Notes & Quotes: NC Courage at Orlando Pride
NWSL North Carolina Courage

Notes & Quotes: NC Courage at Orlando Pride

Published on September 18, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release


ORLANDO - The North Carolina Courage are back on the road this weekend for a Friday night showdown with the Orlando Pride at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video.

The Courage are hot on the heels of the playoff line following the team's 2-1 win over Angel City, sitting in ninth place with 25 points and a 6W-7L-7D record. Just one point separates the Courage from eighth-place Louisville, while just four points separate the Courage from the seventh-place Pride heading into Friday's match.

Manaka Matsukubo and Brianna Pinto got the goals for the Courage in that big win over Angel City, with Payton Linnehan also picking up an assist in her first start since joining the Courage via trade from the Portland Thorns at the end of August.

Manaka started alongside Shinomi Koyama and Riley Jackson as the Courage's midfield group in that match, with the young trio, all three of whom are 21 years old or younger, earning high praise from Acting Head Coach Nathan Thackeray.

"They are three wonderfully gifted football players and they've got a nice balance. Manaka has the special touches, the flair, and the ability to score goals. Riley and Shinomi are really composed on the ball. Riley's ability to run and work to close spaces, and Shinomi's craft of seeing spaces that she can arrive in. ... That's a really young midfield, but they put in one heck of a performance today," Thackeray said in his postgame press conference.

On the defensive end, Marisa Jordan picked up the first regular season win of her career. The 2022 draft pick has started the last two matches in net for the Courage, making a combined six saves and allowing two goals.

The Orlando Pride enter Friday's match on short rest after a midweek Concacaf W Champions Cup group stage match in Panama City on Tuesday. The Pride beat Chorrillo FC 5-0 in that match, with Summer Yates bagging a hat trick. Julie Doyle and Ally Lemos also got on the scoresheet in that win.

While they have picked up two wins in the continental competition, the Pride are winless in their last eight league matches, with their last win coming against Bay FC on June 13. Most recently, the Pride drew 1-1 against Bay FC at home, with Denver-bound Ally Watt scoring the lone goal for the hosts.

The Pride have scored just five goals during that eight-game winless run. While players like Watt, Marta, and midseason acquisition Lizbeth Ovalle still give the Orlando attack plenty of scoring power, the Pride are without standout striker Barbra Banda, who was placed on the Season Ending Injury list at the end of August.

The Details

What they'll wear:

Courage - Field: Pink/Pink/Pink | GK: Lavender

Pride - Field: Purple/Purple/Purple | GK: Green

2025 Records:

Courage - 6W-7L-7D (9th, 25 points)

Pride - 8W-7L-5D (7th, 29 points)

Courage vs. Pride (Regular Season): 10W-6L-3D

Last time out:

Courage - 2-1 Win, vs. Angel City

Pride - 1-1 Draw, vs. Bay FC

Up next:

The Courage remain on the road, heading to the Pacific Northwest to take on Seattle Reign FC on Sunday, September 28, at 8 p.m. ET. The match will stream live on NWSL+ and Paramount+.

Check out the North Carolina Courage Statistics

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from September 18, 2025


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