Which teams will advance to the inaugural Super League Final? | News & Notes - Semifinals

REWIND: WEEK 35 NOTES

LEX 3 – 3 DC

GOALS:
- Gianna Gourley (DC) 5’, Susanna Fitch assist.
- Nicole Vernis (LEX) 13’, Kate Doyle assist.
- Loza Abera (DC) 17’, Katie Duong assist.
- Gianna Gourley (DC) 42’, Loza Abera assist.
- Madi Parsons (LEX) 50’
- Maddy Perez (LEX) 68’
STORYLINES:
- BAGGED A BRACE: Gianna Gourley scored her team-leading sixth and seventh goals of the season. She is the third player to record a brace for DC Power, joining Madison Wolfbauer and Allie Flanagan.
- GOALS: Madi Parsons scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season, Loza Abera scored her fifth, Nicole Vernis scored her second and Maddy Perez scored her first.
- ASSISTS: Katie Duong recorded her team-leading fourth assist of the season, Susanna Fitch recorded her third, Abera recorded her second and Kate Doyle recorded her first.
- FREE KICK GOAL: Maddy Perez became the fifth player in the league and the first for Lexington to score a goal from a direct free kick.
- SECOND HALF SURGE: DC Power went into the Winter Break with just seven goals scored but saw increased offensive production in the spring to finish with 24 goals.
QUOTES:
- Lexington scorer Nicole Vernis:
  - On scoring her goal… “We had just spoken about being more patient in our attack, and part of me was thinking I should swing it to the other side, because we wanted to move the defense. But I noticed a gap, and I just decided to go for it.”
- Lexington scorer Madi Parsons:
  - On the end of the season… “It’s very emotional. I’m just so proud of our team, through the highs and the lows we’ve stuck through. We’ve worked hard, even tonight. I mean, we were down two goals, and we fought our way back. That sums up our season for us. We’re a group that fights until the 96th minute of the game.”
- DC Interim Head Coach Phil Nana:
  - On the team’s play in the first half… “In possession, there was so much space in behind. I was surprised they played that way with some of the players we have. I thought we could have scored a lot more than we did in the first half.”
- DC scorer Gianna Gourley:
  - On building on her brace into next season… “It’s definitely nice to get that first brace, and I hope there will be many more. There’s a lot of mistakes that I made. I’m happy, but I’m also not really satisfied. I think just going into the upcoming season, there’s a lot of things that I need to work on, and I know the coaching staff will help me with those set things. I’m still hungry, It’s my first season. I just want to keep going, keep getting better and keep grinding.”

DAL 2 – 1 CAR

GOALS:
- Allie Thornton (DAL) 20’, Tamara assist.
- Chioma Ubogagu (DAL) 54’, Cyera Hintzen assist.
- Jaydah Bedoya (CAR) 90+3’
STORYLINES:
- CLINCHED: With the result, Dallas clinched a spot in the playoffs.
- SNAPPED THE STREAK: The loss ended Carolina’s eight-match unbeaten streak. The team has previously not lost since March 15.
- GOLDEN BOOT: After scoring her 13^th goal of the season, Allie Thornton won the inaugural Golden Boot award.
- GOALS + ASSISTS: Chioma Ubogagu scored her fifth goal of the season, and Jaydah Bedoya scored her third. Tamara recorded her first assist, and Cyera Hintzen recorded her third.
QUOTES:
- Dallas Head Coach Pauline MacDonald:
  - On the match… “I couldn’t be prouder of the players. Making the playoffs was our goal, and we want to continue to progress. We made history, and that is a huge part of the legacy.”
- Dallas scorer Allie Thornton:
  - On her goal and the win… “Tamara played a perfect ball (on the goal). We were pumped up. Everyone was really excited to play well with what was on the line for the game. If this was going to be the last one, might as well make it the best one. We’re excited to make the playoffs.”
- Carolina Head Coach Philip Poole:
  - On the match… “I think tonight we saw the best of Dallas. For the third time this season, Dallas changed formation against us, and it took a few minutes in the first half to adjust. It was a good performance by Dallas that needed a result, and they got one tonight.”
  - On the team’s mindset heading into playoffs… “We created a lot of chances, we know we have some things that we need to do better, but we created some great chances during the game. A little uncharacteristic with some aspects of our defending, but overall, we’re healthy, we’re fit, and we’re ready to go to the playoffs.”
- Carolina defender Jenna Butler:
  - On entering playoffs… “Tonight didn’t go how we wanted it to, but there’s a lot to learn from and improve on after this game. As we enter postseason, our confidence levels are high going into this next week of training and first round of playoffs.”

SPK 1 – 1 FTL

GOALS:
- Sh’Nia Gordon (FTL) 8’, Cameron Brooks assist.
- Ally Cook (SPK) 10’, Emma Jaskaniec assist.
STORYLINES:
- PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: With the result, Fort Lauderdale clinched the final playoff spot, and Spokane was eliminated.
- DEJA VU: In the opening weekend back in August, Spokane and Fort Lauderdale also played each other to a 1-1 draw at ONE Spokane Stadium.
- GOALS + ASSISTS: Sh’Nia Gordon scored her fifth goal of the season, and Ally Cook scored her sixth. Cameron Brooks recorded her second assist of the season, and Emma Jaskaniec recorded her third.
QUOTES:
- Spokane Head Coach Jo Johnson:
  - On her season with the team… “I know it’s just year one, and I just can’t wait to see what happens after that. But the city has embraced us. You saw the buzz of the crowd, the Syndicate, everyone who’s been there through the highs and lows of the season. I can’t thank the community enough. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to start a team.”
- Spokane midfielder Emina Ekić:
  - On the energy from the fans… “The energy of the city is amazing, and it’s truly awesome to see—rain, shine, hail—there are always seats filled in the stadium. So big shoutout and thank you to them, because without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE

Saturday, June 7th
Tampa Bay Sun FC v Dallas Trinity FC, 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, June 8th
Carolina Ascent FC v Fort Lauderdale United FC, 7 p.m. ET

SEMIFINALS STORYLINES

PLAYOFF PICTURE
Dallas earned a playoff berth after winning 2-1 against Carolina last week, and Fort Lauderdale clinched the final postseason spot with a 1-1 draw against Spokane Zephyr.

GOLDEN AWARDS
The Golden Boot, Golden Playmaker and Golden Glove awards were announced on Sunday following the conclusion of the regular season. The awards were given to the players with the most goals, most assists and best goals-against average in the league.

Boot: Allie Thornton (DAL) – 13 goals

Playmaker: Jill Aguilera (CAR) – 7 assists

Glove: Meagan McClelland (CAR) – 0.97 GAA

MAY TEAM OF THE MONTH
The USL Super League announced the Team of the Month for May on Wednesday, with Tampa Bay Sun FC forward Cecilie Fløe earning Player of the Month and Tampa Bay Head Coach Denise Schilte-Brown named Coach of the Month.

View the full team here.

IRON WOMEN
Four players played every minute (2,520) of the regular season:

BKN: Allison Pantuso
CAR: Taylor Porter
DAL: Amber Brooks
SPK: Sarah Clark

EVEN MATCHUPS
In both semifinal matches, the teams have even records against each other. Carolina and Fort Lauderdale are both 2-2-0, with both teams earning one win at home and one on the road. Dallas and Tampa Bay are 1-1-2, drawing twice and each home team winning once.

CAROLINA’S COMPETITION
No. 1 Carolina has lost just six matches all season; twice to Tampa Bay, twice to Dallas, and twice to Fort Lauderdale, the three other teams in the playoffs.

SEMIFINALS DISCIPLINE REPORT

TAMPA, Fla. – There are no new suspensions to report.

LEAGUE LEADERS – REGULAR SEASON

GOALS:

Allie Thornton (DAL) – 13 goals
Mia Corbin (CAR) – 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