The Gainbridge Super League announced the Team of the Month for October on Wednesday, with Carolina Ascent FC midfielder Audrey Harding earning Player of the Month honors.
Harding was a playmaker for the Ascent during its undefeated month, recording three assists and creating 11 chances. She scored the lone goal in the 1-1 draw against Lexington SC, and she tallied an assist in all three of the team’s wins in October.
GK: Hope Hisey, Spokane Zephyr FC – Hisey returns to the Team of the Month for the second-straight month after recording two clean sheets and 21 saves across four matches to lead Spokane to second in the standings.
D: Jill Aguilera, Carolina Ascent –The defender guided the backline every minute last month, winning 25 duels and slotting home a game winner to help Carolina take home all three points against Brooklyn FC on October 18.
D: Sydney Studer, Carolina Ascent – Studer maintained 87% passing accuracy across all 360 minutes for Carolina last month, while also adding 24 clearances and 24 duels won during the team’s unbeaten run.
D: Hannah Sharts, Lexington SC – Sharts has become a cornerstone of Lexington’s defense, playing every minute and making 22 clearances. Her long throw-ins have also been valuable, as seen in the 5-1 match against Fort Lauderdale on October 16.
D: Reese Tappan, Spokane Zephyr FC – Tappan led the league in passes (291) and finished second in clearances (24) last month to help Spokane earn two clean sheets and five points.
M: Alexis Theoret, DC Power FC – Theoret continues to dominate the midfield for DC Power, winning 19 duels and nine tackles at high success rates. She also created four chances and tallied a late assist on the equalizing goal against Spokane.
M: Sydny Nasello, Tampa Bay Sun FC – Nasello controlled the midfield for Tampa Bay last month, recording one goal, one assist and winning 24 duels across her 262 minutes on the field.
M: Ashlyn Puerta, Sporting JAX – The Golden Boot leader added two more goals to her account and tallied two assists, contributing to four of Sporting JAX’s seven goals last month.
F: Audrey Harding, Carolina Ascent FC – The forward led Carolina’s attack last month, recording one goal, three assists, nine shots, 10 interceptions and 11 chances created. Harding is now tied for first all-time in regular season assists with nine.
F: Sarah Griffith, Lexington SC – Griffith was one of many attacking threats for Lexington in October. She scored three of the team’s 10 goals, including a brace in the 5-1 win over Fort Lauderdale. She also added seven shots, seven interceptions, seven tackles and 20 duels won.
F: Rebecca Cooke, Brooklyn FC – The Irish international came up big for Brooklyn last month, scoring an equalizer in two different matches. She also tallied an assist, seven shots and 13 duels won.
Coach: Philip Poole, Carolina Ascent – After a winless stretch to start the season, Poole led Carolina to a 3-0-1 record in October, ending with back-to-back road wins to move into third place in the league standings.
Bench: Leah Scarpelli (BKN), Georgia Brown (JAX), Addie McCain (LEX), Jasmine Hamid (FTL), Ally Cook (SPK), Paige Kenton (JAX), Kat Asman (LEX)