Courage Fall Short at Angel City, 2-1
Published on April 30, 2022 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release
LOS ANGELES, CA - The North Carolina Courage fell 2-1 to Angel City FC on the road Friday night in their first match of the regular season. Vanessa Gilles and Jun Endo tallied a goal apiece for Angel City, while Debinha added the lone goal for the Courage. 2022 NWSL Draft pick Emily Gray recorded the assist, also collecting her first appearance in the Courage starting lineup in tonight's contest.
"I thought we did a good job of feeding off [the energy in the stadium]," said Courage Head Coach Sean Nahas following the match. "Once that first goal gets in, we're chasing the game now, and when you're playing in this type of environment, it's difficult. But I thought we responded well in the second half, we got an early one and I felt the game tipped on its head a little bit...we had momentum, but we could never muster up that second opportunity [to score]. We had a few good chances - Didi made a great save on Emily in the first half, and Kerolin hit the crossbar. We had some really good moments and then moments where we let them out a little bit. If anything, we'll learn from this. Having the first loss of the season knocks you down a little bit, but that knockdown allows for you to get back on your feet, move forward, and grow."
Angel City opened the scoring in Friday night's match, as Jun Endo fed a cross into the North Carolina box. On the receiving end of Endo's cross was Vanessa Gilles, who headed home Angel City's first goal of the regular season to give the home side a 1-0 advantage in the third minute of play. Later, in the 13th minute, Endo added a goal of her own to double Angel City's lead. The 2-0 scoreline held as the half expired, though the remainder of the half saw several scoring chances from Gray and Kerolin Nicoli.
Just six minutes into the second half, the Courage were able to edge into Angel City's lead, the scoring play beginning as Taylor Smith threaded a pass to Gray in the attacking third. Cutting the ball to her left foot, the midfielder lofted a cross into the Angel City box, finding the head of Debinha for a diving header to get the Courage on the board. The goal marks the Brazilian international's fifth in as many games, with Gray adding her first professional assist in her first professional start.
"I was excited to get the start tonight," Gray said. "I couldn't ask for a better atmosphere to be able to do that, and it was nice to get my first assist, it came at a good time. In the first half, there was a[n opportunity for a] similar ball [to my assist]. I think Kerolin was actually the one making the run, it might have been Debinha, I'm not sure, but I took a little too long to play it and it was cleared out. This time, I saw [Debinha] peeling off the centerback's shoulder, and just wanted to get to her as quickly as possible. She timed the run perfectly and it was a great finish for her."
Though the North Carolina side collected 12 shots - four of which were on target - throughout the match, the squad was unable to find an equalizer as the final minutes ticked away. The Courage will look to return to the win column once again as they compete against the Kansas City Current in the Challenge Cup semifinal next Wednesday.
Up Next: The North Carolina Courage will travel to face the Kansas City Current in the semifinal round of the NWSL Challenge Cup on Wednesday, May 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, KS. The match will stream live on Paramount+.
Match Notes:
Emily Gray recorded her first professional start and her first professional assist in tonight's contest.
Debinha scored her fifth goal in as many games, maintaining her streak.
The Courage maintained 61% possession in tonight's match.
Box Score:
NC (4-3-3): Katelyn Rowland, Jaelene Daniels, Abby Erceg, Kaleigh Kurtz, Merritt Mathias, Denise O'Sullivan, Emily Gray (Jorian Baucom - 77'), Malia Berkely (Brianna Pinto - 89'), Taylor Smith (Diana Ordoñez - 76'), Debinha, Kerolin Nicoli
Subs Not Used: Ryan Williams, Meredith Speck, Tess Boade, Rylee Baisden, Marisa Bova
LA (4-3-3): Didi Haraĉić, Jasmyne Spencer, Megan Reid, Vanessa Gilles, Ali Riley, Savannah McCaskill, Dani Weatherholt, Cari Roccaro, Tyler Lussi (Madison Hammond - 82'), Jun Endo, Christen Press
Subs Not Used: Brittany Isenhour, Simone Charley, Stefany Ferrer Van Ginkel, Maia Perez, Allyson Swaby, Hope Breslin, Lily Nabet, Miriael Taylor
Score:
NC: 1
LA: 2
Goals:
NC: Debinha - 51'
LA: Vanessa Gilles - 3', Jun Endo - 13'
Cautions:
NC: Emily Gray - 33', Jorian Baucom - 85', Kerolin Nicoli - 89'
LA: -
Ejections:
NC: -
LA: -
National Women's Soccer League Stories from April 30, 2022
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- Kansas City Current Fall to Portland Thorns - Kansas City Current
- Houston Open Regular Season against San Diego Wave FC - Houston Dash
- Thorns FC Open 2022 NWSL Regular Season at Home against Kansas City Current - Portland Thorns FC
- Orlando Pride Open Regular Season against Gotham FC on Sunday - Orlando Pride
- Former Houston Dash Midfielder Brittany Bock Returns for City of Soccer Weekend - Houston Dash
- Houston Open Regular Season Play against San Diego Wave FC - Houston Dash
- Angel City Football Club Secures First-Ever Win in Front of Sold out Crowd - Angel City FC
- Courage Fall Short at Angel City, 2-1 - North Carolina Courage
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