The Carolina Ascent FC set a new professional women’s soccer club single-game attendance record in the Carolinas with 10,553 fans in their first game / Photo by Jason Benavides
SPORTS BUSINESS
Sept. 4. By Dave Yochum. The women investors behind Empower HER Fund—25 percent owners of Carolina Ascent—include a nationally known executive in the world of banking and finance from Cornelius.
Maryann Bruce, who has lived in Cornelius since 1999, is the managing member of Empower and a former senior Wachovia executive as well as a director of Amalgamated Bank, an $8.3 billion New York financial institution.
Bruce, who survived the US Airways Flight 1549 Miracle on the Hudson plane landing on Jan. 15, 2009, has appeared on US Banker’s “25 Most Powerful Women in Banking” list.
“We are thrilled to become founding investors in the team and look forward to our meaningful contribution to the growth and success of Carolina Ascent FC for many years to come,” said Bruce.
Maryann Bruce
Other women investors in addition to Bruce include Margot Brinley, Elizabeth A Fleming, Lucia Zapata Griffith, Kimberly Katherine Lewis, Robin Milo Mermans, Valerie Mitchener, Katie Morgan, Molly Shaw, Andrea Smith and Jordana Snider.
The Ascent is the first women’s professional team in Charlotte home since the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA folded in 2007. It’s one of eight clubs in the newly formed United Soccer League Super League.
The Carolina Ascent Football Club earned the USL Super League’s first-ever win with a 1-0 victory over DC Power Football Club on Saturday evening at American Legion Memorial Stadium in front of a sold out crowd.
Bruce’s daughter Vicky, a defensive player, scored the point.
Vicky Bruce
“Vicky and her teammates work so hard every day, and to see her get the first goal in the history of the franchise and USL Super League was beyond our wildest dreams,” Bruce said.
She and husband Ronald Bruce and 50 friends and family attended the game in a sold-out stadium. Their next match is on Saturday, Aug. 31, in Brooklyn, the next home match is on Friday, Sept. 6. On Sept. 15 son Alexander, who lives in Seattle, will attend a match in Seattle.
Vicky Bruce, who is the team’s co-captain, played professional soccer abroad for seven years in Australia and Europe. In 2020, she was inducted into the inaugural Cannon High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
“I’ve played professionally overseas for over seven years, but it’s always been my dream to play at the highest level in the U.S.,” the 30-year-old commented. “Now, not only do I get to realize that dream in the U.S., I get to do it right here in my hometown.”
Serepca
Also on the team is Ashlynn Serepca, 24, a Hough star from Cornelius who went on to the University of Alabama soccer program. She finished her time with the Crimson Tide ranked fourth all-time in career game-winning goals and capped off her final year as an SEC Regular Season Champion and NCAA Semifinalist before playing professionally in Austria for FC Pinzgau Saalfelden.
Next match: Friday, Sept. 6 7:30 pm vs.Fort Lauderdale United FC at American Legion Memorial Stadium
