by Fran Stuchbury
June 24, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage
North Carolina Courage with possession against the Chicago Red Stars
(North Carolina Courage, Credit: Fran Stuchbury)
The North Carolina Courage defeated the Chicago Red Stars 3-1 in front of 5,256 fans at WakeMed Soccer Park Sunday evening. With the victory, the Courage remain undefeated at home at 6-0-1, placing them sixth in the NWSL standings at 6-7-1. North Carolina is also unbeaten in six straight regular-season meetings with the Red Stars.
“It feels good to win again, I can tell you that,” said Courage Head Coach Sean Nahas. “I thought it was an inconsistent first half; we talked to the team about that. We were just getting stuck on one side and we’ve made it difficult for us to get out, and predictable. Everybody was fantastic in the second half. We told the team that the players that we bring on are going to change the game, and the starters did their job going down, one-nothing. We responded really well and a really good team performance, especially after a little bit of a tough stretch. Those types of growing pains are what you need to continue to improve. So overall, really, really happy and proud of the group for how they responded and the performance that they put on from the middle of the first half to the second half.”
Chicago scored the first goal in the 12th minute by forward Mallory Swanson, her fifth of the season and the second time she has scored in back-to-back games. Swanson played for the Washington Spirit from 2017 until 2019. On January 16, 2020 she was traded to Sky Blue FC for four draft picks. On December 29th the Red Stars dealt three first-round picks in the next two NWSL drafts and an international roster spot for the next two years to Sky Blue FC in exchange for Mallory Pugh and Sarah Killion Woldmoe.
The Courage tied the game in the 16th minute on goal by Tyler Lussi, her fourth of the season.
“Definitely a really good feeling; it was a great team win tonight,” Lussi said. “Obviously a great response after they got an early goal leading into half. Then we reset and then refocused. We came back out in the second half and we just took off.”
The Courage took the lead at 2-1 in the 51st minute on a score by forward Ashley Sanchez, her second goal of the season.
“It was a wonderful strike. I was right behind it, and as soon as she hit it I looked I said, ‘Goal,’ and it wasn’t even near the goal yet,” said Nahas. “It was just in…