It all went to according to script for Angel City FC.
Opening the season in front of a sellout crowd of 22,000 excited and enthusiastic fans at Banc of California Stadium, as well as the franchise’s star-studded ownership group, Angel City’s season opener had the feel of a Hollywood premiere, so it was fitting that Angel City rolled out the red carpet for everybody.
The biggest star of the night on the pitch was Angel City’s Jun Endo, as she assisted the opening goal, then scored a goal of her own, and Angel City sent the sellout crowd home happy with a 2-1 win over the North Carolina Courage.
“Everything that we’d hoped that the club would deliver, they delivered in abundance and with more,” Angel City head coach Freya Coombe said. “The crowd was unreal tonight. Their energy, enthusiasm, and support for the players and for the coaching staff was felt throughout the night. It’s the best environment that I’ve ever coached in.”
Angel City took control of the match inside the first 15 minutes. Angel City struck just three minutes in, and it started when Savannah McCaskill sent a corner into the penalty area, North Carolina cleared it out, but Endo was able to track down the ball. Endo deked Courage defender Denise O’Sullivan, then played a left-footed cross back into the penalty area and Gilles headed a ball point blank past keeper Katelyn Rowland into the back net for the franchise’s first ever goal at Banc of California Stadium.
Then it was Endo who got the chance for a goal in the 13th minute. McCaskill sent a long ball forward, and it was right on the mark, as an unmarked Endo chased down the ball and dribbled unmarked down the left side, Endo dribbled into the penalty area and fired a left-footed shot that beat Rowland far post and just like that, Angel City had given the home crowd exactly what they wanted with a two-goal lead.
The Angel City fans were certainly pumped up for Friday’s regular season debut.
North Carolina did finally get themselves into the match. The Courage had its first chance in the 19th minute, as Merritt Mathias played a ball to Karolin, who collected herself with a couple of touches, then fired a shot on goal that while it did beat keeper Didi Haracic, it did not beat the framework, as the shot hit off the crossbar and the ball was cleared out of the box by Jasmyne Spencer. North Carolina’s best chance however came in the 38th minute, as Jalene Daniels dribbled into the penalty area, played a cross that was deflected by Gilles, but stayed in the box, Emily Gray charged in and fired a point-blank shot from the penalty spot, but Haracic was up to the task, as she made the diving save, sending the ball over the end line.
Angel City eventually took the two-goal lead into the halftime break, but North Carolina finally got that first goal in the 61st minute. Fox played a left-footed cross into the penalty area and Debinha snuck in past Spencer and headed a ball past Haracic into the back net. The Courage pressed for the equalizer, spending a lot of time on Angel City’s half of the field, but Angel City would not be denied, not on this night, as they bunkered down and did enough on defense to hold off the Courage.
“We did a really good job in the first half in managing their pressure,” Coome said. “We knew they were going to come out the second half strong. They put us under a lot of pressure. Madison Hammond did a good job when she came in and seeked out the game to defend pressure. I want to credit our staff for working hard to keep up the fitness levels of our players. Our players adjusted to how North Carolina was rotating, especially in midfield. We were able to organize ourselves to deal with it.”
Friday’s win could not have gone any better for Angel City. The atmosphere inside Banc of California Stadium was electric, with a sense of anticipation for the return of professional women’s soccer to Los Angeles since the Los Angeles Sol played in Women’s Professional Soccer in 2009. There had to have been a bit of concern going into the match, as aside from the pressure of opening its inaugural season at home in front of a capacity crowd, Angel City had gone just 1-4-1 in NWSL Challenge Cup play, while the Courage won the East bracket, not losing any of its six matches in the process. Things however seemed to have come together for Angel City this past week. The team got is first ever win back on Sunday against the Portland Thorns, and the momentum from the result certainly carried over into Friday’s match, as Angel City fed off the energy inside the stadium, yet also played with the same sort of calm and composure on the ball as they had shown on Sunday.
“I believe the more we understand each other and get to know each other, it’s going to get better and slowly we’ll all start to develop those strong relationships,” Angel City midfielder Dani Weatherholt said. “We had our hands full tonight, and Debinha is one of the best players in the world. So, I think that was one of our tasks. We are just going to continue to get better every game.”
With its first home game and regular season win in the books, Angel City will look to further build on its momentum when they host the Orlando Pride next Sunday. While the atmosphere at future Angel City games at Banc of California Stadium will be just as electric, nothing will ever top the atmosphere and excitement that unfolded on the date of April 29, 2022.
“I know it was just game 1, but I think it’s a moment I will never forget, and no matter what happens this season,” Angel City defender Ali Riley said. No one can ever take tonight away from us and this crowd. To feel that, was unbelievable. I will never forget this”
Angel City FC
North Carolina
