Tampa Bay Sun stunned Carolina Ascent 2-1 in the visitors’ home opener at American Legion Memorial Stadium. Coming off their painful 3-2 Florida Derby loss, they needed a bounce-back win before their opener, and they got one. Not a flashy win but certainly a big one. The sun was well-organized and clinical when it needed to be. That was the game plan Denise Schilte-Brown laid out for her team, and they executed it perfectly. Carolina’s game plan is to sit back with a compact back four and score on set pieces in the third touch. Tampa didn’t fall for it.
The Sun jumped the midfield and forced Carolina into careless giveaways. It paid off in the first half, as Ascent recorded more possession and shots than the Sun, but Tampa held the dangerous chances and struck on the breakaway.
Sun came out of the gates firing and nearly netted the opening goal in the second minute, courtesy of Jordan Zade. The pressure paid off in the 23rd, as Erika Zschuppe was taken down in the box by Mia Corbin, and Shea Connors coolly slotted the penalty kick into the bottom left corner to give Tampa the lead in front of a boisterous crowd of 6,000.
Carolina equalized in the 68th, and that’s when the old Tampa Bay Sun would’ve wilted under the pressure. Not this year’s crew. They equalized seven minutes later and had a golden opportunity to put the game away in the 85th, but they missed a wide-open chance to do so in a 2-1 win.
Shea Groom and Lily Nabet controlled the midfield for Carolina, and it took a handful of acrobatic saves by Cristina Roque to keep the deficit at one through the half. The turning point came in the 68th minute when Jill Aguilera sent a corner kick into the box. Reese Tappan powered a header into the net to make it 1-1. Old Tampa would have been nervous, but seven minutes later, New Tampa equalized the game.
Connors and Nasello were the driving force behind the equalizer and the tying goal, with Connors holding the line high and taking a big risk on the penalty kick, while Nasello dictated the game and drew defenders out of position. She was the catalyst when Tampa needed a goal, finding Darya Rajaee in the 75th minute and one-timing a ball into the bottom left corner for the game-winner.
Nasello nearly found a second goal two minutes later, but her header off the crossbar just cleared the net.
Tampa Bay Sun still has to work on set pieces, as the equalizer was a free header they can’t afford to give up. They also have to work on not letting Carolina dictate the game and win possession in the midfield, especially in the first half. At some point, they’re going to have to hold onto the ball instead of launching immediate attacks and putting Roque on the line every week.
On the preview episode of the Sun Pod, Luis spoke of a gritty 2-1 road win before kickoff. He mentioned that the sun needed to stay focused for 90, let Nasello run the offense, and, most importantly, finish their chances. As well, it was imperative for the sun not to wilt under pressure after they equalized. That’s precisely what Tampa Bay Sun did, and it allowed them to put together a 2-1 win over a Carolina squad that had beaten them six straight times before.
The Sun Pod will be LIVE Wednesday at 8:00PM on our YouTube channel.
See you at the home opener!
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