Being there for this one in person made it even more frustrating. The chances were there. The players are there. But something just isn't clicking yet for this group, and a 1-0 home loss to Carolina Ascent — the team they beat in the championship final just three and a half months ago — dropped them to 1-2-0 on the young Fall season. It wasn't for lack of trying. Lex Sporting actually led Carolina in shots on target 5-2 and posted 1.65 expected goals on the night, which means the quality of chances was real. The first two best looks came inside the opening 25 minutes, with McKenzie Weinert and Addie McCain both unable to convert. McCain had another golden opportunity in the 71st minute, but Carolina's keeper pulled off a remarkable double save, denying McCain and then Ally Brown on the follow-up — two chances worth nearly a combined 0.89 xG snuffed out in a single sequence. Carolina's press was causing problems all night in Lex Sporting's midfield, creating turnovers and disrupting the kind of flowing, connected play that made last season's team so hard to deal with. Then came the 88th minute. Emily Morris put a corner kick into the box and Jenna Butler got up highest to head it home. That was all Carolina needed. One set piece, one goal, three points on the road for the visitors. Ryan Campbell had no chance on the header and Lex Sporting couldn't find an equalizer in the two minutes that remained. Watching this team through three games now, it's hard not to wonder what's different. Most of the championship roster is back, but the cohesion that made last season so special just isn't there yet. The movement off the ball, the pressing, the way chances used to flow naturally — it feels disjointed right now. Maybe it's early season rust, maybe it's the new additions still finding their feet in the system. Whatever it is, the coaching staff needs to figure it out quickly. The next match is on the road at Sporting Jacksonville on September 20th, and the Fall season is already starting to feel like it's slipping away.