Forward and New Signing Gianna Gourley scored an 83rd-minute equalizer on her Power FC Debut
| 2024/25 USLSL Regular Season DC Power Football Club (3-7-5) 3 vs. 3 Carolina Ascent FC (6-3-7) Sunday, Feb. 23 American Legion Memorial Stadium Charlotte, North Carolina Attendance: 2,477 |
Player Notes:
- Midfielder Katie Duong scored her first goal for Power FC when she converted a penalty kick in the 24th minute to make it 1-0.
- Midfielder Yuuka Kurosaki scored her first goal for Power FC in the 53rd minute to make it 2-1.
- Defender Susanna Fitch made her 15th consecutive start in blue and white, a team high.
- Academy midfielder Loretta Talbot made her professional debut as an 81st-minute substitute.
- Forward and new signing Gianna Gourley made her Power FC debut and scored her first goal for Power FC with an 83rd-minute equalizer.
Match Notes:
- Power FC is 0-2-1 against Carolina Ascent FC all-time.
- Power FC set the club record for goals scored in a match after scoring three against Carolina.
- Defender Susanna Fitch won the Agile Defensive Player of the Match.
- Following Sunday’s draw, Power FC has defeated or tied every other club in the league.
DC Power FC Post-game Quotes
Interim Head Coach Phil Nana
Thoughts on the match results…
“A point on the road against one of the best teams in the league, it’s not too shabby,” Nana said. “I thought we had moments that we didn’t play well, and we had moments that we did. It’s about going back, looking at the film and seeing what we need to address. Also, giving the girls their flowers on the things they did very well. Scoring three goals on the road isn’t easy on any level. We’re happy with that as a staff.”
Message to the team at the half…
“To have more composure, to believe in ourselves a bit more,” Nana said. “The message there was to calm down, we got this, and we have this where we can compete with these players in and out of possession. To get back to our game, play confident and the second half of the game we were able to come out there and do that.”
On Gianna Gourley’s performance in her debut with Power FC…
“Gianna was exceptional today,” Nana said. “She played out of position today, she’s a nine and we asked a lot out of her today and she did more than just deliver. She came in for her first game with the squad and she got a goal, the equalizer. We’re very happy with her performance and what she put out today.”
On the confidence boost from Power FC’s three-goal match…
“It boosts our confidence and our belief,” Nana said. “It boosts our belief in the game model, our game plan, tactics but most of all a belief in each other. Whenever a team fights back from being down a goal, it’s really because they pull together, find ways to solve problems together and face adversity together. We were able to do that twice. As I’ve said before, our goal is to get these girls to play for one another and today I thought we took a massive step forward in that direction.”
Forward Gianna Gourley
On the sequence that led to her 83rd-minute equalizer…
“I just got pushed forward up top and we were doing a great job pressing them and keeping them in their half,” Gourley said. “Their player played a bad ball back, I saw it, read the gap and just placed it in. Obviously, power to the defense because they made that possible.”
On what it meant to be able to step up and even the score in her Power FC debut…
“It felt amazing,” Gourley said. “It’s been a minute since I’ve gotten in the groove of things. To have the support of my teammates behind me. It was a special moment, and they made it special.”
On what to improve upon moving forward…
“There’s a lot of little details that we need to implement into the game,” Gourley said. “We did a good job of sticking together but with holding and keeping possession, there was a lot of back and forth and a lot of defending. We grinded it out, but that can be improved.”
| Power FC Lineup: Morgan Aquino, Anna Bagley, Susanna Fitch, Emily Colton, Katie Duong, Grace Yango (Leia Galliani 90 + 7′), Nicole Douglas (Loretta Talbot 81′), Gianna Gourley, Yuuka Kurosaki (Myra Konte 90 + 2′), Amber DiOrio (Valentina Perrotta 90 + 2′) and Madison Wolfbauer. Unused Substitutes: Adelaide Gay, Alexeis Kirnos and Madison Murnin. Head Coach: Phil Nana Carolina Ascent FC Lineup: Meagan McClelland, Vicky Bruce, Jill Aguilera, Mia Corbin, Rylee Baisden Addisyn Merrick, Taylor Porter, Audrey Harding (Jaydah Bedoya 90 + 2′), Jenna Butler, Riley Parker (Kathrynn González 79′) and Sarah Troccoli (Giovanna DeMarco 90 + 1′). Unused Substitutes: Samantha Leshnak, Josie Studer, Chloe Hylton and Ashlynn Serepca. Head Coach: Philip Poole |