The race for a top-two finish took another major turn in Week 26 of the Gainbridge Super League season, while DC Power FC earned a landmark victory before getting significant help from Brooklyn FC on Sunday afternoon to tighten up the race for the final postseason slot.
Here are four things we took away from the weekend’s action.
1. Carolina Ascent Shows Resilience to Continue Undefeated Streak
Over the course of Carolina Ascent FC’s undefeated streak that began in late February, in the main, Ascent had been the dominant protagonist.
In only the club’s 1-0 win away at DC Power on March 17 had Carolina been outshot, while over the six-game span the side had outshot its opponents 83-65, including a 27-20 advantage in shots on target, while putting up a 12.63xG to 7xGA advantage over its opponents.
That wasn’t the case on Saturday night, where Ascent had to come through a major test at home to Lexington SC but emerged with a 1-0 win thanks to a thunderous strike by second-half substitute Emily Morris that narrowed the margin between second-place Lexington and third-place Carolina to a point, adding another twist to the final stretch of the regular season.
“Our performance was steely and resilient,” said Carolina Head Coach Philip Poole. “We had to be patient. We knew that we didn’t want to concede the middle of the field to Lexington. We wanted to be a little bit better in transition, but all-in-all, we got the goal and we got the shutout and we move on.”
Carolina has never been reliant on possession to earn results this season, but its resilience against Lexington’s high-powered attack – led by Jenna Butler’s 12 clearances and 5 of 7 success rate on aerial duels – provided the platform for a big result the side can carry forward sitting one win from a return to the postseason.
2. Sporting JAX Earns Another Milestone, Creates Separation
Over the final five games of Sporting Club Jacksonville’s regular season, it might feel like a parade of single-season landmarks with each passing outing.
On Saturday afternoon, the league-leaders added the Gainbridge Super League single-season wins record to their list of accomplishments with a comprehensive 4-1 victory against Fort Lauderdale United FC at Beyond Bancard Field that moved the side to 14 wins so far this campaign.
Individually, Sporting JAX also now boasts the first squad with two double-digit goalscorers in a season after Paige Kenton notched her 10th of the campaign, which alongside seven assists put her and teammate Ashlyn Puerta (11G, 7A) as 1-2 in the most goal contributions by a player in a regular season campaign. The duo could be joined soon by Baylee DeSmit, whose two goals against Fort Lauderdale moved her to nine tallies this season, with the side reveling in its collective success.
“I’m not one to focus on the stats, but it’s cool to know that I’m approaching a milestone,” said DeSmit. “I think for the rest of our season though, we just want to keep the consistency and play how we know we need to play, which is something we do well.”
While the postseason awaits, Jacksonville is now nine points from clinching the Players’ Shield in its inaugural season. That’s the goal Head Coach Stacey Balaam has firmly fixed in the team’s sights before the chance to claim a league title arrives in the playoffs.
“We are not thinking about the playoffs at this point,” said Balaam. “We set a target to make it there at the end of the season and we can proudly acknowledge that achievement. However, there is still so much to play for, and staying at the top is the next goal for us.”
3. Alyssa Walker Continues to be DC Power’s Ace
To stay in with a realistic chance of reaching the 2026 Gainbridge Super League Playoffs, DC Power needed to accomplish something it hadn’t previously on Saturday night, namely defeat Tampa Bay Sun FC.
Thanks to a pair of goals six minutes apart by Alyssa Walker and Dasia Torbert and a solid defensive display on the road at Suncoast Credit Union Field, the Power walked away with their first victory against the defending title-holders with Walker’s contribution to the 2-0 result mirroring the work she’s put in since arriving this winter.
The 28-year-old’s opening goal in the 18th minute was a thing of beauty as Loza Abera’s ball forward bisected the Tampa Bay back line to send Walker into the right channel. Seeing the goalkeeper retreating into her penalty area, Walker’s deft chip from 25 yards out was sublime and set the visitors on their way to a crucial win.
“Our focus for the match was intensity and our mental fortitude,” said Walker. “There were moments in the second half that the energy shifted towards them, but since we were able to be clinical in the first half it gave us some wiggle room. Tampa is a physical team and have always had a high work rate. Our goal was to outrun, out work, out fight and that’s what we did until the end.”
Walker’s four goals for the Power since her arrival have all served as game-winners, twice as many as any other player in the Super League since the start of the spring schedule. It’s given DC a chance to be part of the postseason for the first time.
4. Brooklyn FC Delivers ‘Right Answer’ to Stay Alive
The flaw that had led Brooklyn FC to the brink of being the first team mathematically eliminated from contention for the Gainbridge Super League Playoffs on Sunday afternoon was its first-half performance, where the side had struggled to find the net and put its imprint on the game.
Against fourth-placed Dallas Trinity FC, though, BKFC delivered the sort of performance that showed how good the side could be when it was firing on all cylinders, earning the reward of a 3-0 victory at Maimonides Park that kept the season alive for another day.
“I just said to them that today would be a very important day, because if we didn’t win today, or if we lost the game, we couldn’t make the playoffs, and it would be a feeling of being the first team that couldn’t make the playoffs, it’s something that they don’t deserve,” said BKFC Head Coach Tomás Tengarrinha. “They gave the right answer.”
Brooklyn’s defense stymied Dallas when it entered the final third, allowing Trinity only two touches in the penalty area in the first half as the visitors lacked connectiveness in Sealey Strawn’s absence. When Kelsey Hill struck just before halftime it set up the hosts for another strong second-half performance that saw Rebecca Cooke strike twice off assists by Sam Kroeger, even maintaining momentum despite being reduced to 10 players after Hope Breslin’s red card.
The hill is still a steep one for Brooklyn, but there’s still hope as the side battles to rise in the standings.
“We knew they were trying to secure their spot in the playoffs, and we were trying to stay alive, so we knew it would be a battle,” said BKFC midfielder Ryan Childers. “That’s exactly what it was. Even going up a few goals, we knew they weren’t going to stop. And when we went down a player, it became even more of a battle, just putting in the work to get the job done.”