Greenville caps season with narrow 2-0 loss as playoff hopes fade in finale
Asheville, NC (June 28, 2025)- The Greenville Liberty closed out its 2025 campaign Saturday night, falling 2-0 on the road to Asheville City SC in the regular season finale. Despite a five-match winning streak heading into the contest and controlling large portions of the match, the Liberty were officially eliminated from playoff contention with the result.
Greenville came out firing, dominating the opening ten minutes before Asheville struck against the run of play. In the 15th minute, a foul in the box led to a penalty kick for the home side, which Phoebe Hollin buried for what proved to be the match’s first goal. Asheville doubled their advantage in the 38th minute when Adrianna Rodriguez slipped a ball across the face of goal from the left flank, finding Lucia Flores at the back post. Flores calmly finished low under the onrushing Liberty keeper Emma Kirlin to make it 2-0 heading into the break.
The Liberty regrouped and came out strong again after halftime. In the 54th minute, Saige Peterson nearly equalized for the Liberty with a powerful shot that forced a diving save. Moments later, Asheville launched a wild sequence featuring multiple rebounds, two shots off the post, and a heroic save-and-clearance sequence by Kirlin to keep the deficit at two. Greenville’s attack stayed relentless until the final whistle. Payton Nutzman was denied on a blistering shot in the 83rd, and Carly Wilson’s effort in the 89th rattled the crossbar, inches from salvaging a dramatic finish. Despite Greenville’s valiant effort, the score sheet remained 2-0, Asheville.
The Liberty finished the 2025 season 7-4-1 in the South-Central Division—just shy of a postseason berth. Despite falling just short of postseason play, the Liberty’s five-match win streak in the second half of the season (a club record) sealed a second-place finish in the South Central Division and the club’s second-best season by win percentage.
