Tampa Bay Sun FC Away to Carolina Ascent Preview
Written by James Knowles
Date: Saturday May 17, 2025
Kickoff Time: 7:00 pm EST at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, NC
Records: Tampa Bay Sun (42 pts 11W-9D-6L); Carolina Ascent FC (46 pts 13W-7D-5L)
Standings: The Sun are 2nd in the Super League and the Ascent are 1st.
Right now, the Tampa Bay Sun seem unstoppable. But, as the saying goes, that force is now approaching the immovable object. Carolina have been top of the table for the vast majority of 2025 and the season overall. Even a win for the visitors won’t knock the Ascent from their perch. However, it would go a long way toward cementing their place as a playoff host. It could, depending on how things play out, also be a preview of playoff matches to come…
Can this team be beaten at home?
The first thing to say about Carolina is simply: they are good. There’s a reason any team sits atop any table. It usually comes down to ability. Sports are always meritorious, and even the Leicester City wins that stand out for their seeming randomness include a heap of good players. That’s why so many from that team went on to bigger and better things than just the Foxes.
To hammer home the point: the Ascent have won six games in a row. Three of those were at home, while three were away. Wins over DC and Lexington are to be expected; but, beating Fort Lauderdale in south Florida is no easy feat. Not only that, they scored five goals in that game, which was also their last before a three-week break.
Quirks of the schedule aside, there is some hope for fans in Florida. A three-week break is not just weird; it can possibly slow you down. The Sun played two games in that stretch, winning both, and should still be fresh for this weekend’s fixture. The lack of points-on-the-line game time for the Ascent could lead to small lapses in concentration, which just so happen to take place usually in key moments.
However, Carolina are not known for such things. Prior to their 5-2 win over FLOOTD, the Ascent had racked up five shutouts in a row. That is a legitimately incredible statistic. The only counterpoint is this: the last team to beat them was Tampa Bay. Back in mid-March, the Sun took a 1-0 win over their visitors off a Tash Flint goal 15 minutes into the first half.
In more comfortable confines, the Carolinians will be looking to get some revenge for that match. They play a pretty defined style and have used the same starting XI for a few games now. Center backs Sydney Studer and Jenna Butler are usually flanked by Jill Aguilera and Addisyn Merrick. Somehow, even their entire backline has scored in the Super League.
Captain Taylor Porter will take up a role in the midfield alongside Sarah Troccoli. The former has NWSL experience and has proved invaluable to her new side over the course of the season. Up top, we’re likely to see some combination of Mia Corbin, Audrey Harding, Eli Hutchinson, and Riley Parker. The latter of these, of course, will be familiar to local fans, as she got her start in the Bay Area.
Parker was never able to get off the mark with the Sun. However, she has since opened her Super League account and added two assists along the way. If that weren’t enough, Corbin has eight goals for the Ascent (12 including her time with Fort Lauderdale), Harding has five, and Hutchinson has four. To say they are potent is likely an understatement.
Tampa Bay’s backline has gone from strength to strength of late, though. Other than an outlier game away to Spokane, they’ve been racking up their own shutouts, with four in the last six games. This will naturally be their biggest test yet. If the midfield is able to help with the defensive duties, the actual defenders should be able to make a good game of it.
To return to Tash Flint, her new role as something between a #10 and a #9 will be key here. Porter and Troccoli for the Ascent help in build up. They will look to assist their own backline in maintaining possession while the fullbacks sprint into the attacking part of the field. Putting them all under concerted and intense pressure will not only help defensively, but could lead to promising attacks on its own.