August 24, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – North Carolina Courage News Release
CARY, NC – The North Carolina Courage will face the Portland Thorns in their third consecutive match at home on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased here and the match will be broadcast live on Paramount+ and Twitch.
Wednesday’s match is the rescheduled contest that was originally North Carolina’s 2022 Regular-Season Home Opener, which was moved to facilitate the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Final at WakeMed Soccer Park. The last meeting between the Thorns and Courage came on August 5, and ended in a 3-3 draw at Providence Park in Portland, OR.
Last Time Out: The North Carolina Courage dominated in a 4-0 win against the Chicago Red Stars last Saturday. The second regular-season meeting between the teams saw the first start, goal, and assist by recent signee Fuka, as well as the first career goal for Rylee Baisden. Casey Murphy also earned her second clean sheet of the season. Rookie-of-the-Year contender Diana Ordóñez also contributed to the team’s dominant offensive showing, scoring her third brace of the season.
Ordóñez started off strong with a header in the 10th minute off of a corner kick from Carson Pickett. In the 64th minute, Pickett once again sent a corner kick sailing into the box, which eventually found the feet of Courage newcomer Fuka, making the score 2-0. Ten minutes later, in the 74th minute, Ordóñez scored her second goal of the match off a close-range pass from Fuka. Finally, in the 89th minute, Rylee Baisden connected off an assist from Kerolin Nicoli to make the final score 4-0.
Where to Watch: Paramount+, Twitch (internationally)
Players to Watch Presented by JubliaRX.com
North Carolina Courage – #9 Kerolin Nicoli
Courage forward Kerolin Nicoli has wowed with her high-level footwork and playmaking, but the numbers speak for themselves. Kerolin has a goal and two assists thus far and has logged 12 key passes, and a 75.1% pass success rate.
Portland Thorns – #22 Morgan Weaver
Portland Thorns forward Morgan Weaver has been clutch for the Thorns all season, but most recently sealed Portland’s 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit, scoring the game-winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time.
Up Next: The North Carolina Courage hit the road again to take on the Kansas City Current on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed live on Twitch Global.
• Discuss this story on the National Women’s Soccer…