Which teams will clinch the final playoff spots? | News & Notes Week 35

REWIND: WEEK 34 NOTES

DC 1 – 1 FTL

GOALS:
- Loza Abera (DC) 45’
- Sabrina McNeill (FTL) 83’
STORYLINES:
- GOALS: Loza Abera scored her fourth goal of the season, all of which were at home, while Sabrina McNeill scored her first.
- SCORING STREAK: DC Power has scored in four consecutive games, tying its record for the season. Fort Lauderdale has scored in six straight.
- HOME & AWAY: Following this match, FTL UTD had a 5-4-4 record at home and 5-4-4 record on the road.
QUOTES:
- DC Interim Head Coach Phil Nana:
  - Overall thoughts following the team’s last home match of the season… “Of course, a win for the last home game would’ve been great for us. It’s disappointing not to have that, but very proud of how the players performed and how our staff prepared. Once again, we got our tactics right and got our execution just about right. We limit the mistakes and maybe we see three points.”
- DC scorer Loza Abera:
  - On what led to her goal… “We kept the ball and played side-to-side. We created some chances and that helped us to score the goal.”
- Fort Lauderdale Head Coach Tyrone Mears:
  - On the draw and moving forward… “Very good reaction from the team to come away with 4 points on the road. Very challenging with the travel, and DC fully rested for over a week, but it now sets up our last home game against Dallas on Saturday as a huge game, as Dallas is one of the teams we’re battling for a playoff spot. They’re a team that won’t have played for two weeks, and it’s a relatively quick turnaround for us. We know 3 points keeps us in control going into the last game, so the players will be full of energy.”
- Fort Lauderdale scorer Sabrina McNeill:
  - On scoring her first goal… “I honestly just felt an overwhelming amount of joy, and it was kind of like a ‘hard work paid off’ type of moment, and it was surreal. I almost cried, but it was a really good feeling. I was just happy, honestly, to get a result for the team because we deserved it. I know we’ve missed our chances, but I just wanted to put one in the back of net because we’ve worked too hard for, again, the results not to be showing on the scoreboard.”

BKN 0 – 0 CAR

GOALS:
- N/A
STORYLINES:
- ELIMINATED: With the result, Brooklyn was eliminated from playoff contention.
- SCORELESS: Brooklyn became the first team to hold Carolina scoreless since March 15. Carolina averaged over 3 goals per game in the seven matches since then.
- NIL-NIL: Saturday’s match was the first scoreless draw since March 22 (FTL v SPK). All of the 32 matches between them had at least one goal.
- CLEAN SHEET: Brooklyn goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg recorded her first clean sheet in her debut with the team. She made three saves in the match.
QUOTES:
- Brooklyn goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg:
  - On the team’s performance in the second half… “We had a lot of great opportunities on set plays, which got a little bit unlucky. And I think our defense did a great job of working out of the back and taking advantage of the space and the flanks in the second half, we just took better advantage of just where the spaces were to play, and we made some adjustments at halftime that helped.”
- Brooklyn defender Leah Scarpelli:
  - On playing against the top team in the league… “Honestly, just being confident, confident in what we can do as a team. I think, yes, Carolina is on top of the table, but individually, I think we all know that we are just as good as them in every position. Just matters who shows up that day. And I think we did show up, didn’t get the result that we really needed or wanted, but I think we showed up and we were the better team today, for sure.”
- Carolina Head Coach Philip Poole:
  - On neutralizing Brooklyn… “I think, in particular in the first half, we were very dominant in possession. And Brooklyn is a good team, got some good individual defenders. So, we knew we were going to have to possess the ball and create opportunities. I think overall 60/40 in possession is a positive number…We knew that Brooklyn would have to gamble, they’d have to roll the dice a little bit, and we knew would have to stand up and we did.”
- Carolina forward Riley Parker:
  - On overall thoughts on the match… “We knew it was going to be a battle with playoffs on the line for Brooklyn. Getting a shutout is always nice, but the tie also highlighted a few areas we can sharpen up heading into our final regular season game and playoffs.”

FTL 1 – 0 DAL

GOALS:
- Kiara Locklear (FTL) 26’, Sh’Nia Gordon assist.
STORYLINES:
- GOAL + ASSIST: Kiara Locklear scored her fifth goal of the season, and Sh’Nia Gordon recorded her third assist.
- CLEAN SHEET: Goalkeeper Cosette Morché recorded her seventh clean sheet of the season.
- SCORING STREAK: FTL UTD has now scored in seven consecutive matches for the third time this season.
- LOSING STREAK: Dallas has lost three matches in a row for the first time this season.
QUOTES:
- Fort Lauderdale Head Coach Tyrone Mears:
  - On the result… “It was all about the energy today. It was all about the togetherness, that’s what we spoke about, and they gave everything today. There was one clear winner. And we need that for the last game.”
- Fort Lauderdale scorer Kiara Locklear:
  - On her game-winning goal… “It’s a team effort. Comes from Sh’Nia making a selfless ball, and us, honestly, more than two people, it’s a team effort. And I think today, we came out with a different attitude. We weren’t just fighting to win; we were fighting for a playoff position, and that’s what helped secure the win.”
- Dallas Head Coach Pauline MacDonald:
  - On overall thoughts on the match… “I’m proud of the fight shown tonight by the team. We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we still control our own destiny. A win next week gets us into the postseason, and we’ll be ready.”
- Dallas forward Allie Thornton:
  - On the team’s mindset moving forward… “It’s a tough result, but we’re not out. This week will be all about focus, hard work, and leaving everything out on the training pitch. We know what’s at stake, and we’ll give it everything we’ve got to make our way into the playoffs.”

TB 2 – 0 DC

GOALS:
- Sydny Nasello (TB) 22’
- Cecilie Fløe (TB) 53’, Tash Flint assist.
STORYLINES:
- GOALS + ASSIST: Sydny Nasello scored her fourth goal of the season, and Cecilie Fløe scored her team-leading eleventh goal. Tash Flint recorded her second assist.
- SERIES RECORD: Tampa Bay finished undefeated (3-0-1) against DC Power this season.
- HOME RECORD: Tampa Bay finished with the best regular season record at home (8-2-4).
QUOTES:
- Tampa Bay Head Coach Denise Schilte-Brown:
  - On the team environment… “For us, it’s peaking at the right time. And the women are really coming together and doing what we’re asking them to do. And I think they’re enjoying one another. And I think that means a lot to the environment. I mean, it’s a long season, and if you still like each other and you want to be together, it’s going to really help us in these last couple weeks.”
- Tampa Bay midfielder Jade Moore:
  - On clinching home field advantage… “We’ve hit playoffs, and now we’ve got home field advantage, so we need to celebrate that. I think, obviously, football moves on very quickly, so sometimes it is about staying in the moment, and actually enjoying our successes—but then, as the week turns over, we have a new focus. And the new focus is: let’s go one game at a time, one training session at a time, and build on that.”
- DC Interim Head Coach Phil Nana:
  - On overall thoughts on the match… “It was a tough game. The players tried their best, we just came up second best tonight. We seemed a bit tired, and they seemed more fresh and more energetic than us. Sometimes that’s part of the game.”
- DC goalkeeper Morgan Aquino:
  - On the team’s progress since the start of the season… “It’s just about controlling what we can control. Also knowing that we have to forget about the things we can’t control and put on a performance each week for each other that we’re proud of.”

WEEK 35 SCHEDULE

Saturday, May 31st
Lexington SC v DC Power FC, 7 p.m. ET
Dallas Trinity FC v Carolina Ascent FC, 8 p.m. ET
Spokane Zephyr FC v Fort Lauderdale United FC, 9 p.m. ET

WEEK 35 STORYLINES

SEMIFINAL HOSTING
With the win against DC Power last week, Tampa Bay Sun FC clinched the No. 2 seed and will host the first semifinal match on Saturday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Riverfront Stadium. Tampa Bay had the best home record (8-2-4) in the league this season.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
Brooklyn FC was eliminated from playoff contention last week, leaving Spokane Zephyr FC, Dallas Trinity FC and Fort Lauderdale United FC in the running for the final two playoff spots.

Dallas needs a win to clinch a playoff berth. Fort Lauderdale needs just a draw to clinch a playoff berth. Spokane is guaranteed a berth with a win vs. Fort Lauderdale or a Dallas draw/loss.

GOLDEN RACE UPDATES
The Golden Boot, Golden Playmaker and Golden Glove races are tight between three players for each that will be determined this Saturday.

Boot: Allie Thornton (DAL) – 12 goals; Mia Corbin (CAR) – 12 goals; Emina Ekić (SPK) – 10 goals

Playmaker: Jill Aguilera (CAR) – 7 assists; Chioma Ubogagu (DAL) – 6 assists; Emina Ekić (SPK) – 6 assists

Glove: Meagan McClelland (CAR) – 0.97 GAA; Hope Hisey (SPK) – 1.0 GAA; Madison White (DAL) – 1.04 GAA

EVERY MINUTE
Four players have played every minute of the regular season so far:

BKN: Allison Pantuso – 2520 minutes (played every minute)
CAR: Taylor Porter – 2430 minutes
DAL: Amber Brooks – 2430 minutes
SPK: Sarah Clark – 2430 minutes

INTERNATIONAL CALL UPS
14 Super League players were called up to their respective national teams to represent their countries for the May FIFA international window:

CAR: Kathrynn González, Dominican Republic
DAL: Sealey Strawn, USYNT
DAL: Deb Abiodun, Nigeria
DC: Morgan Aquino, Australia
DC: Claire Constant, Haiti
DC: Charlie Estcourt, Wales
DC: Jennifer Cudjoe, Ghana
DC: Amber DiOrio, Puerto Rico
LEX: Emma Johnson, USYNT
LEX: NaYeong Shin, South Korea
LEX: Grace Wisnewski, New Zealand
SPK: Riley Tanner, Panama
SPK: Sophia Braun, Argentina
TB: Sydney Schneider, Jamaica

WEEK 35 DISCIPLINE REPORT

TAMPA, Fla. – The following is the USL Super League’s discipline report for Week 35 of the 2024/25 USL Super League season:

The following players enter their upcoming matches one caution away from their eighth yellow card of the season, resulting in a fine.

– DC Power FC (1): Claire Constant
– Fort Lauderdale United FC (1): Kiara Locklear

LEAGUE LEADERS – WEEK 35

GOALS:

Mia Corbin (CAR) – 12 goals
Allie Thornton (DAL) – 12 goals
Cecilie Fløe (TB) – 11 goals
Addie McCain (FTL) – 10 goals
Emina Ekić (SPK) – 10 goals
Natasha Flint (TB) – 9 goals
Jasmine Hamid (FTL) – 9 goals

ASSISTS:

Jill Aguilera (CAR) – 7 assists
Emina Ekić (SPK) – 6 assists
Chioma Ubogagu (DAL) – 6 assists
Madison Perez (LEX) – 5 assists
Madi Parsons (LEX) – 5 assists
Shea Moyer (LEX) – 5 assists
Audrey Harding (CAR) – 5 assists
Mackenzie George (BKN) – 5 assists

CLEAN SHEETS:

Madison White (DAL) – 9 clean sheets
Hope Hisey (SPK) – 9 clean sheets
Cosette Morché (FTL) – 7 clean sheets
Meagan McClelland (CAR) – 6 clean sheets
Samantha Leshnak Murphy (CAR) – 5 clean sheets
Ashley Orkus (TB) – 5 clean sheets
Morgan Aquino (DC) – 5 clean sheets