USL SL Semi-final Preview: Carolina Ascent FC v Ft. Lauderdale United FC

- John Howard-Fusco

Top-seeded Carolina Ascent FC did everything possible during the regular season to show their club was the best in the league. Now there’s only two games left to cement that notion. Standing in the way of the final is Ft. Lauderdale United FC, a club that has, at times, looked as good as anyone in the league. As the regular season closed, United was able to do just enough to finish in the top four and make the playoffs.

What Carolina Brings to This Matchup

Let’s start with the obvious: Carolina has the best roster in the league right now. Don’t believe me? Fine. All this team did was lead the league in goals scored (45), gave up the fewest goals in the league (24), the second-leading goal scorer in the league with Mia Corbin, the league’s Golden Playmaker in Jilliane Aguilera, and the league’s Golden Glove winner with Megan McClelland. Not convinced? OK - how about the fact that McClelland won the Golden Glove award despite the fact that she hardly played in the spring due to the mid-season addition of Samantha Leshnak-Murphy who ended up with 5 clean sheets, only one less than McClelland. Those 11 combined clean sheets lead the league, too. And as far as goal scoring, Corbin led the way for sure - but a total of 15 different players scored at least one goal during the regular season.

The Ascent had a Top-3 club in the fall (which included an 11-game unbeaten streak), and actually improved upon that in the spring. Defense and goalkeeping had been their saving grace in the first half of the season. With the arrival of Riley Mattingly (nee Parker), the offense clicked into high gear. The club’s march through the spring schedule was methodical and merciless. After a 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay Sun on March 15th, Carolina won the next six games by a combined score of 23-2. Brutal.

Behind Corbin and Mattingly, the offense received plenty of contributions from Eli Hutchinson (5 goals in only 14 games) and Audrey Harding (5 goals). But as mentioned before, with 15 different goal scorers this is a team that finds a way to score. And the main catalyst for creating the scoring chances is Aguilera. Led the league in assists, and was second in chances created. Oh, by the way, did I mention that she’s doing this as a defender? And that she was second on her team in clearances and interceptions?

This leads us to the heart and soul of the Ascent, which is the defense. The rock-solid play of Sydney Struder, Vicky Bruce, heat-seeking missile Taylor Porter, Jenna Butler and Addisyn Merrick allowed Aguilera the freedom to get up in the attack and be the facilitator she was throughout the season. And why settle for the best goalkeeper in the league when you can get another keeper mid-season who brings even more to the party? Leshnak-Murphy has firmly planted herself as the number one keeper with her shot-blocking, leadership and aggressive play.

What Ft. Lauderdale Brings to This Matchup

Will the real Ft. Lauderdale stand up please? To follow this club is to know the experience of wonderful highs and steep drops. After getting to the top of the league early in the spring season, the results were less than ideal after that, leaving the club having to scramble to just squeak into the playoffs. But here they are with an opportunity to pull off a big-time upset.

The discussion of Ft. Lauderdale begins and ends with the offensive talent. The emergence of Jazmin Hamid was a joy to behold as she scored banger after banger working down the wing. She ended the year with 9 goals, putting herself in the discussion of the Golden Boot race. On the opposite side was Shnia Gordon and her speed and tenacity. It took some time for her to get her first goal, but after that they started coming more frequently - finishing with 5 on the season. And mid-season acquisition Kiara Locklear (nee Praille) had moments when she looked like the most dangerous player on the field.

Wait…no mention of Addie McCain? Feat not - she gets her own paragraph. During the fall season, McCain carried the offensive output, racking up 9 goals and looking like Golden Boot frontrunner. But as other players emerged, McCain’s role shifted. McCain is a team player first, willing to do whatever is needed: being a facilitator, playing more of a defensive role, or giving an extra hard tackle to wake the team up.

The offensive firepower has overshadowed the defense for Ft. Lauderdale, which at times was probably a good thing. Mid-season acquisition Laurel Ansbrow stepped right into a starting role on the back line and never looked back. The loss of Laveni Vaka to injury was significant, one that has been hard to overcome. But rock steady in between the pipes has been Cosette Morche, who finished third in the league with 7 clean sheets.

How Did They Fare Against Each Other?

If you want something to hang your hat on for a Ft. Lauderdale upset, here it is: of the six losses Carolina had in the regular season, two came from Ft. Lauderdale. The clubs split the four regular season matchups, each winning two games. The most recent meeting between the two was a 5-2 drubbing by Carolina on April 26th. The other three games were low-scoring affairs with one-goal winners in each game.

What to Look For in the Match

Both coaches in this contest, Philip Poole for Carolina and Tyrone Mears for Ft. Lauderdale, keep pretty steady lineups, so don’t expect anything different than what brought their clubs here. Ft. Lauderdale will need to keep the score on the low side to make this a competitive match, so expect there to be a focus on defense. The play of Morche in goal will be critical, as Carolina will be looking to exploit that very same defense. On the flip side, it’s strength against strength as Ft. Lauderdale’s offensive firepower will look to find some way to get through the formidable Carolina backline and past Leshnak-Murphy in net.

USL SL Semi-final Preview: Tampa Bay Sun vs. Dallas Trinity

- Danielle Gawronski

The highlight of this game is that we have two female head coaches going head-to-head for a place in the finals. Fifty percent of the coaches in the semi-finals are women, reflective of the population playing and the advancements in the game. You love to see it.

What Dallas Trinity Brings to This Matchup

Dallas came out and dominated the first half of the season. They had great form and a 6-goal game staying in the top of the rankings all season.

After the break, they said goodbye to their midfield maestro, Sam Meza, and hello to top young UT Austin talent Lexi Missimo over the break. Shortly after her first few games, Missimo went on the season-ending injury list, leaving a gaping hole in the midfield for Trinity. Trinity has been plagued by injuries in every line, seemingly more than any other team and key players. This lead to a loss of form in the second half of the season, struggling to hold on to leads.

Veteran player Amber Brooks will lead the team on and off the field. Brooks has an uncanny ability to read the field and break up plays. She can score, send in lethal free kicks, set up her attackers, and shield her defense.

Dallas has played a three-back all season with a rotation of their healthy defenders learning to be organized in it. Teams have figured out how to pull defenders out of position to get behind and score.

On attack, Dallas Trinity has Golden Boot winner, Ally Thornton, who has scored goals every which way, header, close, far. Thornton clearly has a nose for the goal and will be hard to stop. Other attacking threats include fast, young, hungry midfielder Camryn Lancaster. Lancaster is just a workhorse hustling to put pressure on the defenders and is one of the best acquisitions over the break.

Synonymous with the Trinity attack is Chioma Ubogagu. Ubogagu had 5 goals, 6 assists, and led the league with 48 chances created. She is a dynamic playmaker who is hard to stop. She brings her depth of international club experience, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Orlando Pride, to this game.

They will miss game changer off the bench Sealy Strawn, who is away on USYNT duty.

What Tampa Bay Sun Brings to This Matchup

Tampa Bay Sun FC clinched the second seed in the regular season ranking earning homefield advantage. We have seen all season that traveling has an impact on performance. They will draw strength from the fans to grind for 90 minutes.

Tampa Bay started the season off slowly, struggling to convert shots into goals. The Sun were middle of the table, had us questioning if they would break into the top 4. They tightened this up over the winter break, coming back, they found chemistry solidifying some weak areas. The sun is peaking at the right time. There is clear cohesion on the field.

Natasha Flint, Danish international Cecilie Floe Nielsen (May Player of the Month), Sydny Nasello are a deadly attacking trio with Carlee Giamonna threading passes in tight areas to them. These four attackers have contributed to 31 out of the team’s 42 goals. Flint is super savvy at finding space on the field to receive the pass and shoot. Nielsen has no fear of driving at a back line, causing havoc.

Look for this to be a physical battle. Tampa Bay leads the league in fouls conceded at 360 and earned the first red card. Players can demonstrate some immaturity in their decision-making by grabbing defenders who have beaten them, resulting in dangerous direct free kicks that have cost them in the past.

Goalkeeper Ashley Orkus has been consistently stalwart with 5 clean sheets and 54 saves. She’s a natural shot blocker and had “The Super Show” crew singing her praises early in the season.

Jordan Listro has been successfully captaining the team. She is a strong midfielder who will let the player of the ball pass her, but not both. She is an anchor in the midfield.

How Did They Fare Against Each Other?

This will be a competitive semi-final. Head-to-head games resulted in two ties and a win for each team. This can go either way. Dallas Trinity will be coming in on a high, beating league regular season champions Carolina Ascent in the final game of the season. Tampa Bay Sun FC has been collecting wins as they moved towards the end of the season. It will be a match of wits from the coaching staff and work on the field from the players. This will be the closest match of the two semi-finals.