May 29, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – North Carolina Courage News Release
HOUSTON, TX – The North Carolina Courage earned their first point of the season on the road Sunday night, drawing 1-1 with the Houston Dash. The match featured goals by Diana Ordoñez, assisted by Emily Gray, to give the Courage the edge in the 24th minute, followed by Houston’s equalizer by Rachel Daly in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage.
“Something we wanted to focus on was getting our press right, so in that moment we had good pressure from Emily [Gray] and Jaelene [Daniels], and that’s eventually what got the ball out to my side,” Diana Ordoñez shared about her goal. “I took the extra touch to open up that space and have the window to score. It was a good feeling after, especially having so much family here. This is the first time many of them have seen me play in person and as a professional, so it was really rewarding.”
Diana Ordoñez put the Courage up early in the 24th minute, the scoring play initiated by a cross from Carson Pickett off the left flank. Inside the box, Emily Gray deflected the ball onto the feet of Ordoñez, who cut it across the Houston backline, and slid a shot past the diving attempt by Jane Campbell. This was Ordoñez’s first professional goal, which she scored in her home state in front of over 40 of her close friends and family members in attendance.
“I went up to Diana before the game and told her ‘just be free, enjoy yourself and don’t worry about errors,”’ Head Coach Sean Nahas said following the game. “So I was really happy for her. She did well on the goal to create space for herself. I felt like we couldn’t get her in the game as consistently as we liked but she’s young, there’s no doubt that she will continue to grow and progress.”
Rachel Daly equalized for Houston in the final moments of the first half, receiving a slotted ball in off her run, splitting the Courage defense and pushing a shot past Murphy to add a goal for the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at OurSports Central Women's Soccer News…