CARY, N.C. (June 30, 2023) — As the calendar turns to July, The North Carolina Courage enter the dog days of summer on a hot streak. Winners of three straight league matches, and unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 overall competitions, the Courage find themselves in second place in the league and leading their Challenge Cup division.
This run, which has taken much of the outside world by surprise, began on a stormy night in Houston, Texas back on April 28, when a lightning-shortened 1-0 win over the Dash ignited a whirlwind run. Now, more than two months later, the Courage host those same Dash on Saturday, July 1, for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Courage will wear special Pride kits, with the game-worn jerseys to be auctioned off for LGBTQIA+ charities. Pride Night will begin with a festival featuring LGBTQIA+ and ally-owned businesses and organizations, performers, and entertainers from the LGBTQIA+ community beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Pride themes will continue throughout the night, culminating in a post-game fireworks display. The Courage defending has been among the best in the NWSL this season, leading the league with seven clean sheets and allowing the second-fewest goals (11). Riding three straight clean sheets, the Courage have not conceded in 352 minutes (since the 8’ of their game in Kansas City), the longest streak in the league this season (and counting). Opponents have taken 145 shots, second fewest in the league (Gotham – 127) and the 44 shots on target are the fewest in the NWSL, six less than Portland. A big reason teams can’t shoot is they don’t have the ball. The Courage continue to lead the league in both possession (59.4%) and passing accuracy (81.43%), continuing their historic pace. Three big pieces of the defense are missing this week, as full back Emily Fox and keeper Casey Murphy prepare to represent the United States and defensive midfielder – and team captain – Denise O’Sullivan suits up for Ireland at the World Cup. In total, six of the Courage top 12 players in minutes this season are on international duty, with Kerolin Nicoli representing Brazil and Rikke Madsen and Mille Gejl competing for spots on the final Danish roster. The depth of this roster, which has been a calling card of the team’s mindset all season, will be put to the test over the next six weeks.
The Matchup
The Courage are 9W-4L-2D lifetime across all competitions against Houston. The Courage earned a lightning-shortened 1-0 win at Shell Energy Stadium earlier this season. Tyler Lussi scored her first goal for the Courage in that match before the skies halted play in the 56’ and play never resumed. Saturday pits two top defenses against one another as the teams combine for 13 clean sheets this season and have conceded a combined 21 goals.
Scouting the Dash
Houston is unbeaten in four straight league matches, playing to a draw in each of their last three – two of which have been scoreless – after a pair of clean sheet wins over Kansas City and Orlando. The only goal conceded by the Dash in their last five league matches was a Lynn Williams penalty kick in a 1-1 draw with Gotham.
Maria Sanchez leads the way with three goals and a pair of assists while Diana Ordóñez has a pair of goals in her first season with the Dash. Jane Campbell has started every match in goal, making 44 saves at 81.5% with six clean sheets.
