Notes & Quotes: NC Courage vs. San Diego Wave FC
May 24, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The North Carolina Courage are headed out to California for an East Coast vs. West Coast matchup against second-place San Diego Wave FC on Sunday, May 25, at 10 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
The Courage and Wave are two of the NWSL's hottest teams at the moment, with North Carolina entering Sunday's showdown on a four-match unbeaten run while the Wave riding a five-match unbeaten streak. The Portland Thorns are the only other team in the league without a loss in their last four matches.
Manaka Matsukubo's Week 9 brace powered the Courage to a 2-0 win over the last-place Chicago Stars and earned the Courage's young magician NWSL Player of the Week honors. Manaka is the 10th different Courage player to win the weekly award and the honor is the 17th overall for the club.
Casey Murphy came up with some big saves for her 41st career NWSL clean sheet, stopping Chicago's Ludmila from point-blank range. Murphy's 41 clean sheets are 8 more than any other goalkeeper since she made her regular-season NWSL debut in May 2019.
Tyler Lussi put in a shift at wing back in the Courage's 3-4-3 system, winning 11 of 15 duels and three of five tackles in the win.
Under first-year Head Coach Jonas Eidevall the Wave are in excellent form with a 5W-2L-2D record and currently lead the league in possession and passing accuracy. Led by the French trio of Delphine Cascarino, Kenza Dali, and Perle Morroni, the Wave sit in second place in the standings but are just five points clear of the Courage in ninth.
USYNT star Kimmi Ascanio leads the Wave in scoring with three goals, while Mexico international Maria Sánchez and Canadian international Adrianna Leon round out the Wave's forward line.
Sunday's match will be midfielder Jaedyn Shaw's first match back in San Diego since being traded to the Courage this offseason. Shaw signed with the Wave as a 17-year-old in July 2022, playing two and a half seasons in San Diego before moving to the Courage.
The Details
What they'll wear:
Courage - Field: Blue/Blue/Blue | GK: Lavender
Wave - Field: White/Blue/White | GK: Green
2025 Records:
Courage - 3W-3L-3D (9th, 12 points)
Wave - 5W-2L-2D (2nd, 17 points)
Courage vs. Wave (Regular Season): 2W-2L-2D
Last time out:
Courage - Win, 2-0 vs Chicago Stars
Wave - Win, 1-0 at NJ/NY Gotham FC
Up next:
With an international break next weekend, the Courage will return to action on Sunday, June 8, to take on the Washington Spirit in the nation's capital.
National Women's Soccer League Stories from May 24, 2025
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- Kansas City Current Close May with 3-1 Win Over Chicago Stars FC - Kansas City Current
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- Amorós Picks Team for Concacaf Trophy Showdown - NJ/NY Gotham FC
- Washington Spirit Forward Rosemonde Kouassi Called up to Ivory Coast Women's National Team - Washington Spirit
- Notes & Quotes: NC Courage vs. San Diego Wave FC - North Carolina Courage
- Preview: Chicago Stars FC vs. Kansas City Current - Chicago Stars FC
- Spirit Continues Hot Start on the Road With 2-1 Win in Seattle - Washington Spirit
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