North Carolina Courage 5 – 0 Racing Louisville FC
CARY, NC— It was Sam Mewis’ first game back in a Courage kit, but it was her substitute, Hailie Mace, who scored a brace as North Carolina blew out Racing Louisville FC, 5-0.
In a press conference on Wednesday welcoming Mewis back to Courage Country, head coach Paul Riley stated that her presence on the pitch makes everyone else on the team more competitive. Whether it’s competitiveness, confidence, or some other secret ingredient, there’s no denying that the Courage showed a whole new level of energy against the expansion side from Kentucky.
After getting a handle on team defense, North Carolina’s offense suddenly found themselves struggling to get the ball in the back of the net. With Mewis back in the lineup, and captain Abby Erceg working her way to 90-minute fitness (and partnering with Diane Caldwell on the back line), North Carolina looked confident and determined right from the opening kickoff.
Erceg opened the scoring for the Courage in the 7th minute when she nodded in a cross from Carson Pickett off of a short corner kick.
North Carolina continued to pressure Louisville’s defense throughout the first half, creating several quality chances that came close but just missed the frame.
With the Courage nursing a 1-0 lead, the referee blew the whistle for halftime, and a moment later, the skies opened up over Wake Med Soccer Park. The downpour proved to be some heavy-handed foreshadowing of what was to come in the second half.
Lynn Williams, who had been frustrated in front of the Louisville goal in the first half, finally had her hard work pay off in the 63rd minute. She got hold of a nifty pass from Debinha and created some space between herself and her defenders before slamming the ball past Racing goalkeeper Michelle Betos.
Five minutes later, Pickett floated in a long cross that found Jessica McDonald at the far post. McDonald attempted a header ticketed to the opposite post. But her header bounced in front of the goal where Debinha was waiting to put it away. North Carolina was up 3-0, and the rout was on.
Wanting to give Mewis time to get 90-minutes fit, Riley subbed Mace in for her in the 71st minute. It only took Mace four minutes to get her first goal of the season. After calling for the ball from her Debinha, she unloaded a hard right-footer that Betos had no chance at. With 15 minutes left, the Courage had the game in command.
“I think I’ve been playing with a weight on my shoulders,” Mace said after the game. “Paul said to me before I went in to just ‘play like yourself, just play freely and get your first goal.’ And I guess that’s what I did tonight, so it was fun.”
Mace would get her second score on the night in the 90th minute when Ryan Williams, who came in for Merritt Mathias in the 76th minute, carried the ball deep down the right side and launched it across the penalty area. The ball drew Mace to it like a magnet, and her flying redirect closed out North Carolina’s lopsided win and left the Louisville club searching for answers.
“I felt like we were a bit more like ourselves tonight than we have in the past couple games, Lynn Williams said in response to a reporter’s question after the game. “I would be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances. But it is nice to put away the goals.”
Final Notes
- Lynn Williams’s goal was her first of the NWSL season.
- Diane Caldwell made her first start for the Courage, lining up on the back line alongside captain Abby Erceg. Paul Riley said that he and his staff wanted to bring Caldwell up to speed with how the game is played in the NWSL before giving her the starting nod. He was pleased with her performance and how well she worked with the players around her throughout the match.
- Next up for North Carolina is a trip to Chicago to take on the Red Stars in an afternoon match on June 5th.
Lineups
North Carolina Courage: C. Murphy; C. Pickett, A. Erceg ©, D. Caldwell, M.; S. Mewis, D. O’Sullivan, Debinha, H. Solaun; J. McDonald, L. Williams
Racing Louisville FC: M. Betos ©; B. Hendrix, K. Riehl, E. Simon; L. Milliet, F. Olofsson, Y. Nagasato, C. Kizer; S. McCaskill, E. Fox, K. McClure
Score:
North Carolina Courage: 5
Racing Louisville FC: 0
Goals:
North Carolina Courage: A. Erceg (C. Pickett, 7’); L. Williams (Debinha, 63’); Debinha (McDonald, 68’); Mace (Debinha, 75’); Mace (R. Williams, 90’)
Racing Louisville FC: none
Discipline
North Carolina Courage: M. Mathias, YC 56’
Racing Louisville FC: none
