As Utah Royals FC partially cleared a North Carolina Courage corner kick, the ball slowly rolled toward Merritt Mathias, who was positioned well beyond the 18-yard box. Although it was an audacious decision, the Courage right back decided to have a go at goal. It paid off. Full of velocity and steadily rising, Mathias’ effort ended up in the upper right-hand corner of the net, a goal that earned NWSL Goal of the Week honors and a spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays. But even before those accolades came about, Mathias could tell how good of a strike it was when she checked her phone upon entering the locker room after the game. “Oh my gosh, I walked into the locker room with so many messages,” Mathias said. “It was actually pretty cool.” The goal against Royals FC highlights what’s been an impressive start to the season for Mathias, who has excelled at right back in her first season with the Courage after being traded from Seattle Reign FC in January. Five games into the season, Mathias has started each contest and is a part of a back line that has kept three clean sheets. Offensively, she’s shown her versatility as a player, frequently venturing forward into the final third as a playmaker out on the right flank, a reminder that she also has experience playing in attacking positions. “She can do a lot of different things that you want your fullbacks to do,” Courage head coach Paul Riley said of Mathias. “A regular fullback who has always played fullback, I’m not so sure they could do those things, but she can do them. She’s been a revelation for us, to be honest with you.” Currently in her sixth season professionally, Mathias started her NWSL career with FC Kansas City before spending the past three seasons with Seattle, a stint that included an appearance in the 2015 NWSL Championship. But the Birmingham, Ala., native said she felt that her time was reaching its “end point” and was excited when she was traded to the Courage, a move that reunited her with Riley, who coached her with the New York Fury of the Women’s Premier Soccer League Elite in 2012. “I was like ‘Yes, I am so pumped. I am so ready to start something new and play under Paul again,’” Mathias said. “I know he’s going to push me to be the best that I can absolutely be.”

As an opposing player, Mathias thought the Courage were tough to play against. On the flip side, she said the Courage are fun to play with, especially because of Riley’s tactics, which rely on the fullbacks getting far up the field to join in on the attack and also pressure the ball. “I love the system,” Mathias said. “It’s a hard system to play in, especially as a fullback. You have to be really fit, you have to be really willing to get up the field. You’re expected to make consistent 120s and get your job done on both the offensive and defensive side. But within that, it’s really fun to play. It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun.” Admittedly, Riley said the Courage “gambled” on Mathias being able to play right back full-time, as they looked for a replacement for Taylor Smith, who was traded to the Washington Spirit during the offseason.

Up to this point, however, Mathias has “proved us right,” Riley said, noting how she has improved her defensive positioning and ability as one-on-one defender. Skills aside, Mathias has also been able to assimilate and fit right in with a tight-knit Courage team, according to team captain and fellow defender Abby Erceg. “We don’t have a lot of egos, regardless of where people come from – if they’re international team or if they’ve got caps with the American team or they’ve gone to Olympics,” Erceg said. “I think everyone fits in quite nicely. Credit to the team, we make it easy for her. But also credit to her for fitting in and joining with the team.” One month into the season, it’s been an ideal start to Mathias’ Courage career. Now, she’s eager to see what the rest of the year has in store. “It’s been a lot of fun,” Mathias said. “I have absolutely loved the first five games here and look forward to the rest of the season.”