Can Tampa Bay Sun clinch the next playoff spot? | News & Notes Week 33

REWIND: WEEK 32 NOTES

DC 3 – 2 DAL

GOALS:
- Sealey Strawn (DAL) 26’, Chioma Ubogagu assist.
- Allie Thornton (DAL) 33’, Hannah Davison assist.
- Loza Abera (DC) 54’, Katie Duong assist.
- Susanna Fitch (DC) 63’.
- Loza Abera (DC) 90+5’, Susanna Fitch assist.
STORYLINES:
- BACK-TO-BACK: For the first time ever, DC Power recorded two consecutive wins.
- BRACE OFF THE BENCH: Loza Abera recorded a brace after coming in at the half. Abera joins her DC teammate Allie Flanagan as the only two players in the league to score a brace after entering the match as a substitute.
- FIRST FOR FITCH: Defender Susanna Fitch, who has started all 24 matches for DC, recorded her first goal of the season. She also recorded her second assist of the season.
- GOLDEN: Allie Thornton scored her 12th goal of the season, tying her with Mia Corbin atop the Golden Boot race. Chioma Ubogagu also recorded her sixth assist, tying her for the lead in the Golden Playmaker race.
- GOALS: Sealey Strawn scored her fourth goal of the season.
- ASSISTS: Hannah Davison recorded her first assist of the season, and Katie Duong recorded her third.
QUOTES:
- DC Interim Head Coach Phil Nana:
  - On what fueled the comeback win… “We’re growing and finally starting to play together. We’ve found our identify, and like I told them in the locker room, once you know who you are, then no matter what happens, we’ll get through it. They showed that today.”
- DC scorer Susanna Fitch:
  - On the halftime message that ignited the comeback… “We made a few changes, and that made a world of difference. We were more disciplined in our defense. You could tell; we tired them out. We were winning second balls, high pressing them more and we were able to keep possession. It was a different game in the second half.”
- Dallas Head Coach Pauline MacDonald:
  - On the team’s focus going forward… “The objective is to make the playoffs, which is what we have to re-focus on. We’ll take the good, all of the good that we showed in the first half. We just need to make sure to correct the mistakes and learn quickly, in relation to how to control the game for 90 minutes.”
- Dallas defender Hannah Davison:
  - On moving forward from this result… “This league is so competitive, and any game that you go into, you need to be a 90-minute team. Our first 45 minutes was who we are. We’ll go back, take the good from the first half and remind ourselves of who we are. There are still games to be played and points to pick up to put us in a good spot for playoffs. We need to find that momentum again and really lean into where our identity is.”

BKN 2 – 2 SPK

GOALS:
- Jess Garziano (BKN) 9’.
- Caroline Kelly (BKN) 17’, Hope Breslin assist.
- Sydney Cummings (SPK) 74’.
- Ally Cook (SPK) 90+2’.
STORYLINES:
- GOALS: Jess Garziano scored her sixth goal of the season, Ally Cook scored her fifth, Sydney Cummings scored her third and Caroline Kelly scored her second.
- ASSIST: Hope Breslin recorded her second assist of the season.
- SPOKANE COMES BACK: For the first time this spring, Spokane conceded first but came back to earn a result. In both previous matches where it conceded first, it lost.
- WINLESS AT HOME: Brooklyn has still yet to earn a win at Maimonides Park, with one home match remaining this season.
QUOTES:
- Brooklyn defender Leah Scarpelli:
  - On the mindset going into the match… “We’re treating every game as a championship game and as a playoff game, so I think that that was our mindset coming to this game. We stuck with the game plan super well. I think everyone did their role super well in the first half. It’s just the small details in the second half. It’s what led to some goals. But I think overall, as a team, we did great. I’m super proud of us. I think now it’s just moving forward, and our next objective is Carolina. So, we take it game by game.”
- Spokane Head Coach Jo Johnson:
  - On overall thoughts on the match… “We didn’t start the way we needed to. The first 45 minutes did not represent who we are as a team—too many turnovers, loose balls, and poor challenges. But I am incredibly proud of the response in the second half.”
- Spokane scorer Sydney Cummings:
  - On the team’s performance… “We’re disappointed to not come away with the win, but we’re proud of the way we were able to bounce back and get the point. We’ll look at the performance and build on it to get 3 points in DC.”

LEX 0 – 3 TB

GOALS:
- Victoria Haugen (TB) 45’, Cecilie Fløe assist.
- Parker Goins (TB) 60’, Cecilie Fløe assist.
- Cecilie Fløe (TB) 90+2’.
STORYLINES:
- SEASON SWEEP: Tampa Bay earned the season sweep on Lexington, winning all four matches and scoring at least three goals in every game this season. Saturday was the first time Tampa Bay held them scoreless.
- GOALS: Cecilie Fløe tied for first on the team with her ninth goal of the season. Victoria Haugen also scored her first goal, and Parker Goins scored her second.
- FLøE IS ON FIRE: Fløe became only the third player, and the first not on Dallas Trinity, to record one goal and two assists in a single match. She now leads the team with four assists.
- LATE SCORERS: Tampa Bay has scored a league-high 11 goals in the final 15+ minutes of its matches, accounting for over a quarter of its 39 goals.
QUOTES:
- Lexington forward Kate Doyle:
  - On the team’s morale heading into the match… “Team morale was really good going into this game, and there’s always gonna be circumstances around us, so we just wanted to come out and play for each other. We’re a close-knit group that love each other a lot. And, obviously, we haven’t seen the results that we would want out of that, but all we can do is keep fighting and keep trying.”
- Tampa Bay Head Coach Denise Schilte-Brown:
  - On overall thoughts on the match… “I’m incredibly proud of our team tonight. We showed up with intensity, executed our game plan, and competed from start to finish. Earning our first clean sheet against Lexington is a big milestone, and it speaks to the hard work and commitment of this group.”

WEEK 33 SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 13th
DC Power FC v Spokane Zephyr FC, 7 p.m. ET
Friday, May 16th
Lexington SC v Fort Lauderdale United FC, 6 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 17th
Carolina Ascent FC v Tampa Bay Sun FC, 7 p.m. ET

WEEK 33 STORYLINES

PLAYOFF PICTURE
With a DC Power win over Spokane Zephyr, Tampa Bay can clinch a playoff berth.

Additionally, with a win or draw over Tampa Bay on Saturday, Carolina Ascent will clinch the Players’ Shield award, therefore securing hosting for the playoffs.

NO. 1 VS NO. 2
Top-seeded Carolina Ascent FC will host No. 2 Tampa Bay Sun FC in its final home match of the season. Tampa Bay is the only team Carolina has yet to defeat this season. The Sun is 2-0-1 against Carolina, winning the last two matchups. Tampa Bay was the first team to beat Carolina this season, ending the Ascent’s monumental 11-match unbeaten streak at the start of the campaign.

GOLDEN RACES
Dallas’ Allie Thornton and Mia Corbin are tied for first in the Golden Boot race with 12 goals each. There’s currently a three-way tie for the Golden Playmaker, with Dallas’ Chioma Ubogagu, Spokane’s Emina Ekić and Carolina’s Jill Aguilera tied with six assists. Spokane’s Hope Hisey and Carolina’s Meagan McClelland are tied for first in the Golden Boot race with a 1.0 GAA.

SEALEY THE SCORER
Dallas’ 17-year-old Academy star Sealey Strawn tied for second on the team with her fourth goal of the season last week. She is the youngest of all 94 goal scorers this season, with three of her four goals coming off the bench.

PARTY IN THE DISTRICT
DC Power has won consecutive matches for the first time all season after a 1-0 shutout over Brooklyn and a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 victory over a strong Dallas Trinity. Loza Abera scored two goals in the affair after entering the match as a sub at halftime.

While DC is out of the playoff race, they are still impacting it – playing spoiler for clubs hoping to clinch against the team. Their next three matches are all against teams in the hunt for a playoff spot.

WEEK 33 DISCIPLINE REPORT

TAMPA, Fla. – The following is the USL Super League’s discipline report for Week 33 of the 2024/25 USL Super League season:

Brooklyn FC’s Tori Hansen has been suspended for one game following her red card for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity against Spokane Zephyr FC on May 10. Hansen will be unavailable for selection in Brooklyn’s contest against Carolina Ascent FC on May 24.

Additionally, the following player enters the upcoming matches one caution away from their eighth yellow card of the season and a one-game suspension for caution accumulation.

– DC Power FC (1): Claire Constant

LEAGUE LEADERS – WEEK 33

GOALS:

Mia Corbin (CAR) – 12 goals
Allie Thornton (DAL) – 12 goals
Addie McCain (FTL) – 10 goals
Natasha Flint (TB) – 9 goals
Jasmine Hamid (FTL) – 9 goals
Cecilie Fløe Nielsen (TB) – 9 goals
Emina Ekić (SPK) – 8 goals
Carlee Giammona (TB) – 7 goals
Jessica Garziano (BKN) – 6 goals

ASSISTS:

Jill Aguilera (CAR) – 6 assists
Emina Ekić (SPK) – 6 assists
Chioma Ubogagu (DAL) – 6 assists
Madison Perez (LEX) – 5 assists
Madi Parsons (LEX) – 5 assists
Shea Moyer (LEX) – 5 assists
Audrey Harding (CAR) – 5 assists
Mackenzie George (BKN) – 5 assists
Mackenzie Pluck (BKN) – 4 assists
Taylor Porter (CAR) – 4 assists
Kiara Locklear (FTL) – 4 assists
Cecilie Fløe (TB) – 4 assists

CLEAN SHEETS:

Madison White (DAL) – 9 clean sheets
Hope Hisey (SPK) – 9 clean sheets
Meagan McClelland (CAR) – 6 clean sheets
Cosette Morche (FTL) – 5 clean sheets
Samantha Leshnak Murphy (CAR) – 5 clean sheets
Ashley Orkus (TB) – 5 clean sheets
Morgan Aquino (DC) – 5 clean sheets