Sun fall to Carolina in Easter matchup, ending 2-game win streak
Carolina players celebrate after midfielder Lily Nabet scores during first-half stoppage time to give the Ascent a two-goal lead in an eventual 2-1 win over the Sun Sunday in Tampa. ©Luis Santana Sun fans arrived at Suncoast Credit Union Field Sunday ready to celebrate, with Easter-themed festivities, including an egg hunt and face-painting, setting the tone before kickoff. But by the final whistle, the mood had shifted.
The Sun entered the match with momentum after back-to-back wins at DC and Dallas but struggled to maintain that same rhythm early in a 2-1 loss to Carolina. “It feels like it caught up with us a little bit,” Sun coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “It felt like we were giving them a bit too much respect, too much room.
” After some early back-and-forth, Carolina broke through in the 29th minute, when Jill Aguilera converted a penalty kick into the bottom right corner following a foul by Tampa Bay’s Sandrine Gaillard. Gaillard was whistled for pulling back Ascent midfielder Shea Groom’s arm as Groom raced to the ball inside the penalty area. From there, Carolina began to take control of the tempo.
“Their midfield was just having their way in the first half,” Schilte-Brown said. The Ascent doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time, as Lily Nabet found the bottom left corner of the net off a headed pass from Tyler Lussi following a corner kick. “We were late to the first goal, and then late to the second,” Schilte-Brown said.
“If you’re late to both, you’re in a lot of trouble. ” The Sun came out in the second half with a new sense of urgency, but it didn’t result in a goal until late, as forward Madi Parsons scored in the 89th minute to bring Tampa Bay within one. “We regrouped at halftime, made some adjustments,” Schilte-Brown said, “and then I thought we had the better of them for the majority of the second half.