April 21, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release
LOS ANGELES – Angel City Football Club (ACFC) beat the North Carolina Courage 2-1 at home tonight on the strength of a brace by forward Claire Emslie. Courage forward Tyler Lussi notched the lone goal for the Courage in front of a sold out crowd at BMO Stadium.
The early part of the game was relatively uneventful, with the Courage holding onto the majority of possession while Angel City maintained their shape, keeping the visitors out of the center of the pitch. The game started to open up around the 15th minute, with Courage forward Ashley Sanchez getting a look in the 17th minute that she sent wide.
But it was Angel City who got on the board first, in the 22nd minute. After receiving a through ball by midfielder Rocky Rodríguez, forward Alyssa Thompson was fouled by a North Carolina defender just outside the 18 yard box. Emslie stepped up to take the resulting free kick, which she curled over the Courage wall and inside the right post. Goalkeeper Casey Murphy correctly dove to her left, but had little chance of stopping the curving shot.
Another excellent goal by Emslie doubled the lead for Angel City in the 54th minute. The sequence began with midfielder Lily Nabet tapping a short forward pass to Thompson in midfield, who found a pinpoint through ball into the path of Emslie’s run. Emslie beat the two remaining defenders and sent a chip arching over Murphy’s head and into the back of the net.
The Courage pulled one back in the 73rd minute. A free kick by defender Feli Rauch fell to the far side of the six yard box, where forward Tyler Lussi one-timed it into the back of the net from point-blank range.
The home team came within inches of a third goal in the 78th minute when Thompson blocked an errant goal kick by Murphy, heading it down into the run of forward Messiah Bright. As Thompson sprinted into the box, Bright sent a diagonal pass back to Thompson, whose shot went just wide of the right post.
North Carolina had a near-miss of their own in the 83rd minute when forward Ashley Sanchez dribbled into the box from the right wing to put an angled left-footed attempt on target- but goalkeeper DiDi Haračić jumped to claim the shot.
ACFC put on a gritty defensive performance over 10 minutes of added time to keep the ball out of the back of the opposing net and hang onto the lead.
This match marked defender Sarah Gorden’s 100th NWSL career appearance, as well as the 100th start…