September 16, 2024 – USL Super League (USLSL)
Spokane Zephyr FC News Release
Spokane Zephyr FC were held scoreless in a 2-0 loss against league leaders Carolina Ascent FC on Sunday night. Zephyr produced 18 shots throughout the match, with two on target.
“(Eighteen) shots is a lot, and if we can start to put more of those on frame, goals are gonna come,” McKenzie Wienert said. “So I think it’s just pushing for that.”
Both teams were aggressive throughout the match, with fouls and yellow cards occurring on both sides. Carolina tactically fouled Spokane numerous times to stop dangerous attacks.
Zephyr started strong, winning a corner in the third minute. Minutes later, Emina Ekić rattled the bar with a left-footed shot from the right side of the box.
Carolina began to settle in as the match progressed and produced two shots following Ekić’s miss. The breakthrough came in the 30th minute when Carolina’s Mia Korbin tucked her shot into the bottom right corner following a Spokane turnover in the defensive third. This was Spokane’s first time trailing in club history.
Zephyr responded well, creating a flurry of chances in the next 10 minutes with headers from Taryn Ries and Weinert barely missing the net.
Spokane had momentum toward the end of the first half, but Izzy Nino was forced to make an important save in the 42nd from a Carolina attacker. Zephyr could not keep Carolina out though, and a header from Syndey Struder off a corner in first-half stoppage time increased the lead to 2-0.
Zephyr came out strong to start the second half. An attack emerged in the 56th minute when Ries drove it down the left side of the pitch, but a Carolina defender fouled her to stop the attack.
Replicating the first half, Carolina settled in defensively and began to create on the attack. Sarah Clark was forced to make a goal-saving slide off a turnover with Nino out of position. Nino had to make two more saves in the following minutes, keeping Zephyr in the match.
Jodi Ülkekul had a big chance in the final seconds of the match but put the shot just over the bar. Carolina’s defense proved sturdy and persistent, as they held strong in the final 30 minutes to see out the win.
“It’s obviously disappointing to get our first loss of the season, but there are a lot of positives to take away from the match,” captain Sarah Clark said. “Our fight through the full 90 minutes was good, and that is something to carry forward into the next few matches.”
The match is the third in Zephyr’s history,…
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