A last-minute goal couldn’t save the Sun from playoff elimination as Tampa Bay saw its postseason hopes slip away after a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Ascent at home on Saturday night.
With elimination scenarios looming coming into the match, the defending USL Super League champions needed a win, and some help from Brooklyn FC, to stay alive. Instead, a late surge from Carolina and an added time penalty sealed the Sun’s fate.
“It’s a terrible feeling,” captain Jordyn Listro said. “We came into this season wanting to do it all over again, and honestly, I kept feeling like there would be a moment where we’d just take off and go on a run. It just never happened.”
Fans showed up for the celebration of Pride Night, donning rainbow cowboy hats emblazoned with the Sun logo. The atmosphere was electric, but the breakthrough never came — at least not for Tampa Bay (4-12-9).
After a tightly-contested match for the first 80 minutes, Carolina (13-7-6) scored in the 84th minute when Jenna Butler found the back of the net.
Tampa Bay answered almost immediately, with Shea Connors scoring in her debut with the Sun, setting the teams equal at 1-all on a goal that gave hope back to the fans.
“It felt really incredible to finally score a goal with the girls. It’s been great being here the last few weeks, and it was really great to make an impact,” Connors said. “It really felt like it was gonna change the momentum.”
In the 93rd minute, Carolina, which has secured a postseason spot, was awarded a penalty and converted, reclaiming the lead and securing the 2–1 victory over the reigning champs.
“I didn’t think it was a PK,” head coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “I feel like we hit the ball first. It’s just one of those seasons where sometimes it feels like that and it’s tough because I feel bad for the ladies and the fans.”
“There’s been a lot of moments that have been frustrating, tonight being one of them, but sometimes when a lot of those moments add up, it can be the story of your season unfortunately,” she continued.
Despite the loss, Connors reflected on her joining the team in a positive light.
“It’s such a cohesive group. We have an incredible culture. Jordyn’s been an incredible leader, her leadership every day showing up, having that attitude that she still believes in the group and going to support them no matter what happens is huge,” she said.
The Sun have three regular-season games remaining, including their home finale May 9 against Dallas.