FT. LAUDERDALE, FL (May 9, 2026) – Carolina Ascent pushed their winning streak to five Saturday night, defeating Fort Lauderdale United 3-0 in the team’s road finale.
After a scoreless first half, Mackenzie George, Mia Corbin, and Tyler Lussi all found the back of the net to propel the Ascent to ten matches unbeaten. Sydney Martinez claimed her seventh clean sheet of the campaign.
It was nearly a sensational start for Carolina. Riley Parker’s centering feed within 20 seconds of the kickoff fell to Shea Groom, who was robbed by a one-handed dive from Fort Lauderdale goalkeeper Haley Craig.
Fort Lauderdale tried to strike back in the 5th minute as Kelli Van Treek found space 25 yards out and let fly, just firing over the crossbar.
It was a fluid Carolina attack in the first half, as in classic fashion, the fullbacks continuously flew forward. They also found success moving in the middle, using Groom and Corbin as fulcrums.
Carolina outshot Fort Lauderdale 6-1 in the opening frame, but the match remained scoreless heading to the second half.
Lussi had a golden chance to give Carolina the lead in the 53rd minute. Her pressure created a Craig turnover and from right on the doorstep, her spinning try went wide.
Fort Lauderdale’s chances were few and far between, but they broke in behind in the 60th minute. Sophie Harding snuck in behind and bearing down on Martinez, placed it wide of the post.
Carolina Ascent finally broke through in the 63rd minute. Corbin fizzed in a corner kick and George got her head on it to give the Ascent a critical lead. It’s the forward’s first goal since October 4 against DC Power.
Martinez made her best save of the game in the 70th minute. Kiara Locklear drove into space at the edge of the area and fired a strike destined for the bottom corner, but Martinez full stretch kept it out.
Corbin doubled the advantage in the 77th minute. Again, it came off a corner. A bouncing ball in the box made its way back to Corbin and she made no mistake, firing it in with her left foot.
Carolina Ascent put a bow on a fantastic second half in the 82nd minute. Countering quickly, Audrey Coleman slipped in George. Craig denied her effort, but the rebound fell to Lussi and she finished into the empty net for her third of the season.
The victory keeps Carolina Ascent hot on Lexington’s heels ahead of the latter’s match on Sunday, and also keeps the side in contention for a home playoff game heading into next week’s final home game against Sporting JAX. Tickets are available here.
POST-GAME SOUND
Head Coach Philip Poole on the performance:
“I actually thought we started a little slow and grew into the first half. We had some great opportunities to take the lead and didn’t take them. The message at halftime was to continue doing what we were doing and clean things up a little bit. In the second half, I thought we were very dominant.”
Poole on George finding the back of the net:
“She deserves it. There’s no easy way to say it. She’s a tireless worker and a great teammate. If you step back and look at her body of work over the course of the season, I can’t believe she hasn’t gotten more. She deserves that goal.”
Mia Corbin on the impressive offensive effort:
“Staying consistent with our press and our principles as a team allowed us to have the freedom to exploit them and just have some fun tonight.”
Tyler Lussi on the mentality of the side:
“I’m really proud of the fight and mentality we showed tonight. It was important for us to keep our foot on the gas and stay focused because we always want to get a result. For us, it’s about staying locked in and mentally prepared for every game, taking things one match at a time, and continuing to show resilience as a team.“
