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NWSL North Carolina Courage

NC Courage Preview vs. Chicago Red Stars (August 27)

August 26, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release


CARY, N.C. - The North Carolina Courage return to WakeMed Soccer Park for their first home NWSL league contest in nearly two months as they host the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday, August 27, at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Courage look to continue their stellar play on their home field to snap a two-match skid in league action.

The Courage have been sensational on their home field for much of this season. They have not conceded in any competition at WakeMed Soccer Park since the 83' on May 6 against Portland. With seven straight clean sheets at home, the Courage are on a stretch of 637 total minutes and 457 regular season minutes without conceding at home entering Sunday and have outscored opponents 17-0 in that stretch.

Last week saw the return of team captain Denise O'Sullivan and goalkeeper Casey Murphy. This week, expect to see the other four World Cup participants back with some offensive reinforcements coming in the form of Brazilian Kerolin Nicoli and Danish forwards Mille Gejl and Rikke Madsen.

Emily Fox is also expected to return to her spot along one of the top back lines in the league. Add in the teenage phenom Manaka Matsukubo from Japan, who has been extremely impressive in training since arriving last week, and there will be a huge boost on the field for a team already in second place in the league table.

The Courage continue to dominate possession stats across the league, leading the way in passing accuracy (81.83), successful passes (6,697), and possession (59.6) while their eight clean sheets are also the most in the NWSL this season. The club's possession-focused style, predicated on connecting multiple passes and utilizing every player on the field, has been a banner success this season and made the team a ton of fun watch. The players commitment to learning and growing this brand of football is the biggest reason this young roster has massively outperformed the preseason expectations and predictions.

The Matchup

The Courage erupted for five goals, led by a Kerolin hat-trick, the first time the Courage and Red Stars met this season in a 5-0 victory at SeatGeek Stadium. The Courage are 4W-4D-6L lifetime in regular season meetings against Chicago but are unbeaten in four straight meetings, holding a +10 goal differential during the stretch.

Scouting Chicago

It's been a tough season for the Red Stars so far. Amid a myriad of off-field distractions and key injuries, the perennial playoff contenders find themselves at the bottom of the league table in 2023 with a 5W-10L-1D record and a -19-goal differential. But a pair of important wins in early July have Chicago in striking distance; just eight points out of a playoff position with six matches left in the regular season.

Ella Stevens has emerged as the focal point of the Red Stars' attack, scoring a team-high four goals while creating six big chances and providing an assist. The rookie duo from Penn State in Penelope Hocking and Ally Schlegel have combined for five goals while Division II National Champion turned fellow Big 10 alum, Ava Cook, has scored twice in her second pro season. Finding goals hasn't been the primary issue, despite missing Mallory Swanson for much of the season, but rather the 38 goals allowed, which are 12 more than the next-highest total by a club.

As crunch time hits, the Courage will look to continue their dominance at home and pick up crucial points in their shield race while Chicago is running out of time to make their run to salvage the season. With the league so tight and unpredictable all year long, the final six weeks will all feel like colossal meetings and every point will feel crucial. The home stretch for the Courage begins Sunday.

NC Courage vs Chicago Red Stars

Sunday, August 27, 2:00 p.m. ET

WakeMed Soccer Park | Cary, North Carolina

Coverage:

Live Stats (NWSL)

Broadcast: Paramount+ (Lisa Roman, Jordan Angeli)

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 26, 2023


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