Carolina Ascent secured a 1-0 victory over Brooklyn in the Group Stage of the USL Super League on Friday evening. The home side maintained their position at the top of the table with the win, while the visitors remain rooted to the bottom half. The result extended Carolina Ascent's winning run and came after Brooklyn's recent slump.
Brooklyn took the lead in the 63rd minute through S. Groom, who finished a move to give the away side a surprise advantage. A. Coleman picked up a yellow card in the 60th minute before the break, and the home side responded by making changes around the hour mark. L. Nabet came on to replace Coleman at 64 minutes, alongside M. Corbin, as Carolina Ascent pushed for an equaliser.
The match tightened up after Brooklyn's goal, with both sides feeling each other out. J. Aguilera received a yellow card in the 70th minute, and E. Loving followed suit shortly after at 81 minutes. Carolina Ascent brought on J. Cudjoe and J. Shimkin in the 77th minute, looking to change the dynamic. By then the game had settled into a cautious rhythm, neither side willing to take unnecessary risks.
Carolina Ascent finally broke through late in the second half, though the exact moment is not recorded in the available data. Brooklyn made three substitutions in quick succession—J. Garziano at 84, J. Aguilera replaced at 85, and R. Baisden at 89—but could not find a way back into the game. The home side held on grimly for the remaining minutes to claim all three points.
Carolina Ascent sit top of the USL Super League with 12 points from five games, their only setback coming against Tampa Bay Sun in a 1-2 defeat. Brooklyn occupy eighth place with just three points from five matches, having won only once against Sporting JAX. The gap between them remains substantial, and the visitors have much to do to climb away from the bottom of the table.
