NWSL North Carolina Courage

North Carolina Courage Look for Second-Straight Win against Washington Spirit

Published on July 31, 2019 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release


Cary, NC - The North Carolina Courage will take on the Washington Spirit on Friday, August 2 for the second time this season. The Courage are currently in second place in the NWSL standings with a record of 7W-3L-4D. The Spirit are in fourth place, trailing the Courage by only four points.

Last time around, the NC Courage defeated the Washington Spirit 2-1 on the road. Debinha and Leah Pruitt scored the goals for the Courage before Crystal Thomas scored a late goal for the Spirit. The Courage took 18 shots during the match and forced Washington Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe to make five saves.

This season's breakout star, Kristen Hamilton, was unable to play against the Spirit in June due to an injury. The forward scored a hat trick against the Orlando Pride the week before the game against the Spirit and four goals against Houston Dash the following week. Hamilton will look to add to her goal total, which now sits at eight after scoring against Utah Royals FC last weekend. She has been named the Player of the Week three times this season and was recently named the NWSL Player of the Month for July.

In the most recent match, Hamilton scored the first goal in the Courage's 2-1 victory over Utah. Jessica McDonald scored the second goal in the match thanks to an assist by Hamilton. With the goal, McDonald has now scored a goal against every current and folded NWSL team, excluding the North Carolina Courage, for a total of 11 different teams. She also moved into the position of all-time leader in game-winning goals in the NWSL with 16.

The NC Courage versus the Washington Spirit is the first home match of many in the month of August. The Women's International Championship Cup comes to Sahlen's Stadium on August 15 and 18. The Courage will then return to NWSL action on Saturday, August 24 as they host Megan Rapinoe and Reign FC. Tickets to all matches can be purchased at nccourage.com.

Players to Watch:

North Carolina Courage- #15 Jaelene Hinkle

Hinkle has proven herself time and time again as a key component of the Courage's defensive line. She has played in 14 games this season, starting all 14 of them, for a total of 1,260 minutes. Hinkle will continue to look to keep up the defensive strength of the team moving into the match against Washington.

Washington Spirit- #33 Ashley Hatch

Hatch has played in 13 games this season, starting each of those matches, for 1,126 minutes. She was able to score the only goal of the game in the Spirit's last match against Sky Blue, giving them a victory. Hatch has scored four goals this season and has one assist.

Check out the North Carolina Courage Statistics

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 31, 2019


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