Match Info:
North Carolina Courage vs Portland Thorns
Wednesday, September 11– 10:30 p.m.
Providence Park
**Watch: YahooSports, WRAL-2
Cary, NC (September 9, 2019)-**The North Carolina Courage and the Portland Thorns will face off on Wednesday, September 11 at 10:30 p.m. in Providence Park. This is the second consecutive match between the two teams that has been a battle between the top two teams in the NWSL. After a 2-1 win against Sky Blue FC, the Courage sit two points behind the Thorns with two games in hand.
The matchup between the NC Courage and the Portland Thorns has been a notoriously competitive one, with the two teams meeting in the past two NWSL Championship games. Overall, the Courage are 5W-1D-3L against the Thorns since 2017.
In the last meeting between the two teams, the Courage fell 2-1 after two own-goals despite having 11 shots on goal. Crystal Dunn scored the first goal of the game in the 4th minute.
Dunn also scored in the Courage’s most recent game against Sky Blue FC. Kristen Hamilton penetrated the defense and slipped a ball through to Dunn, who easily sent the ball into the lower corner of the net. The goal was Dunn’s sixth of the season and the assist was Hamilton’s fourth of the season.
The Thorns’ last match was against Utah Royals FC on Friday, September 6, where they fell, 1-0. Becky Sauerbrunn scored the lone goal in the aggressive match. The match ended a three-game win streak for Portland.
The Courage will look to extend their two-game undefeated streak and move into first place in the NWSL as they play their second game in five days.
Up Next: The North Carolina Courage return home on Saturday, September 14 as they host the Orlando Pride at 7:00 p.m. on Breast Cancer Awareness Night, presented by Aetna. There will be a postgame ceremony celebrating the career of Heather O’Reilly.
Players to Watch:
North Carolina Courage- #19 Crystal Dunn
Dunn has reverted to her scoring ways following her stint as a defender for the USWNT during the World Cup. Dunn has scored two goals and provided one assist in the last three games. She has a total of six goals and two assists in 2019.
Portland Thorns- #24 Adrianna Franch
Franch always plays well against the NC Courage, making 10 saves the last time the two teams met. Her next highest save count in a game came on July 20 against the Utah Royals when she had five saves. She has played 10 games this season and has three clean sheets.
