North Carolina Courage Fall for First Time in 330 Days
Two NWSL Cup contenders played for bragging rights as well as rankings and in their first match of the 2019 season surprised many ….
May 12, 2019, may go down in history — it was the first time in 330 days that the North Carolina Courage lost.
In today’s competitive world of soccer, it is surprising and celebrated when a team has a 5 game winning streak let alone back to back championships. And, coached by Paul Riley, the North Carolina Courage accomplished victory after victory for 330 days.
Then, their undefeated streak was snapped, losing 3-1 to the Chicago Red Stars. Chicago’s
The loss is the NC Courage’s first loss since June 16, 2018, against the Utah Royals.
Lynn Williams scored the Courage’s only goal with an assist from Merritt Mathias.
Katelyn Rowland and Cari Roccaro earned their first start of the 2019 season for the NC Courage in the match.
[Starting XI] Welcome back @rowland_katelyn. One hour away from kick off in Chicago.#NoFinishLine | #CHIvNC pic.twitter.com/twBR5AAj37
— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) May 12, 2019
Brief Recap: The first chance of the match came in the 8th minute when Kristen Hamilton led an NC Courage counter-attack after a Chicago corner kick. She played a through ball at midfield to Debinha who streaked forward before firing a shot that was saved by Chicago goalkeeper, Emily Boyd.
We are sure the players were suprised by the outcome, after all, winning had become a regular part of suiting up … but losing can make a team even stronger and more determined than ever.
On the Chicago Red Star’s Side:
Chicago’s Sam Kerr scored first in the match. Kerr scored in the 13th minute from close range after the ball bounced off of Courage goalkeeper, Katelyn Rowland. This was the second win of the season for Chicago, jumping the team to third in NWSL standings.
Related News: Sam Kerr wins NWSL Player of the Week
Long live the international connection.@Yuki_Ogimi ⏩ @samkerr1 #MKOT pic.twitter.com/h5hVr3wnLF
— Chicago Red Stars (@chiredstarsPR) May 12, 2019
NC Courage Game Highlights:
- Lynn Williams scored her third goal of the season and is tied for the second most goals in the league.
- Crystal Dunn remains atop of the NWSL leaderboard with four goals on the season, despite missing the last two games while on international duty.
- Merritt Mathias earned her first assist of the season.
With #NoFinishLine as their hashtag, NC Courage is a team built of resilience and talent. Coached by a leader in the soccer world who is surpassed more challenges than most, Riley’s squad will know how to bounce back in style.
After all, every other team loses, and obviously more often than NC Courage.
Box Score:
CHI (4-4-2): Emily Boyd; Casey Short, Katie Naughton, Sarah Gorden, Arin Wright; Nikki Stanton, Danielle Colaprico, Vanessa DiBernardo ©, Michele Vasconcelos (Maria Sanchez, 65’); Yuki Nagasato, Sam Kerr
Subs not used: Brook Elby, Hannah Davison, Kayla Sharples, Jenna Szczesny, Zoey Goralski, AJ Jahansouz
NCC (4-4-2 Box): Katelyn Rowland; Jaelene Hinkle, Abby Erceg ©, Cari Roccaro, Merritt Mathias; McCall Zerboni, Denise O’Sullivan, Kristen Hamilton (Ryan Williams, 76′), Debinha; Lynn Williams, Julia Spetsmark (Leah Pruitt, 58’)
Subs not used: Sam Leshnak, Elizabeth Eddy, Heather O’Reilly, Kaleigh Kurtz, Meredith Speck
