Asheville City SC wins second straight division title, reaches playoffs again

Lauryn Mateo scored twice Sunday night and Asheville City SC beat Birmingham Legion WFC 2-1 to clinch its second straight South Central Division title. The result sent Asheville into the USL W League playoffs for a third consecutive season and kept Greenwood Field on the UNC Asheville campus at the center of one of Buncombe County’s steadiest sports success stories.

Asheville took control early at home. Phoebe Hollin sent a long-range shot toward goal in the eighth minute, Brooklyn Vann made the initial save for Birmingham, and Mateo finished the rebound for the first goal. That opening strike forced Birmingham to chase the match, and Asheville nearly added a second before halftime before settling into a defensive posture that protected the lead through the rest of the night.

Mateo’s second goal provided the winning margin and capped the kind of night that has helped make Asheville City SC a recognizable local brand far beyond a single spring schedule. The Blues’ title locked in another postseason trip before the playoffs even began, a small but important distinction in a league where the regular season decides who moves on automatically.

The USL W League, launched in 2022 as a pre-professional women’s soccer league, has grown into a 96-team competition spread across 16 divisions in 2026. The top team in each division earns an automatic place in the 16-team playoff field, and the final is scheduled for the weekend of July 17-19. Asheville’s title means the club will keep playing into that bracket, giving local supporters another chance to see playoff soccer close to home.

That continuity matters in Asheville, where the club has built its case with results as much as visibility. Asheville City SC’s roster page lists both Mateo and Hollin on the 2026 squad, and the club says Greenwood Field is its home venue on the UNC Asheville campus. The team’s site also says season tickets for 2026 are available, a sign that the club is still pushing to turn on-field success into steady match-day support.

The June 29 title also fits into a larger run. Asheville City SC’s official recap says the Women in Blue reached the USL W League national semifinals in 2025 after an undefeated 11-0-1 season, and Asheville’s 2025 women finished that regular season with a Pride Night win over Greenville Liberty. The latest division crown extends that stretch and gives Buncombe County another sports story built on continuity, not a one-night spike.