This article was first published in the Tampa Bay Times on March 16.
By Ella Zinken
TAMPA— After opening the USL Super League spring season with four straight ties, the Sun were hungry for a win Saturday night, and it was apparent in their performance.
Tampa Bay turned up the intensity as if it had something to prove, not only to its opponent but to itself, in a 1-0 victory over Carolina at Riverfront Stadium.
Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown said the Sun talked in the locker room before the game about the mental fortitude it would take to play a full 90 minutes and earn a win.
“I think our team just had the right mentality,” Schilte-Brown said. “We’ve been showing that we have resilience and that we have this strong passion to succeed, but a lot of the times it was coming after we were getting scored on.”
That changed Saturday.
In just the 14th minute, forward Natasha Flint took advantage of a Carolina mistake in the box and scored to make it 1-0. The goal, into the right corner of the net, was her fifth of the season.
“The key thing (Saturday) was being aggressive,” Flint said, “and the goal came from that aggression.”
Following Flint’s goal, the Sun played lockdown defense, shutting out the Ascent.
“It’s a huge testament to our team and to our culture that we sat there and we buckled down,” goalkeeper Ashley Orkus said. “We did what we do.”
But it wasn’t just Orkus responsible for the defensive stand. The Sun had a “super great performance from the back line,” the goalkeeper said. “They’re fantastic. They make my job super easy.”
Schilte-Brown called the game a pivotal moment in the season for the Sun. With the playoffs looming and the standings tightening, it was important for the team to get a win.
The victory kept the Sun (6-4-8) in fifth place, one point behind fourth-place Dallas. The top four teams at the end of the full season (which ends in late May) will make the playoffs.
“It was a moment to rise,” Schilte-Brown said. “We have a process and we’re, like, sticking with it. We’re gonna believe in one another and continue to build culture all on and off the pitch of a winning mentality, and I think we’re gonna do that.”
The Sun’s belief in their process helped the team stay focused even when it wasn’t getting the desired results, Schilte-Brown said.
After hard-fought draws against Fort Lauderdale (twice), Dallas and Brooklyn, Saturday’s win felt like the culmination of their hard work and determination finally paying off.
“Sometimes you have to struggle before it feels really good to win,” Schilte-Brown said, “and it felt good (Saturday).”
Tampa Bay Sun up next
vs. Spokane, 7 Wednesday, Riverfront Stadium, Tampa
Streaming: Peacock
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Thumbnail Image Caption: The Tampa Bay Sun celebrate their 1-0 win over the Carolina Ascent Saturday night at Riverfront Stadium in downtown Tampa. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]