Here are the players who could be difference-makers in the Ascent’s home opener on Saturday night
Carolina Ascent FC plays host to Tampa Bay Sun FC at American Legion Memorial Stadium on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET | Peacock) in the Gainbridge Super League Match of the Month with Ascent entering its home opener off the back of consecutive victories and the inaugural season title-winning Sun looking to build off two positive displays with their new-look lineup.
Here are three players from either side that could make a notable impact as the sides meet for the first time in the 2026 Fall Season.
Carolina Ascent FC
Jill Aguilera, Left Back
Make no mistake, Jill Aguilera is a fine defender. During the past Gainbridge Super League season, she logged a +1.16 Goals Added mark in defensive categories, with the lone category she was a net negative being in Aerial Duels.
Take one look at her Opta player donut, though, and you can see the value she brings to Ascent in the attacking half.
Aguilera’s ability to get down the left flank and join the attack and the quality she delivers once there has been a key reason why Ascent has been the most consistent regular season side in the Super League over its first two-plus seasons. The Puerto Rico captain has a league-high 11 regular season assists and might actually have been somewhat unlucky, with her Expected Assists mark at 12.94xA also the highest in league history.
The California native has continued that performance early this season – see her assist on Rylee Baisden’s opening goal against Dallas Trinity last weekend – and should have a big role to play against Tampa Bay.
Mia Corbin, Central Midfielder
During her first season in Carolina, Mia Corbin was a standout striker. She bagged 12 goals to contend for the Golden Boot and put up a combined 11.93xG+A mark.
Last season, though, she took on a new role in Head Coach Philip Poole’s lineup, dropping into a central midfield position that saw her still contribute to the attack with four goals and four assists but not necessarily provide the impact she needed to on the other side of the ball. Corbin won only 62 duels at a 41.6% success rate – down from 111 duels won in the 2024/25 season as a forward – and ranked in the 29th percentile with only 5.3 defensive actions per 90 minutes.
Corbin’s distribution is still a plus, but the deeper role seemed to have an impact on the rest of her game, resulting in her posting a -1.07 Goals Added above Average rate. With the way Tampa Bay has shifted play through the midfield in its opening two games, Ascent may need a bit more defensive bite from Corbin to complement her ability to distribute and join the attack.
Mackenzie George, Forward
At first glance, Mackenzie George’s top-level numbers for Carolina could be looked at as a slight disappointment. She’s recorded only seven goals in 58 appearances while logging a 9.96 Expected Goals mark while also putting up eight assists on a 7.28xA mark.
What that would miss is the energy and purpose George brings in the attacking third for Carolina, where her movement with and without the ball and body position taking on defenders helps create chances for teammates to capitalize on. It was on display last weekend as she provided the assist on Audrey Coleman’s goal, which proved the winner against Dallas Trinity FC. The way she turned the corner on her marker, setting up a cutback cross to the arriving Coleman, was outstanding and illustrated the value she brings.
Last season, George ranked 10th in the league with 324 carries, sixth in the league with 182 progressive carries and fourth in the league with 24 carries that ended in shots. That dynamism added up to a +2.04 Goals Added above Average mark – second on the team to Aguilera – and she should prove a handful for Tampa Bay’s back line.
Tampa Bay Sun FC
Leah Scarpelli, Left Back
As Tampa Bay retooled its squad this offseason, one of the areas it needed to address was chance creation. During the 2025/26 season, the Sun ranked eighth in the league with only 30 big chances created, almost half the total of league-leader Carolina Ascent (54) and seventh in Expected Assists (24.65xA).
To try and address that, one of the new arrivals was versatile left-sided defender Leah Scarpelli, previously of Brooklyn FC, who was one of the brighter spots for her former club a season ago. Scarpelli notched two goals and three assists while averaging 2.1 completed dribbles and 1.6 shots per 90 minutes.
Scarpelli slotted into a left wingback role with the Sun playing a three center back system last week against Jacksonville, having previously been the left back in a back four on opening weekend, but she’s already logged six chances created for her new side. How she combines with Sydny Nasello – whose ability to pinch in from the left flank to create – can help Tampa Bay continue its strong early chance creation numbers.
Sydny Nasello, Attacking Midfielder
There might not be a more dynamic presence on the ball than Sydny Nasello in the Gainbridge Super League. That might sound like hyperbole, but the former University of South Florida standout led the league with 171 attempted dribbles and 72 completed dribbles in the 2025.26 season, logging 465 total carries as she graded first in the league with +2.74 Goal Added grade in Dribbling.
It’s that dynamism that has made Nasello a centerpiece of the Sun’s attacking potential over its first two seasons. After the departures of Cecilie Fløe and Tash Flint to serve as finishers a season ago, though, it left Nasello attempting to do too much individually as she ended the season with six goals and only three assists, also recording a 2/1 ratio in shots to chances created off carries.
Nasello can be a finisher as well as a creator, and her defensive work in the Sun’s pressing scheme is among the league’s best – a season ago she ranked second to Carolina’s Mackenzie George winning possession 36 times in the attacking third – but her ability to take on and beat defenders one-on-one makes her an electric presence on the field.
Shea Connors, Forward
When the Sun acquired Shea Connors last April, it was with the intent of adding a new center forward the rest of the club’s lineup – and particularly Sydny Nasello – could play off. While the early returns didn’t deliver the late-season run the Sun were hoping for, Connors’ numbers were solid, recording 3.1 shots and 0.33 goals per 90 minutes in just 275 minutes of action.
This season, Connors has hit the ground running, and while it’s a small sample size there’s some evidence Tampa Bay is going to be an effective attacking group this season. The veteran forward, whose most extensive experience has come in Australia’s A-League Women, scored her first goal of the season last weekend in Jacksonville and has been an all-around menace in the attacking third.
That pace has seen Tampa Bay rank second in the league with a 4.49 Expected Goals mark and 3.32 Expected Goals mark from Open Play over its first two outings. Connor and co. will need to capitalize on their chances more consistently – especially going up against Sydney Martinez, who’s made an impressive start to the new season between the sticks for Carolina – but the attacking spark the Sun were missing last year appears to be back.
Be sure to catch these six players take the field this Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock.