Preview: NC Courage at San Diego Wave FC

Sports stats



North Carolina Courage

Preview: NC Courage at San Diego Wave FC

September 8, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release


SAN DIEGO - The North Carolina Courage travels west to visit San Diego Wave FC this Sunday, September 8, for an 8 p.m. ET (5 PT) kickoff at SnapDragon Stadium. What has become a farewell to American Soccer legend Alex Morgan will become a historic simulcast across various broadcast partners, led by CBS Sports Network and seen on Prime Video, Paramount+, ESPN2, ESPN+, and NWSL+. The match will also air locally in the Triangle on ME-TV (WRAZ2).

North Carolina was rewarded for its grit and determination last weekend with a 2-1 home win over the Kansas City Current on the backs of a Cortnee Vine second-half equalizer and a stoppage-time winner from substitute Brianna Pinto. North Carolina enters match week 19 in fifth in the NWSL table with a 9W-1D-8L record for 28 points.

Defending the fortress that is WakeMed Soccer Park has become the norm, with the Courage now unbeaten in 18 straight home regular season fixtures (12W, 6D) dating back to April of 2023. It's the longest home streak in club history and ranks second in NWSL lore, trailing only Seattle's 22-match stretch across the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Sticking to the Courage style, North Carolina has led the NWSL in both possession and passing accuracy all season. They've held the majority of possession in every match this year and 48 overall regular season fixtures dating back to 2021. Since Sean Nahas took the helm, North Carolina has won the possession battle in 64 of the 67 matches.

The road has been a different story this season. North Carolina has just one win in nine away fixtures, although it was an impressive win at one of the league's top teams. The last road trip saw the Courage battle the emotional jersey retirement of Megan Rapinoe in Seattle. Now, they're on the other end of the sudden sendoff match for another legend after Morgan announced her impending retirement earlier this week. Weathering the emotional storm will be crucial to earn a result on Sunday.

San Diego is under a third head coach this season in the form of another American soccer legend, Landon Donovan. The reigning Shield winners find themselves near the bottom of the table, sitting in 12th place with a 3W-7D-8L record for 16 points. They look to build off a home draw against the formidable Washington Spirit last week.

Wave FC has been tough to break down this season, allowing just 20 goals - which ranks fourth fewest in the league (North Carolina is third with 19 allowed) thanks, in large part to superstar center back Naomi Girma. The problem has been the scoring, netting just 14 goals for third-fewest in the NWSL this season. Jaedyn Shaw and Makenzy Doniak have led the way with three goals each while Savannah McCaskill has created a team-best 22 chances.

The NWSL is the most competitive league in the world with table-flipping results so normalized it's a shock when a full week's slate goes chalk. San Diego will be fueled by a massive and emotional crowd with added motivation to send Morgan off with a result. North Carolina looks to play spoiler and earn a second road result of the season to keep building momentum and own this moment in the playoff push.

Check out the North Carolina Courage Statistics

• Discuss this story on the National Women's Soccer League message board...

National Women's Soccer League Stories from September 8, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central