
Angel City Football Club's Match Preview and Game Notes Ahead of Road Match against North Carolina Courage
October 11, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release
Angel City's last game was a 1-0 win on the road against Seattle Reign FC on Friday, October 4. Defender M.A. Vignola scored the game's single goal in the 34th minute.
North Carolina's most recent result was a 2-1 win at home against the San Diego Wave on Saturday, October 5. Forwards Manaka Matsukubo and Aline Gomes both scored for the Courage.
Angel City last faced North Carolina at home on April 21, a meeting that ended in a 2-1 win. ACFC is 3-1-1 (W-L-D) all-time against the Courage.
North Carolina are currently in fifth place in the league with a 12-9-2 record; Angel City have a 7-12-4 record but sit in 11th place with 22 points due to a three-point deduction the club received for a salary cap infraction.
ACFC are still in the playoff race and cannot be eliminated with a win in North Carolina. A draw or a loss could knock them out of contention, depending on how Portland, Bay, and Louisville- all ahead of LA in the standings- fare this weekend.
Scouting Report
Since these two teams last met, there's been one important change for North Carolina: forward Kerolin, the team's leading scorer and league MVP in 2023, has returned following an ACL tear she suffered late last season. The Brazil international has one goal in her 128 minutes back on the pitch, having scored in her team's 3-1 win against Chicago on September 29.
In Kerolin's absence, the Courage hadn't been leaning heavily on any single player production-wise, but have nonetheless found plenty of ways to score; forward Ashley Sanchez is the team's top scorer, with five on the season, but an impressive 17 different players have gotten on the board, with ten of them having notched just a single goal.
Sanchez has also shown her value as a creator, having assisted on four of North Carolina's goals as well as tallying 37 chances created, the ninth-most league-wide.
For the Record Books
With her assist on M.A. Vignola's goal last week, forward Alyssa Thompson jumped four players to move into second place in the league for most assists on the season, with seven. Only Washington's Croix Bethune, who recorded 10 before she was ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury, has more; 10 also happens to be a tie for the all-time single-season record, set by Portland's Tobin Heath in 2016.
On the opposite end of the pitch, defender Madison Curry leads the team in tackles by a wide margin, with 42. That puts her in a three-way tie with Houston's Sophie Schmidt and North Carolina's Narumi Miura for third-most tackles in the league. The Courage have one other player, Ryan Williams, in the top three for tackles, with 50 on the season.
• Discuss this story on the National Women's Soccer League message board...
National Women's Soccer League Stories from October 11, 2024
- Angel City Football Club's Match Preview and Game Notes Ahead of Road Match against North Carolina Courage - Angel City FC
- Portland Thorns Midfielder Olivia Wade-Katoa Placed on Season Ending Injury List - Portland Thorns FC
- Kansas City Current Make First-Ever Visit to Bay FC with History at Stake - Kansas City Current
- Bay FC Signs Catherine Paulson for Remainder of 2024 NWSL Season - Bay FC
- Preview: Chicago Red Stars vs. New Jersey/New York Gotham FC - Chicago Stars FC
- Houston Dash Sign Midfielder Zoe Matthews as the Youngest Player in Team History - Houston Dash
- Bay FC to Donate $25,000 to Local Women Entrepreneurs as "Goals for Grants" Powered by PNC Milestone Is Achieved - Bay FC
- What to Watch for as the Orlando Pride Take on the Portland Thorns on the Road - Orlando Pride
- Watch Orlando Pride at Portland Thorns on Prime Video - Orlando Pride
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Angel City FC Stories
- Angel City Football Club Earns First Win of the 2025 NWSL Regular Season to Remain Unbeaten Through First Three Matches
- ACFC Forward Claire Emslie and Interim Head Coach Sam Laity Discuss Preparation Ahead of Match against Seattle Reign FC
- Angel City Football Club Signs Brazilian Midfielder Maiara Niehues to Three Year Deal
- Angel City Football Club Draws 1-1 Against the Portland Thorns in First Road Match of the 2025 Season
- ACFC Midfielder Kennedy Fuller and Interim Head Coach Sam Laity Discuss Preparation Ahead of First Road Match of the 2025 NWSL Regular Season against Portland Thorns FC

