June 11, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – North Carolina Courage News Release
CARY, NC – The North Carolina Courage round out their three-game road swing with a clash against the reigning NWSL Champion Washington Spirit on Saturday, June 11, at 7 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast on Paramount+ and Twitch (internationally), and will be shown live locally on WRAL Sports+. A link to the prematch press conference can be found here.
Head Coach Sean Nahas did not travel with the team due to COVID protocols. Assistant Coach Nathan Thackeray will direct the team on Saturday.
Last Time Out: The North Carolina Courage earned their first win of the 2022 regular season last Saturday night, topping Racing Louisville FC 3-0. The victory also marked the first clean sheet of the season for Courage keeper Casey Murphy, and featured goals from Kaleigh Kurtz, Diana Ordoñez and Debinha.
Defender Kaleigh Kurtz opened the scoring on the night, netting her first professional regular-season goal in just the fourth minute of action. Then, in the final seconds of first-half added time, Courage rookie Diana Ordoñez netted her second goal in as many games with a header off a cross from Merritt Mathias. Ordoñez scored her first professional, regular-season goal in the Courage’s last game, a 1-1 draw at the Houston Dash, becoming the youngest goal-scorer in North Carolina Courage history.
Casey Murphy, a standout in net on both the club and international level, earned her first clean sheet of 2022 with three saves and a clearance to boot. The keeper looks to break her personal and league record (shared with AD Franch of the Kansas City Current) of 11 clean sheets on the season.
Where to Watch: Paramount+, Twitch (internationally), WRAL Sports+ (locally)
Players to Watch Presented by JubliaRX.com
North Carolina Courage – #3 Kaleigh Kurtz
Courage defender Kaleigh Kurtz netted her first career professional/NWSL regular-season goal in last Saturday’s 3-0 victory at Racing Louisville FC, kicking off the scoring not even four minutes into the match. One of just two players to have logged all 450 minutes played this season, Kurtz has recorded 16 clearances, six blocks, nine interceptions and an 82.2% passes success rate through five games.
Washington Spirit – #3 Sam Staab
Spirit defender Sam Staab scored her first goal of the regular season with a header off a set piece from Andi Sullivan, sending the ball in from the right side of the six yard box to the center of the…