NWSL North Carolina Courage

Courage to Face Thorns in Opening Game of the 2020 Challenge Cup

Published on June 25, 2020 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release


Herriman, Utah - In the highly anticipated return of NWSL soccer, the North Carolina Courage will face Portland Thorns FC in the preliminary round of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah on Saturday, June 27 at 12:30 p.m. EST.

Saturday's game between the NC Courage and Portland Thorns FC will be the opening match of the Challenge Cup and will air nationally on CBS, making it the first time professional women's club soccer will be seen live on a national broadcast network in the United States.

In the last meeting between the two teams, the NC Courage recorded a dominating 6-0 victory over Portland Thorns FC, with Lynn Williams notching her second career hat trick in the 68th minute and Debinha, Crystal Dunn, and Kristen Hamilton logging a goal apiece to tie the record for the highest number of goals in a single game in Courage history.

The Courage finished out last season with a 4-0 championship victory over the Chicago Red Stars, boasting an impressive 15-4-5 record. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the match against the Red Stars would be the last game that the Courage played for exactly eight months.

Prior to the Challenge Cup, the NWSL has witnessed a preseason like no other in the wake of COVID-19. Preseason matches and training were halted abruptly until early May when the NWSL announced that individual training would be permitted for all clubs. Finally, on May 30, full training sessions with virus testing were given the green light. Needless to say, returning to the pitch for the Challenge Cup has been a long time coming for the Courage.

Each of the eight teams competing in the Challenge Cup will play four games in the preliminary round. During the preliminaries, the Courage will see competition from Portland Thorns FC, the Washington Spirit, the Chicago Red Stars, and Sky Blue FC. Due to the Orlando Pride's withdrawal from the tournament, all eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals, which are set to be played on July 17 and 18.

Up Next:

The NC Courage will play the Washington Spirit on Wednesday, July 1 at 10 p.m. EST to continue the preliminary round of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup.

Players to Watch Presented by Aetna:

North Carolina Courage - #9 Lynn Williams

After logging a hat trick in her last performance against the Thorns and finishing last season as one of the league's top scorers, fans can expect Williams to be dominant on offense in Saturday's match.

Portland Thorns FC - #12 Christine Sinclair

Sinclair has proven to be a force to be reckoned with on offense, playing in 17 games for the Thorns and scoring a career-best nine goals last season. Playing at forward, Sinclair will look to challenge the Courage defense in Saturday's game.

Check out the North Carolina Courage Statistics

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