonight (if not, she’s still a likely candidate for league MVP).
However, only assists count for “Golden Playmaker,” and that’s good news for Carolina’s Jill Aguilera, who currently leads the league with 7 assists. The Ascent’s Audrey Harding is also in the running with 5 as both look forward to facing Dallas’ Chioma Ubogagu (6 assists) tonight. Carolina had two assists in last tie against Dallas (including one for Harding), so anything is possible.
Golden Boot (Most Goals)
Mia Corbin — 1st (Tie) — 12 Goals
Other Contenders: Allie Thornton (DAL) – 12 Goals; Emina Ekić (SPK) – 10 Goals
Eliminated: Cecilie Nielsen (TB) - 11 Goals
Carolina Ascent’s Mia Corbin and Dallas Trinity’s Allie Thornton both lead the league with 12 goals, so it’s very possible the Golden Boot race is settled in a state famous for big boots tonight.
Because the Tampa Bay Sun, like Brooklyn, have played all of their matches already, third place Cecilie Nielsen is out of the running, but don’t sleep on the impressive Emina Ekić, who could create a three-way tie with a brace tonight in the last match of the season.