Carolina Ascent brings professional women's sports back to Charlotte in USL Super League's inaugural match tomorrow with DC Power - Three players to watch from each team

By Tyler Trent

Photo credit Cisco's Art

Professional women's sports officially return to Charlotte tomorrow, August 17, when Carolina Ascent kicks off the inaugural USL Super League season against DC Power. The Super League is a new Division 1 league that will follow an August to May schedule with a winter break that many European leagues follow.

With a new team comes a host of new players to learn about. Carolina Ascent currently has signed 26 players to its inaugural roster. While there will be names familiar to fans of women's soccer in the Carolinas, there are many emerging young stars and veterans who have been playing internationally that people may not know.

Here are some players to watch for tomorrow night in the inaugural match.

Carolina Ascent

Photo credit Portland Thorns

Taylor Porter was a member of the NC State soccer team from 2015 to 2018 before joining Orlando Pride in 2019. After a successful time in playing abroad in Serbia and Spain, Porter joined Portland Thorns spending three seasons with the club before becoming one of Carolina Ascent’s first players. Porter will serve as the Captain of Carolina Ascent and provide a force in midfield to lead the team to success.

Photo credit Cisco's Art

Giovanna DeMarco excelled at Wake Forest in college and served as team captain for her last three seasons. The midfielder will be a reliable presence for her teammates, along with Porter in the middle of the pitch. DeMarco was drafted to San Diego Wave FC in the NWSL prior to joining Carolina Ascent.

Photo credit Brisbane Roar

Rylee Baisden is a player with ties to North Carolina, playing for the NC Courage across three seasons from 2020 to 2022. Baisden made a name for herself in Australia playing for Moreton Bay United of National Premier Leagues Queensland, where she scored goals in bunches, catching the eye of Brisbane Roar in top division A-League play. After continuing to impress, Baisden made the previously mentioned move to Courage before heading back to Australia, scoring 5 goals in 7 appearances before an ACL injury ended her season. Prior to joining Carolina Ascent, Baisden spent time training with the North Carolina Courage in its preseason in February.

Photo credit Brisbane Roar

Surprise, I included a fourth Carolina Ascent player. Mia Corbin joined Carolina Ascent from the previously mentioned Brisbane Roar, where she scored 8 goals in 22 games. Corbin spent four years with the Cal Golden Bears prior to making a name for herself in Costa Rica with Alajuelense. After her success, Corbin moved to Parma in Italy before joining Brisbane Roar. Corbin will likely be relied on as a scoring force along with Baisden.

DC Power

Jorian Baucom may be one of those names familiar to those following women’s soccer in the Carolinas. Baucom spent time with the North Carolina Courage before returning to play overseas. Prior to joining DC Power, Baucom scored 25 goals in 32 goals for Hibernian in the Scottish Women’s Premier League 1 and brought home the Golden Boot last season.

Mariah Lee played for NCAA powerhouse Stanford until 2017 before playing her final college season in North Carolina at Wake Forest in 2018. Since then, Lee has played across Europe for clubs like Lugano, Celtic, Nordsjaelland, Sporting de Huelva, and Adelaide United. Lee provides an intelligent attacking force capable of beating opponents with speed and technical ability out wide or by leading the attack when needed.

Phoebe Canoles gave up her remaining year of college eligibility to go pro with DC Power after spending her previous time at Towson University, where she scored 21 goals and provided 24 assists in 71 games. Canoles is an under-the-radar pick who could surprise the league in its debut season if DC Power is able to get running early.

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Choosing just six, uhh, seven players was difficult, given the quality of players throughout the league. Both rosters are filled with women who will bring an exciting game to Charlotte in a match trending toward a sell-out. Come hang out with the Carolinas community and the TopBin90 crew tomorrow night at American Legion Memorial Stadium and help welcome its newest professional club, Carolina Ascent FC.