Story by Shawn Payne | Photos by Daniel Sperling
Match Date: August 15, 2026 | Audi Field, Washington, D.C. | Gainbridge Super League
WASHINGTON, D.C. — DC Power FC opened its 2026 Gainbridge Super League Fall Season at Audi Field on Saturday night, controlling significant stretches of the match but ultimately falling 1–0 to Carolina Ascent FC.
Carolina applied the early pressure, forcing Power goalkeeper Katherine Cappelletti into action inside the opening two minutes when Rylee Baisden tested her with a right-footed effort.
DC quickly settled into the match and began dictating more of the play. Power held the advantage in possession and shots through much of the opening half, but turning that control into a goal proved more difficult.
The breakthrough instead came for Carolina in the 35th minute.
Addisyn Merrick delivered the ball into the area, where Mia Corbin connected with a header that found its way inside the post. The finish gave Carolina a 1–0 advantage and marked Corbin’s 18th goal for the club.
It was a frustrating turn for a Power side that had enjoyed much of the ball. Carolina made its opportunity count and carried the one-goal advantage into halftime.
DC returned from the break with greater urgency.
Power immediately began searching for a way back into the match, with Tatum Thomason producing an early second-half opportunity that forced Carolina goalkeeper Sydney Martinez into a save.
The pressure continued as DC pushed numbers forward and tried to break through a Carolina defense increasingly focused on protecting its advantage.
Carolina remained dangerous on the counter. Mackenzie George and Audrey Coleman both managed to get behind the Power back line, while Cappelletti denied Emily Morris from close range to keep DC within striking distance.
That save became increasingly important as the match entered its final stages.
Power continued to press, and in the 82nd minute it appeared the persistence had finally paid off when DC put the ball into the net.
The celebration was short-lived.
The goal was ruled offside, leaving Carolina’s 1–0 advantage intact and DC with little time remaining to find another opportunity.
Power refused to let the match go quietly. Another dangerous chance arrived in the 87th minute, but Martinez again responded as Carolina held firm under the late pressure.
By the final whistle, Martinez had recorded six saves and a clean sheet, while Corbin’s first-half header remained the only goal separating the two sides.
For DC Power, the result was a difficult ending to a performance in which the home side controlled long stretches and repeatedly threatened to pull level. The difference ultimately came down to Carolina converting one of its first-half opportunities and defending that advantage through an increasingly determined Power attack.
The 1–0 result gives Carolina Ascent its first victory of the Fall campaign, while DC Power leaves its opener without a point but with a performance that showed considerably more than the final score alone.
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Daniel Sperling Photography
