Match Preview: Courage vs. OL Reign
Match Info:
North Carolina Courage vs. OL Reign
Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET WakeMed Soccer Park | Cary, NC
Broadcast: Paramount+, Twitch (international)
Promotion/Theme: Bark at the Park
CARY, NC (Sept. 16, 2022) – Four matches remain in the NWSL regular season and seven points separate the top seven teams as a pivotal matchup for playoff positioning wraps up ****the North Carolina Courage’s homestand on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET against OL Reign.
The Courage (7-7-4, 25 points) enter Saturday’s matchup in eighth place while OL Reign (7-4-7, 28 points) sit in the sixth and final playoff position. Both teams are hitting their stride at the right time. The Courage are winners of five of their last six matches, including three straight and four consecutive on their home field. OL Reign, meanwhile, has gotten a result in nine of their last 11 matches and have secured seven points across their last three road matches.
Last Time Out: The Courage overcame a slow start to put together a dominant second half in a 1-0 win over Angel City Wednesday (Sept. 14) night at WakeMed Soccer Park. Kerolin Nicoli scored the lone goal off an assist from Debinha in the 54th minute. The Courage outshot Angel City 22-8 with a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. Casey Murphy made three saves to lead the Courage to their second clean sheet in three matches.
Notables:
- Kerolin Nicoli has scored in three straight matches with five goals in that span. She now sits eighth in the NWSL with six goals for the season.
- The Courage have allowed one goal in their last three matches with a pair of clean sheets, matching their clean sheet total from the 15 matches prior to this stretch.
- North Carolina Courage is tied for the NWSL lead in total goals (39) and goals-per-game (2.23), while holding the outright lead in total assists (29). The Courage have scored in ten consecutive matches, the longest active streak in the NWSL.
- NCC is 9-2-2 all-time against OL Reign. Courage dropped the first meeting of the season, 2-0, to snap a five-match unbeaten streak against OL Reign that dated back to 2019. The Courage are 6-0 lifetime against OL Reign at WakeMed Soccer Park.
Players to Watch Presented by JubliaRX.com
North Carolina Courage — #3 Kaleigh Kurtz
Courage center back Kaleigh Kurtz has been instrumental in the recent defensive lockdown. She has blocked 25 shots this season and intercepted 14 passes while winning 59% of duels to keep attackers out of scoring position. She’s also been extremely efficient in starting the build out of the back with an 83.5% pass success rate and even proven she can finish an attack with three goals this season. The ‘Iron Woman’ of the Courage has played every minute this season and is a staple in Sean Nahas’ lineup.
OL Reign – #16 Rose Lavelle
OL Reign midfielder Rose Lavelle continues to impress on both the international and club levels. A true two-way player, The 27-year-old has scored four goals and dished an assist with a passing accuracy of 81% while holding a tackle success rate of 62.5% and intercepting 20 passes this season in the NWSL. The Cincinnati, OH, native did not play in the first meeting of the season between these two clubs.
Up Next: The North Carolina Courage hit the road for a midweek match on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET when they travel to take on the Orlando Pride at Exploria Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on Paramount+ and Twitch.
