North Carolina Courage 1–2 OL Reign
Cary, NC— The North Carolina Courage took the early lead, but goals from Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe gave visiting OL Reign their first win at WakeMed Soccer Park and, more crucially, three big points in the playoff race.
North Carolina couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game. Kerolin Nicoli and Debinha were up to their usual tricks, giving the Reign defense all it could handle in the opening minutes. But it was Ryan Williams who figured into the opening goal for the Courage. Her attempted pass across the goalmouth was deflected into the net by defender Alana Cook, putting North Carolina on top just six minutes into the game.
It only took OL Reign five minutes to answer. Rapinoe belted a shot from a hard angle that Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy parried away. But the rebound ended up at the left foot of Lavelle who did not miss from eight yards out.
The Courage kept pressing the Reign in the final third with defenders Carson Pickett and Kaleigh Kurtz even contributing some dangerous chances. But Phallon Tullis-Joyce had a strong night between the pipes for the visitors.
After a Denise O’Sullivan foul in the 25th minute, Rapinoe lined up to take the direct free kick. The veteran blasted the free kick low and hard splitting Kerolin and Debinha in the wall and skipping on the ground past Murphy to give OL Reign the lead less than 30 minutes into the match.
.@MPinoe with an ?????????? effort to go in front! ?#NCvRGN | @OLReign pic.twitter.com/B5OmFDDshu
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 18, 2022
That would be it for the scoring on the night, but not for lack of effort from the Courage. Even on tired legs, they continued to press for the equalizer throughout the second half.
The task got more difficult when Kerolin was fouled by Jimena Lopez around the 60th minute and needed attention from the medical staff. The sensational Brazilian striker tried to return to the match but was down again moments later and had to make way for Jaelene Daniels in the 64th minute.
Courage Head Coach Sean Nahas brought in Danish forward Rikke Madsen in the 72nd minute, giving his team a much-needed energy boost.
“I think Rikke’s gonna be good,” he said in his post game press conference. “When we signed her we heard that she’s just a ball of energy and works her tail off and someone that we were gonna love. She’s also a good footballer.”
Madsen and Carson Pickett teamed up late in the game to generate some chaos in front of Tullis-Joyce, with Pickett getting two close-in chances and Madsen’s attempt from the middle of the box getting blocked out.
Despite the late-game pressure and tired bodies, the Courage couldn’t bag the tying goal and OL Reign walked away with all three points.
“A bit unfortunate,” said Nahas after the game. “I’m proud of the group—third game in less than a week. I thought we performed well, gave ourselves chances. Just couldn’t find the second one.
So, what does it mean for the playoffs? Going into Saturday night’s game, the Courage were three points behind the Reign in the standings with both teams battling to move into a playoff position. By the time the dust settled on the matches Saturday evening, OL Reign moved into 5th place with their win combined with Chicago’s loss to Houston.
The Courage didn’t lose any ground, remaining in 8th place. While they’re mathematically still in the hunt, they’ll need points from their three remaining games to have a chance at post-season play.
Courage Ironwoman Kaleigh Kurtz: North Carolina center back Kaleigh Kurtz has played every minute for the Courage in the 2022 regular season.
When asked in the pre-match press conference about the keys to longevity in a drawn-out season, she gave a lot of credit to Mike Young, the team’s Head Performance Coach. “Mike Young…is one of the most knowledgeable sports and conditioning people in the entire world, so we’re incredibly lucky to have him. But he’s been really great about managing players, managing minutes when we’re here training, and just making sure that we fill in our wellness every single morning to see where our bodies are at.
Kurtz also pointed out the impact of the focus on health and wellness in the CBA in ensuring that players are holistically cared for throughout the season, as well as individually doing what is necessary to be ready to play. “It’s just however much you can do, you do it. If you’re spending seven hours a day recovering and two hours a day training, it’s what you’ve got to do. So, this is our ‘nine-to-five’.”
Final Notes
• OL Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey was absent from the sideline Saturday night after testing positive for COVID-19. Assistant coach Sam Laity assumed head coaching duties for the evening.
• Rikke Madsen made her debut for the Courage, subbing on for Fuka in the 72nd minute.
• Next up for North Carolina is a visit to Orlando to take on the Pride on Wednesday, September 21. They return to WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, September 24 to face Gotham FC in their final home game of the regular season.
Lineups:
North Carolina Courage: C. Murphy, C. Pickett, A. Erceg©, K. Kurtz R. Williams; B. Pinto (M. Speck 82’), D. O’Sullivan, Fuka (R. Madsen 72’), Debinha; Kerolin (J. Daniels 64’), D. Ordóñez (M. Mathias 82’)
OL Reign: P. Tullis-Joyce; S. Huerta, Alana Cook, S. Hiatt, J.Lopez (P. McClernon); N. Stanton (Quinn 71’), O. Van der Jagt, R. Lavelle; B. Balcer (V. Latsko 72’), J. Huitema, M. Rapinoe© (T. King 90+4’)
Score:
North Carolina Courage: 1
OL Reign: 2
Goals:
North Carolina Courage: Own Goal 6’
OL Reign: R. Lavelle (unassisted) 11’; M. Rapinoe (unassisted) 26’
Discipline:
North Carolina Courage: D. O’Sullivan (YC) 45+2’
OL Reign: V. Latsko (YC) 83’; P. McClernon (YC) 90+1’
Attendance: 6,398
