Dagný Brynjarsdóttir of the Portland Thorns prevents the NC Courage from making the run (2017 Season – Photo by Mercedes Cabrera).
Cary, N.C- Yesterday, the North Carolina Courage hosted the Portland Thorns for their first season opener of 2018. It was a cold night for the players and the fans, who endured gusts of wind along with chilly rain. The whether didn’t stop any of the players, although it did change the ball movement, instead it brought greater challenges for both teams to take on.
The match was featured on Lifetime where viewers witnessed numerous opportunities for the Courage to score. Right away Courage forward Jessica McDonald crossed the ball to Lynn Williams, but Williams wasn’t able to gain control of the ball just in time.
Despite not getting a solid shot into the back of the net, the Courage continued to put pressure on the backline of the Thorns, looking to seep a ball through to goal. North Carolina gave Portland another challenge in the 37th minute when McDonald headed the ball from a cross by Debinha, but was quickly saved by Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch.
“It was a good performance,” said NC Courage Head Coach Paul Riley following the match. “We didn’t give a lot away, and it’s nice to start on a clean sheet at home. Last year, we kind of built it on clean sheets and, hopefully we can do the same this year. Happy with the result at home,” Riley said.
The game winning goal came from midfielder Debinha, who weaved her way up the field and shot from outside of the box. The ball made its way past Franch to give the Courage a 1-0 lead in the 70th minute. This marked the second time that the Courage have opened their home matches with a one-goal victory against the Thorns.
“It was a great winner – what a goal to win the game, and Debinha’s been doing that for most of preseason when she’s been here,” Riley said. “She’s a different player, and it’s great to have her here and go 100 percent.”
The Courage will return to their home field on March 31 as they prepare to face Sky Blue FC at 3:30p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY:
NC-Débora Cristiane DeOliveria, 70’
BOOKING SUMMARY:
POR-Emily Sonnet, yellow card, 33’
POR-Lindsey Horan, yellow card, 35’
NC-Jaelene Hinkle, yellow card, 51’
NC COURAGE: #9-Lynn Williams, #10-Debinha De Oliveria (#25-Meredith Speck, 91’), #14-Jessica McDonald (#21-Darian Jenkins, 67’), #8-Denise O’Sullivan (#23-Kristen Hamilton, 78’), #7-McCall Zerboni, #19-Crystal Dunn, #15-Jalene Hinkle, #6-Abby Erceg, #1-Sabrina D’Angelo, #13-Abby Dahlkemper, #11-Merritt Mathias
PORTLAND THORNS: #24-Adrianna Franch, #2-Katherine Reynolds, #16-Emily Sonnett, #20-Kelli Hubly, #25-Meghan Klingenberg, #23Midge Purce, #30-Celeste Boureille, #10-Lindsey Horan, #26-Mallory Weber (#27-Elizabeth Ball, 78’), #12-Christine Sinclair, #22-Ifeoma Onumonu (#34-Tyler Lussi, 61’)
TOTAL SHOTS: NC 20-3 POR
SHOTS ON GOAL: NC 4-1 POR
FOULS: NC 13-10 POR
OFFSIDES: NC 1-2 POR
CORNER KICKS: NC 12-1 POR
SAVES: NC 1-3 POR
NC Courage
