CHARLOTTE, NC. (September 5, 2026) – Fort Lauderdale United FC (1-2-0, 3 PTS) dropped its matchup with Carolina Ascent FC (3-1-0, 9 PTS) on Saturday evening at American Legion Memorial Stadium. With the result, Fort Lauderdale has fallen for the second time this season but will have a chance to get back in the win column in next weekend’s Florida Derby in Tampa Bay.
Fort Lauderdale United will continue its two-match road trip, returning to action on Saturday, September 12 against Tampa Bay Sun FC in the first Florida Derby of the 2026 campaign. With Fort Lauderdale looking to earn points in the rivalry matchup and Tampa Bay set to host its home opener, next Saturday’s meeting will be one to watch in Florida.
Fort Lauderdale was trailing early on after Carolina found the back of the net in the 10th minute, putting the club on the back foot early. The club responded by going on the attack for the remainder of the first half, with Kiara Locklear and Farrah Walters wreaking havoc down the left side with chances in the 12th, 14th and 16th minutes, respectively. After Locklear was fouled just outside the box in the 17th minute, Kelsey Oyler stepped up and fired a left-footed free kick that was saved by the Carolina keeper. After a handball inside the box, Carolina doubled its advantage from the penalty spot in the 29th minute.
Five minutes later, Fort Lauderdale nearly cut the deficit in half after a perfect through ball from Kelli Van Treeck found Locklear inside the box, but her effort narrowly missed the far post. Nicole Vernis put a shot on frame in the 37th minute that was saved before Carolina struck on the counterattack to extend its lead to three. Locklear nearly found the back of the net again in the 40th minute with a sharp near-post effort, but it was saved as the clubs went into halftime with Fort Lauderdale trailing 3-0.
Fort Lauderdale opened the second half with a pair of impressive defensive plays, with Haley Craig and Maggie Mace making goal-line saves in the 48th and 53rd minutes, respectively. Tyrone Mears made his first changes of the match in the 58th minute, bringing Emily Thompson and Molly McDougal on for Grace Cutler and Ella Simpson. More changes followed in the 72nd and 84th minutes, with Abi Hugh, Shea Moyer and Taylor Smith entering for Oyler, Van Treeck and Walters. Hugh found Sh’nia Gordon with a dangerous cross in the best chance of the second half in the 86th minute, but the effort was saved as Fort Lauderdale fell 0-3 in Saturday’s road clash.
Scoring Summary
CAR: Aguilera, 10’
CAR: Corbin, 30’
CAR: Coleman, 38’
Back in Action
Fort Lauderdale will continue its road trip next weekend, heading back to the Sunshine State to take on Tampa Bay Sun FC in a rivalry match on Saturday, September 12. You can watch the match HERE.
Get Your Tickets
Fort Lauderdale United FC returns home on Friday, September 18 when it hosts Dallas Trinity FC in a high-stakes matchup at Amerant Bank Field. Click HERE to get your tickets! Stay tuned and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with all things FTL UTD on Instagram, X(Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook.
