CHARLOTTE, NC (December 6, 2025) – Audrey Harding’s first half goal stood as the winner as Carolina Ascent shut out Brooklyn FC 1-0 on Saturday.
The win is the fourth in five games for the Ascent, who continue to climb the league standings and now sit in second place a week after the international window.
Harding, October’s Player of the Month, netted her second goal of the season in the 44th minute, finishing off a brilliant team move.
It was a first half dominated by the Ascent. Battling the cold conditions in Charlotte, it was Carolina that came out on fire.
The first half onslaught commenced in the 8th minute with Mia Corbin. Back in the starting lineup after appearing as a substitute over the past few games, last season’s leading goal scorer blasted one over the bar from just inside the penalty area.
Three minutes later, Rylee Baisden and Emily Morris completed a lovely give-and-go. Morris sprung Baisden in behind the Brooklyn defense, but her shot was fired right at Brooklyn goalkeeper Breanna Norris.
Plenty of Carolina’s successful attacks came out wide. Harding was a constant threat, taking on her defender and whipping in dangerous crosses. While no end product had come 30 minutes in, Brooklyn’s defense was under stress.
A flurry of chances came in the 35th minute. Mackenzie George played a low cross to Baisden. The winger fired with her left, ringing the crossbar. The rebound popped out to Jill Aguilera, whose shot deflected and nearly wrong-footed Norris.
Shortly after Norris pawed away another attempt from George, Carolina Ascent finally broke the deadlock in the 44th minute. Brianna Martinez played a wonderful through-ball to Corbin, who had taken up a wide position. Corbin drove forward and played a dynamite ball across the goalmouth. Brooklyn’s Jordan Thompson attempted to shoo it away, but her clearance fell right in Harding’s stride for the finish.
The goal was well-deserved for Carolina’s relentless first half. The Ascent fired 13 shots and they took their one-goal lead to the break.
HALFTIME: CAROLINA ASCENT 1-0 BROOKLYN FC
Brooklyn’s best chance of the match came immediately after the restart. A bouncing ball fell into Catherine Zimmerman’s path and the forward blasted a rocket off the crossbar from 25 yards.
In the 55th minute, Aguilera whipped in a ball to the back post. Sydney Studer rose high and headed it home, but the goal was called off due to a subtle push in the back just before.
Zimmerman remained Brooklyn’s most dangerous threat and was stymied by the woodwork again in the 64th minute. Zimmerman got on her left foot and fired again from outside the box, striking the post to the left of a diving Meagan McClelland.
It was sound defending from Carolina down the stretch, leading to the club’s second clean sheet in as many games and a fourth win in five games.
QUOTES:
Head Coach Philip Poole on the performance:
“Good to get three points at home. Good to get a shut out, which is now back-to-back, which is really important. I think the first half was our most dominant performance of the season, and the second half, we made hard work of it. β©We scored a great goal and hit the post and the bar. It’s easy to be critical of a second half, but at the end of the day, you’ve still got to push through and you’ve still got to get it done and we did that.”
Poole on the second half and continuing to try to play a complete game:
“We’re never going to be satisfied and always going to find something to improve upon. β©I think in the second half we started slow, and when you start slow, you get on the back foot, and the opponent grabs that momentum. When a team’s been pretty well beat up in the first half, and you give them a glimmer of hope, that’s something we’ll continue to improve on.”
Audrey Harding on the match:
“In the first half, we really came out firing and were really connecting as a team from top to bottom. Unfortunately in the second half, I wish we could have a redo because I don’t think it was good enough, but we did show that we can still hold ourselves and get the job done.”
Sydney Studer on back-to-back clean sheets:
“Poole always says win those boxes and that’s what my job is to win the defensive box. [Audrey’s] job is to win the offensive box. I think it also shows that this league is getting better.”
