Only one minute of stoppage was awarded following the first 45 minutes of play, and that was enough time to see Carolina strike first. Mia Corbin uncorked from outside the box to put the visitors on the board.
It took nearly half an hour, but Lexington responded in the 72’ minute. On a darting run down the right flank, Catherine Barry managed to drive a pass across the face of the goal. The delivery connected with McKenzie Weinert, who calmly finished for her 11th goal of the campaign.
Ninety minutes were not enough to separate the two sides, and when extra time kicked in, LSC ran away with the match.
Regan Steigleder, who was named the 2026 Gainbridge Super League Final MVP, bagged the go-ahead score for Lexington — her first of the season — when a set-piece delivery found the center-back at the back post in the 90+6’ minute.
The dagger came just eight minutes later when a breakaway up the heart of the pitch resulted in Addie McCain converting a one-on-one chance vs. the Carolina keeper. The goal put her into double-digits for the season.
A sellout crowd at Lexington SC Stadium erupted in unison with the final whistle as the LSC women completed not only a worst-to-first turnaround, but etched themselves in the record books as league champions.
