North Carolina Courage 2 – 1 Washington Spirit
Cary, NC—At the end of what felt more like a war of attrition, the North Carolina Courage held off the Washington Spirit to win the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup.
Both teams were playing on only a couple of days’ rest, with both teams having played semifinal games Wednesday night. The Courage earned their place in the final after defeating Kansas City. And after a controversial end to their semifinal match against OL Reign, the Washington Spirit traveled to WakeMed Soccer Park to face the North Carolina Courage in the 2022 Challenge Cup Final.
The Saturday matinee marked the third time the two teams faced off in the tournament. Both of the previous games ended in 2-2 draws. The Courage and Spirit were undefeated in Cup play, with North Carolina registering three wins while Washington earned two wins and four ties.
The first half of the match would set up very much like the other games these two teams have played over the last six months. Lots of end-to-end action, both teams getting some quality chances, and both goalkeepers coming up big when called on.
North Carolina opened the scoring with Brazilian newcomer Kerolin Nicoli opening her NWSL account in the 10th minute. The play started with Debinha breaking loose from Washington defender Kelley O’Hara and carrying the ball upfield. She pushed the ball forward to Kerolin, who played the ball around the defense to clear some space before firing a shot past Aubrey Kingsbury.
In the 35th minute, it was Ashley Hatch leveling the score for the Spirit. With Trinity Rodman collecting the ball, Hatch held up her run to stay onside. Rodman sent a leading pass into the North Carolina 18 while Hatch slipped through the Courage defense before tucking the ball past Katelyn Rowland.
With the game knotted at a goal apiece, the storm clouds began to gather over Cary at halftime. It would prove to be a metaphor for a contentious second half.
The game’s most controversial non-call came in the 68th minute. Kerolin dribbled through the Washington penalty area and was brutally tackled from behind by Sam Staab. The ball rolled out of play while the Brazilian forward writhed in pain on the end line. With her Courage teammates screaming for a penalty, head official Katja Koroleva pointed to the corner and showed North Carolina defender Merritt Mathias a yellow card.
In response to a pool reporter’s question regarding the decision not to award a penalty kick, Koroleva said, “From my angle, the defender played the ball.”
Carson Pickett played the ball to the far post on the ensuing corner kick. It landed in front of Kingsbury. There was a scramble between Diana Ordoñez, Debinha, and the Washington defense before the ball deflected off the Spirit’s Taylor Aylmer, putting North Carolina in front.
As the sky grew darker, so did the situation on the field. Kingsbury slammed her head into the goalpost on the North Carolina goal while trying to make the save. She was down for several minutes while Washington training staff put her through concussion protocol. Kingsbury was eventually cleared to stay in the game, and head coach Kris Ward said after the game that their medical staff would re-evaluate her to ensure there are no late-onset symptoms.
In the 76th minute, as North Carolina captain Abby Erceg played the ball, Hatch flew in, studs high, hitting Erceg in the ribcage. Despite the high studs-up kick, no card was given on the play.
As the game ticked through six minutes of stoppage time, Washington’s Jordan Baggett went down after a collision, suffering a serious head injury. As players on both teams screamed for medical assistance, Baggett’s Spirit teammates sprinted to the stretcher, running it to their injured teammate. Baggett was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.
With the rain coming down harder, the referee blew the final whistle. The North Carolina Courage are the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Champions.
Captain Abby Erceg was happy to lift the trophy with her team because it gave young newcomers to the club a taste of what winning in the NWSL is like.
“Coming into preseason, there was just a feeling about the group, a vibe about the group, a different energy, and it’s a winning energy,” Erceg said after the game. “I wanted the group to experience that, and I think moving forward [winning the Challenge Cup tournament]is only going to help in terms of experience.”
Many wrote off the Courage after the departure of many marquee players. For Erceg, that makes North Carolina’s success especially sweet. “I’m really happy for the girls, I think they’ve done a lot to get to the place that they’re in. I think we were written off quite early, so for them to prove everybody wrong is cool.”
Last words from Nahas: The terrifying injury to Jordan Baggett was on everyone’s mind after the game, including Courage head coach Sean Nahas. He began his post game press conference with a few words of support for her and her team. “We’re thinking of Jordan, [it’s a] pretty scary situation. I’ve known Jordan for a while. So, on behalf of the Courage I’m wishing her a speedy recovery, and hopefully everything checks out okay.”
Final Notes
- Reaching the Challenge Cup Final resulted in North Carolina’s regular season home opener against the Portland Thorns being rescheduled to August 24 while Washington’s regular season match at Chicago is moved to June 8.
- Kerolin’s first half tally marked her first NWSL goal. She was also named the game’s MVP.
- Although she picked up the assist on Kerolin’s goal, Debinha’s six-game goal scoring streak ended Saturday.
- Next up for the North Carolina Courage is a trip north on May 14 to play NJ/NY Gotham FC in a return to NWSL regular season play.
Lineups
North Carolina Courage: K. Rowland; K. Kurtz, C. Pickett, A. Erceg ©, M. Mathias; M. Berkely, D. O’Sullivan, Debinha, E. Gray (M. Speck 85’); K. Nicol (T. Smith 74’)i, D. Ordoñez (J. Daniels 85’)
Washington Spirit: A. Kingsbury ©; S. Staab, K. O’Hara (M. Gof 74’), E. Sonnett, J. Roddar (C. Biegalski 46’); T. Aylmer (J. Baggett 80’, A. Harding 90+6’), A. Sanchez, D. Bailey; T. Rodman, A. Heilferty (B. Feist 74’), A. Hatch
Score:
North Carolina Courage: 2
Washington Spirit: 1
Goals:
North Carolina Courage: Kerolin 10’ (Debinha); Washington Own Goal 70’
Washington Spirit: A. Hatch 35’ (T. Rodman)
Discipline
North Carolina Courage: M. Mathias YC 68’
Washington Spirit: none
