Samantha Mewis of the North Carolina Courage scored the second of her club’s two goals in a 2-0 win over visiting Sky Blue FC Wednesday night in Cary.
Hopes of reaching the pinnacle of the National Women’s Soccer League came crashing down for Sky Blue FC Wednesday night in Cary.
The Jersey Girls came into their matchup with the league leading North Carolina Courage as the most potent offense in the league, but they spent most of the night on their heels.
The home side would eventually come out with a 2-0 victory over Sky Blue, a result the visitors will be thanking the heavens wasn’t more lopsided.
The Courage dominated from start to finish, outshooting the visitors 21-2, including a 13-2 margin on shots on frame.
The onslaught started early, with Lynn Williams opening the scoring with an absolute rocket at the top of the penalty area in the 20th minute, a shot Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan had not shot of touching.
20' Every @lynnraenie goal this season has been a Goal-of-the-Week nominee so far. Does this one make the cut? #NCvNJ 1-0 pic.twitter.com/j29JpQ0BW3
— NWSL (@NWSL) May 25, 2017
Not satisfied with the slim lead, the Courage continued pushing the ball into the Jersey Girl’s half of the pitch, suffocating them and rarely allowing them to cross midfield in possession.
Persistence paid off in the 42nd minute, when Samantha Mewis knocked in a rebound off of an Abby Dalhkemper corner, poking it past Sheridan after she saved the initial shot and Sarah Killion deflected the initial rebound.
43' @TheNCCourage continues to attack, as midfielder @sammymewy scores. #NCvNJ 2-0 pic.twitter.com/AVTZ2ZmPca
— NWSL (@NWSL) May 25, 2017
Had it not been for Sheridan’s 11 saves — including one in which she fully stretched out to tip the ball onto the bar in the first half and one in which she stopped a defender completely alone on a one-on-one — the result could’ve been a heavy one that would’ve damaged Sky Blue’s goal difference, a tally which can play a role in the case of tiebreakers down the road.
57' @Kailen_Sheridan rushes out for yet another save for @SkyBlueFC. #DoingWork #NCvNJ 2-0 pic.twitter.com/QwBQ1I4gJN
— NWSL (@NWSL) May 25, 2017
With the result, the Courage retain the top spot in the NWSL, snapping a three-game winless stretch in the process. The Sky Blue see a two-game winning streak of its own come to an end and leave room for any of the group of the Chicago Red Stars, Seattle Reign, Portland Thorns, FC Kansas City and/or Boston Breakers to surpass them in the standings with a win at the weekend.
The Jersey Girls won’t have much time to dwell on Wednesday night’s results. They have a quick turnaround, hosting the Orlando Pride at Yurcak Field at 7:00 on Saturday night.
Follow Brian Fonseca on Twitter @briannnnf for updates. Email him at brianfilipefonseca@gmail.com with questions, concerns, tips or story ideas.
