Notes & Quotes: NC Courage at Washington Spirit
June 7, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release
WASHINGTON - The North Carolina Courage are back in action this weekend following the international break, heading up to the Nation's Capital on Sunday, June 8, at 4 p.m. ET to take on the Washington Spirit.
The international break was a busy one for the Courage with Denise O'Sullivan (Ireland), Manaka Matsukubo (Japan), Jaedyn Shaw (U.S. U23), and Riley Jackson (U.S. U23) all taking part in matches during the window.
Before the break, the Courage fell 5-2 on the road at second-place San Diego, snapping a four-match unbeaten run. With three matches remaining before the extended midseason international break, the Courage are sitting 10th in the table with 3W-4L-3D record, but only two points separate the Courage from sixth-place Seattle in a tightly congested middle of the standings.
While the Courage's unbeaten streak came to an end in San Diego, Manaka continued her good run of form in the loss. Picking up a goal and assist after bagging a brace against Chicago, she became the first Courage player with multiple goal contributions in back-to-back games since the 2022 season. Other players to accomplish that feat in a Courage jersey include the club's leading goal scorer Lynn Biyendolo, and other high-impact players such as Debinha, Diana Ordoñez, and Kerolin.
Washington enters the weekend in fourth place with a 6-3-1 record, but the team is 2-2-1 in its last five, including multiple high-scoring matches. The Spirit lost 3-0 to Gotham and 4-3 to Angel City, while drawing Utah 3-3 during that stretch. Those five games also included a 3-2 win over Chicago and 2-1 win over Seattle.
With talismanic forward Trinity Rodman sidelined with a back injury, the Spirit have leaned on Ashley Hatch in front of net. The former Courage draftee, who won the NWSL Rookie of Year award in 2017 with North Carolina, has a team-leading six goals this season and has been particularly effective in the air with three headed goals.
Rosemonde Kouassi and Gift Monday have also been effective, with four goal contributions each. 2024 Rookie and Midfielder of the Year Croix Bethune recently returned to the starting lineup for Washington for the first time since her debut season was cut short due to injury.
Washington will still be led by Head Coach Jonatan Giráldez for Sunday's match, with the Spirit announcing that Adrián González will take over in July following Giráldez's transition to sister club OL Lyonnes, which Michelle Kang also owns.
The Details
What they'll wear:
Courage - Field: Pink/Pink/Pink | GK: Lavender
Spirit - Field: Black/Black/Black | GK: Blue
2025 Records:
Courage - W3-4L-3D (10th, 12 points)
Spirit - 6W-3L-1D (4th, 19 points)
Courage vs. Spirit (Regular Season): 11W-5L-2D
Last time out:
Courage - 5-2 Loss, at San Diego Wave
Spirit - 2-1 Win, at Seattle Reign
Up next:
The Courage round out the team's three-match road swing with a West Coast matchup against Angel City on Saturday, June 4, at 10 p.m. ET, before closing out the first half of the regular season at home against the Houston Dash on Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET for Pride Night. Tickets are available.
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