NWSL National Women's Soccer League

North Carolina Courage Win 2018 NWSL Shield

Published on August 5, 2018 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) News Release


CHICAGO - The North Carolina Courage claimed the 2018 NWSL Shield with a 2-1 victory over the Portland Thorns FC on Sunday night at Sahlen's Stadium in Cary, N.C. It marks the second time in league history that a club has won the Shield in back-to-back seasons since the Seattle Reign FC accomplished the feat in 2014 and 2015.

North Carolina forward Lynn Williams scored in the 37th and 45th minutes to give her side a 2-0 advantage heading into halftime. In the second half, the Thorns responded as midfielder Lindsey Horan pulled one back in the 49th minute off a free kick served in by Tobin Heath. However, it would prove to not be enough as the Courage held on for the 2-1 win.

With four games remaining on the season, the Courage now possess a 15-1-4 record (49 points) and are within striking distance of matching or exceeding the best all-time single-season record in NWSL history which was set by the Seattle Reign FC (16-2-6, 54 points) in 2014.

The 2018 campaign will also be remembered for the club's 12-game unbeaten run to start the season - tying the Portland Thorns FC (2016) for the second-longest streak in NWSL history.

North Carolina have posted an 8-2-0 record on the road and a 7-2-1 mark at Sahlen's Stadium in Cary, N.C. The eight away wins are three more than any other team has managed this year, while their seven home victories also top the league.

The Courage have been clinical on offense scoring 43 goals in 20 games, including recording two or more goals in a match 12 times this season and posting a 13-1-0 record in games that they have scored the first goal.

Lynn Williams (10 goals, 4 assists), Crystal Dunn (7 goals, 5 assists), Jessica McDonald (6 goals, 5 assists), Debinha (6 goals, 2 assists), Samantha Mewis (3 goals, 2 assists), McCall Zerboni (3 goals, 1 assist) and Kristen Hamilton (2 goals, 4 assists) have all played a crucial role in what has been a dominant season thus far illustrated by the team's league-leading plus 28 goal difference.

Meanwhile, the Courage have been equally impressive on the other side of the ball featuring one of the best defenses in the league this season. Led by goalkeepers Katelyn Rowland and Sabrina D'Angelo and a backline of Merritt Mathias, Abby Dahlkemper, Abby Erceg and Jaelene Hinkle the club has registered a league-leading nine shutouts.

NWSL Shield Winners:

2013: Western New York Flash (10-4-8, 38 points)

2014: Seattle Reign FC (16-2-6, 54 points)

2015: Seattle Reign FC (13-3-4, 43 points)

2016: Portland Thorns FC (12-3-5, 41 points)

2017: North Carolina Courage (16-7-1, 49 points)

2018: North Carolina Courage (15-1-4, 49 points) *

* = Courage have four games remaining in the 2018 season.

North Carolina will once again attempt to become the first NWSL Shield winners to also claim the NWSL Championship. The top four teams will meet in the semifinals with the winners facing off in the championship.

Tickets to the 2018 NWSL Championship match are on sale by calling (888) 736-6849 or online at www.thornsfc.com . The match, which will determine the sixth champion of the NWSL, will be held at Providence Park in Portland, Ore on Saturday, September 22 at 4:30 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

Lifetime will broadcast live all three games of the 2018 NWSL Playoffs and the matches will also be available for both live and on-demand streaming via the Lifetime iOS and Android apps and MyLifetime.com. International fans can watch on the NWSL app and NWSLsoccer.com.

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 5, 2018


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