April 27, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – North Carolina Courage News Release
HOUSTON – The North Carolina Courage wrap up a three-game road trip as they visit the Houston Dash on Friday, April 28, for an 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT kickoff from Shell Energy Stadium. The match will stream live on Paramount+ and social media channels @TheNCCourage will provide live updates and insights before, during and after the match.
The Courage are looking to snap a three-game regular season losing streak after a clean sheet win in the season opener. A narrow home loss, on a controversial second-half penalty, to the Washington Spirit preceded a long travel week. The team started in Orlando for UKG NWSL Challenge Cup play then went up to North Jersey to resume regular season action. Denise O’Sullivan scored in the 90+9′ to salvage a draw in Orlando despite a dominant stat sheet, then a two-hour lightning delay amid a rainy night saw a late 1-0 loss to Gotham FC.
One of the youngest rosters in the league, which has seen seven players make NWSL debuts this season, has had several early tests and lessons. The progress has certainly been noteworthy with possession and passing among the best in the league. Learning a new style with a new roster is no easy task and requires patience from players, coaches and staff. As this team looks to find the finishing touches and learn from some early mistakes, the foundation being laid is proving solid and, mixing this with outstanding chemistry and comradery, should lead to positive results down the road.
The Matchup
The Courage are 8W-4L-2D against Houston in all lifetime competitions, going 0-1-1 last season. In 2022, the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Houston before a 4-3 Dash win in Cary. While the Courage hold the lifetime advantage, the recent history favors Houston. The Courage have not beaten Houston in a regular season matchup since September 17, 2019, although they did pick up a win in the 2020 Fall Series. The last Courage win in Houston came on July 5, 2019 (5-2).
Scouting Houston
The Dash played under the same east coast storm cell as the Courage last Saturday, playing to scoreless draw with the Spirit under a driving rain at Audi Field. Houston is one of three clubs yet to lose a regular season match in 2023 with three draws and a win. They opened the season with a home draw against Louisville and have yet to play another home regular season match until this coming Friday.
They earned a draw at Portland,…