14-year-old Kelly Goodnow sparks Carolina Hogs upset in New York
Fourteen-year-old Kelly Goodnow stepped into a short-handed Carolina lineup and helped turn a rough run into an upset of the Palm Beach Royals.
Kelly Goodnow’s MLP New York debut gave the Carolina Hogs the spark they had been missing, and it came in the middle of a week when they badly needed one. Carolina had gone more than a month without a match win, arrived in New York short-handed because two rostered women were unavailable, and then turned to the approved UPA player pool for help.
Goodnow, who was 14 at the time, was brought up specifically for the event and made her MLP debut on Thursday as the Hogs faced the Palm Beach Royals. The lineup move carried no point penalty under league rules, and the substitute player is released after the event, which keeps rosters fluid across a packed Major League Pickleball weekend. Carolina got more than a stopgap, though. Goodnow helped the Hogs knock off the Royals in one of the day’s most striking results.
The upset landed with extra weight because Palm Beach arrived in New York fresh off a fourth-place finish at MLP St. Pete. MLP New York was part of the 2026 season, which began May 22 in Dallas and features 20 teams with 12 playoff spots. Group B in New York also included the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, Dallas Flash, Bay Area Breakers, and Florida Smash, so every result carried playoff pressure and made the standings feel immediate.
Goodnow’s rapid rise made the move look less like a patch job and more like a timely bet on a young player who was ready for the stage. She had built a strong junior record before turning pro in February 2026, and a later profile said her mother, Erin Goodnow, described her as someone who “shines on the court.” Carolina saw enough to bring her in for the event, and she responded in her first match on the MLP stage.
That is the kind of moment that keeps tournament weekends from going flat. A team that had been trudging through a rough stretch found a new gear, a 14-year-old fill-in seized the chance, and the whole tone of the event shifted with one lineup change. For Carolina, the upset over the Royals was more than a line in the standings. It was proof that momentum in pickleball can turn fast when the right player walks in and plays like she belongs.
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