The men of Asheville fell short of a championship berth on Sunday night, losing 1-0 to the Seacoast United Phantoms in the USL2 national semifinals in Newport News. Despite dominating possession and generating 12 shots, the Blues simply could not find the back of the net.

Ahead of the matchup, Coach Scott Wells switched the formation to a 3-5-2 to allow for Naz Astwood and Michael Rempel to make more runs in behind. Rempel was especially dangerous on the left side, putting in several excellent crosses and nearly scoring on back to back attacks. 

In the first half, Asheville struggled to convert several pinpoint crosses into goals, while Seacoast excelled in aerial defense. 

The first real chance of the match arrived in the 23rd minute from a Simon Carlson corner. The captain delivered a beautifully floated cross that was cleared but then recovered by Sebastian Tregarthen, who struck an outside-of-the-boot shot on the bounce, missing the crossbar by mere inches.

In the 30th minute, Carlson whipped in another cross, this time to Rempel at the back post. The Paraguayan timed his run perfectly and managed to tap a shot across goal, missing just wide. 

12 minutes later, Tregarthen, who was threatening all half, took on his defender 1v1, pulling him outside and in and sending him to the ground. Asheville’s leading goalscorer proceeded to sneak a shot near post, prompting Tobias Jahn to make an important save. 

In the 43rd minute, Rempel placed a cross precisely on Reid-Stephen’s head from a corner. The Barbados International succeeded in heading the ball past the keeper, but Charles Strine made an outstanding goal-line clearance to keep the game level. At halftime, the score remained at 0-0. 

In the second half, the Blues increased their urgency, pushing forward with greater numbers and creating several great opportunities. Five minutes in, Charlie Harper found himself alone in the Seacoast half and unleashed a powerful, low strike towards the bottom right corner. However, Jahn fully extended to make another impressive save.

In the 59th minute, the Phantoms executed another goal-line clearance to deny Asheville from taking the lead. Weaving in-and-out of defenders, Reid-Stephen launched a dipping cross towards the back post, connecting with Rempel, who then snuck a shot towards the right corner. Cooper Nunn managed to stick his leg out and block the strike to prevent what would’ve been the opening goal. 

Although they lacked the advantage in possession and chances created, Seacoast United miraculously took the lead in the 70th minute with a close-range strike from Sio Nishikawa. In the buildup to the goal, Taig Healy mishit a shot on the edge of the box, which fell to the unmarked Strine in front of goal. After Strine’s shot was saved by Johnny Mennell, Nishikawa pounced on the rebound and toe-poked the ball in to put the Phantoms ahead.

After the goal, the momentum completely flipped to Seacoast United, as the Blues began to play more direct to their attackers in hopes of equalizing. Reid-Stephen nearly equalized just 8 minutes after the goal, blasting forward with pace and hitting an outstanding strike from distance, forcing another great save. 

In the dying moments, Asheville had one final opportunity to tie the score. Dylan Kropp pulled off a last-minute cross, which grazed off Tregarthen’s head and fell to Rempel, who tried to turn and curl a strike into the top corner, but blasted it over. Moments later, the final whistle blew and just like that, the Blues’ incredible season was over. 

“Well from a football perspective tactically we were brilliant. We dominated the game for 70 minutes but unfortunately in playoff football it comes down to small margins and we were on the wrong end tonight. Full credit to Seacoast to defend like they did. My responsibility is to leave Asheville in a better place every season, and this year we went two better. Thank you to my staff for their tireless work and to the South Slope Blues for believing in this team. Always a Blue,” said Wells following the defeat. 

It was an amazing season for the men of Asheville, who made history by winning the Eastern Conference for the first time. From dominant performances at Greenwood Field to electric playoff games at Buncombe County Sports Park, the Blues delivered thrilling results, no matter where the match was played. Asheville City Soccer Club could not have achieved this without the relentless support of the fans, who stood by the team through thick and thin. Next season will be even more special.