Charlotte, NC – Zephyr FC defeated Carolina Ascent FC 1-0 on the road on Wednesday to improve its winning streak to two matches.
Spokane interim head coach Josh McAllister spoke on club’s performance following the match.
“We are a young team and with more games, we are gaining more experience,” said McAllister. “We saw a lot of top performances from players who haven’t played a lot this year.”
Both clubs created good chances offensively in the first half, with Spokane and Carolina each attempting five shots in the first 45 minutes. One of Carolina’s best chances at a goal came in the 21st minute, with forward Maddie Mercado being awarded a penalty kick that missed the net and ricocheted off the goalpost.
Zephyr FC forward Tori Zierenburg scored the match’s first goal in the 35th minute to give Spokane a 1-0 lead into halftime. Zierenburg received a perfect through ball from Cam Tucker and tapped in the pass from outside the box and into the net. Zierenburg’s goal was her first of the season and professional career.
Zierenburg spoke on the win following the match.
“So proud of the team for getting three points on the road,” said Zierenburg. “It took every single player tonight for the win. We battled and stuck to playing our way.”
Carolina Ascent FC came out in the second half searching for its first goal of the match, with Mercado getting an open shot inside the box off an accurate pass from Brianna Martinez, with Mercado putting too much power on the shot and sailing it over the goalpost.
Carolina’s best chance at a second half equalizer came in the 62nd minute, with Martinez launching a shot just outside the box that Zephyr FC goalkeeper Hope Hisey read perfectly and deflecting the ball away from goal. Hisey currently leads all goalkeepers in saves with 21 this season.
Zephyr FC had a golden opportunity at a second goal in the 64th minute, with Shea Collins finding herself wide open inside the box with a one on one opportunity against Carolina goalkeeper Meagan McClelland, with Collins losing her footing during her shot attempt.
Spokane defender Kelsey Oyler spoke on the club’s resilience following the match.
“So proud of this team and the fight we showed tonight. A win and a shutout to reward that fight,” said Oyler. “Super excited to be back home next week and show who we are again.”
Spokane played tough defense throughout the match to hold Carolina scoreless for the first time this season. McAllister spoke on his club’s recent defensive successes.
“Our team has shown the last three matches that we are hard to break down. The team put in a massive shift without the ball to keep Carolina at bay,” said McAllister.
Zephyr FC improved to 2-2-3 after Wednesday’s win and jumped to second place in Gainbridge Super League standings. Carolina Ascent FC is now 0-1-3 and sits in eighth place in the league. Following Wednesday’s win, Spokane Zephyr FC will return home for a match against Lexington SC on October 4th. The match is set to kickoff at 6 PM PT and can be streamed on Peacock. For tickets to the match, visit Zephyr FC Tickets – USL Spokane
