North Carolina Courage wins against Angel City FC, 2-0, making them one point away from qualifying for playoffs.
The match was important for both teams to play their best soccer because only one point separated the two clubs in the fight to stay alive for a chance at a NWSL Championship run. The Courage understood the importance as they came to play, taking control within the first six minutes of the match.
At the sixth minute, midfielder Manaka Matsukubo received a through ball pass from forward Meg Linnehan and turned defender Sarah Doorsoun around as she sped into the 18 from the right wing. Matsukubo displayed a beautiful combination of cuts to open up space for herself and separate from the defense to fire a shot into the far left of the goal to give the Courage a 1-0 lead early.
That was only the beginning of the Courage’s offensive feats. The team had stellar ball movement all day through the attacking third which collapsed the strong Angel City defense. In doing so, it opened up so much space at the top of the key for players to take advantage of.
North Carolina kept the offense going early, in the 19th minute midfielder Shinami Koyama played a beautiful ball to Linnehan running up the right side that split the defense, leaving them on their heels to chase Linnehan down. Angel City defender Gisele Thompson intercepted a box crossing pass from Linnehan on the right, but the ball deflected right into the feet of North Carolina’s forward Brianna Pinto, who was free at the top of the 18 after Linnehan’s run dropped back Angel City’s high line defense. She sent her shot into the top netting of the goal making it 2-0.
The Courage had another shot when midfielder Shinomi Koyama sent a through ball to forward Tyler Lussi into the box in the 22nd minute. Lussi juked out her defender and sent a slanted pass into the six-yard box, but Anderson dove onto the ball to stop the play.
Goalkeeper Angelina Andersen was Angel City’s saving grace during the first half. As the Courage pounded her with shot after shot, Andersen was able to deflect and save five shots on net even with the defensive breakdown happening.
In the second half, ACFC made some changes to the starting XI which helped boost their level of play and pick up the team’s momentum. Defensive midfielder Nealy Martin, the recently acquired transfer from Gotham City, stepped in for the first time since signing and insinuated better possession and distribution to attackers for ACFC.
In the 68th minute, Angel City finally had their first shot on target when midfielder Martin cut around some Courage defenders to send a short pass to forward Riley Tiernan across the side edge of the 18-yard box. Tiernan threw an angled shot on frame, but goalkeeper Marisa Jordan saved it.
ACFC kept up a better fight as the match continued on deeper into the second half, making it an evenly matched game. Offensive players Christen Press, Maiara Niehues, Kennedy Fuller and Sveindís Jónsdóttir increased their ball movement in the Courage’s 18-yard box which helped to dissolve portions of the defense and open up space for players to send passes and create goal-scoring opportunities.
In the 88th minute, ACFC finally narrowed down North Carolina’s lead with a well-executed team goal. Forward Christen Press found defender Miyabi Moriya sitting at the right edge of the 18. Moriya partnered up with forward Jun Endo for a combination of passes that worked their way into the penalty area. With the exceptional ball movement from Moriya and Endo, they were able to open up space and find forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir near the center of the box. Jónsdóttir was right in front of the net and finished with a one timer that ended up in the back of the net past Jordan, making it Jónsdóttir first goal and making it 2-1.
Despite Angel City finally picking it up late in the second half, it wasn’t enough to equalize. The game ended with NC Courage on top, 2-1, bumping ACFC down to 11th in the tournament rankings.
Overall, North Carolina just played better soccer than Angel City.
Angel City will have an even tougher match-up next when they play No. 2-ranked Washington Spirit on September 18th.