Match Preview: North Carolina Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC
WakeMed Soccer Park | Cary, North Carolina – Saturday, September 24 at 7:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
North Carolina midfielder Debinha scored two goals and added an assist in North Carolina’s 3-0 win over Orlando on Wednesday. The Brazilian playmaker joins teammate and fellow Brazilian Kerolin as players with a game this season with multiple goals and an assist, with Portland’s Crystal Dunn being the only player to have done so for the club prior to 2022. Leading the team in goals scored overall, though, is forward Diana Ordoñez, whose 11 goals (one penalty) have her just ahead of Debinha (nine) in front.
Gotham forward Midge Purce attempted five shots in the team’s loss to the Reign, two more shots than the rest of the Gotham team combined. Purce now leads Gotham with 34 shots this season, despite seven outfield players having played more minutes for the club in 2022. The side has failed to score in their last four games, but prior to that all of midfielders Paige Monaghan, Kristie Mewis and McCall Zerboni as well as defender Taylor Smith had each scored in separate games in the for prior to that.
Match facts: The North Carolina Courage host Gotham FC at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday night facing a must-win scenario ahead of the regular season’s close in just over a week’s time. The Courage, who currently sit in eighth place behind Chicago (sixth) and Angel City (seventh) with 28 points, two behind the Red Stars and one behind ACFC, and will need help from others around the league in order to make the cut.
Since being shut out by the Wave in May, the Courage have scored in each of their last eight home games, outscoring opponents 23-15 in those games. The 23 goals are tied for the most goals scored over eight home games in a single season in NWSL history (along with the 2017 Reign). North Carolina has also won six of those eight games and are on a six-game winning streak, potentially helping give the hosts an upper hand on Saturday.
Gotham, meanwhile, has now lost 11 straight matches following a 1-0 loss to OL Reign on Wednesday, its fourth consecutive match without a goal. It is the first time this season that a team has been shut out in four straight NWSL games and is also the longest such streak in team history.
Earlier this month, North Carolina grabbed a second-half goal to win on the road, 1-0, against Gotham. In the seven league matches played in the fixture at Gotham, the Courage have lost just once (W5 D1) and have never been held scoreless; however, when the Courage have been at home, they’ve lost twice (W3 D1) and have been shut out in three of six matches.
