May 12, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – North Carolina Courage News Release
CARY, N.C. – The North Carolina Courage look to build momentum as they host the NWSL table leader, OL Reign, on Sunday, May 14, at 3:00 p.m. ET. The Mother’s Day matinee marks the second straight home match against the team currently leading the league. The match will stream on Paramount+ and tickets can be purchased online here.
The Courage have lost just once in their last five overall competitions (1W, 3D), including a thrilling 3-3 draw with Portland last Saturday in front of 7,070 fans at WakeMed Soccer Park. The offense came alive to score multiple goals for the first time this season, including the fastest goal in club history just :33 in. The crowd was also historic, marking the fifth largest regular season home crowd in club history and biggest since August of 2018.
The Courage currently sit in seventh place in the league but have plenty of reason for optimism. It’s fair to say they have played one of, if not the, toughest schedule in the league. Including Sunday’s matchup, the Courage will have faced each of the top five teams in the standings through seven games. The team in sixth, Angel City FC, comes to town next week.
The Courage lead the league in passing accuracy (78.2%), successful passes (2,139) and possession (57.6%) but their 39 shots are the fewest in the league. Converting that possession and ball control into dangerous opportunities is the next step for this young team. And they have shown improvement in recent weeks.
The young squad has shown stretches of high-quality soccer and head coach Sean Nahas has preached the importance of learning how to win. There is no replicator for experience in that regard, which this young team is gaining by the minute.
The Matchup
The Courage have won nine of the 14 all-time meetings with OL Reign (2D, 3L). The tide has turned lately, with the Courage beating OL just twice in six meetings since 2019 (3L, 1D). The Reign swept the season series in 2022, including a 1-2 win at WakeMed Soccer Park last September.
Eight of the nine wins have come in NWSL regular season play, which is one shy of the Courage highest against an individual opponent, having beat three teams nine times in regular season action.
Scouting OL Reign
The Reign are second in league play in goals (12) and assists (8) through six games. They are extremely efficient in their attack, scoring the dozen goals on just 54 shots. Six different players…