North Carolina Reclaims First Place with 1-0 Win Over Houston

Pride in rainbow colored chalk along with a drawing of Roary, the North Carolina Courage mascot, with a soccer ball

It seems we can’t have a game between the North Carolina Courage and Houston Dash that doesn’t involve a weather delay, and Saturday night’s match was no exception. Though this time, it was particularly vexing since the Courage had planned Pride Night celebrations that included a drag show. Lightning in the area not only delayed the start of the game but also sent festival-goers scrambling for cover.

After an hour-long weather delay, Mother Nature placed a rainbow over WakeMed Soccer Park as a sort of peace offering for disrupting the NC Courage’s Pride celebration.

MN: Hey, sorry for that outburst

MN: And for spoiling your festival and show

MN: I was just on one, but I’m okay now

MN: Promise, I’ll leave your game fireworks show alone

MN: Here, have a rainbow

MN: So…we good?*

*(Borrowing this format again from Anne Theriault)

A faint rainbow appears over WakeMed Soccer Park

The Courage shook off the weather delay and quickly got down to business against the Dash. With six players (many of them regular starters) headed to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, head coach Sean Nahas and his staff had the full roster prepared to step in and contribute.

Brianna Pinto had her best game in a Courage jersey, stepping in for Denise O’Sullivan and partnering with Narumi Miura to lock down the midfield. And Kiki Pickett’s positional awareness and tenacity on and off the ball—not to mention a breathtaking lofted pass leading to the game-winning goal—put her in the conversation for NWSL Player of the Week.

Meanwhile, Tyler Lussi continued her string of game-winners with a stunning “shross” goal in the 59th minute to extend North Carolina’s winning streak and lift them to the top of the NWSL table.

It was a complete team result that likely raised some eyebrows around the league, though if you’ve been paying attention to the Courage this year, it probably shouldn’t.

“I thought we had a really good performance tonight, especially for a group that hasn’t played together,” Nahas said in his post-game remarks.

One of the things that has made North Carolina interesting to watch—and entertaining—is the way the coaching staff has created a system that doesn’t leave out anyone who wants to put in the work. Rather than showcasing one or two stars, the system they’ve set up seems designed to bring out a player’s best qualities.

North Carolina Courage players Tyler Lussi and Kiki Pickett celebrate Lussi's goal against the Houston Dash.

That’s not to say mistakes don’t happen or that it doesn’t take a player time to grow into a game, but with the patience and support of teammates and coaching staff, every player on the roster has a chance to shine.

“For us [the coaching staff], it was about challenging our players, but then feel that they believe in getting an opportunity to step on the field,” he said.

“They’ve all deserved to play, and they’ve trained so hard. It’s not easy to train and not play or not get rostered. And now, these players have a massive opportunity to contribute to the group.

“I think what it proves is we’re more than six players; we’re 30 players or 26 players that compete and work for each other, that love each other.”

What does that all mean now that we’re just past the halfway point of the 2023 campaign?

  • That the Courage are at the top of the NWSL table.

  • North Carolina is unbeaten in their last five games (four league, one Challenge Cup).

  • They have not conceded a goal in over 400 game minutes (the longest stretch in the NWSL this year) and have earned four straight clean sheets.

  • Their passing accuracy has been north of 80% for most of the season.

And one more Fun Fact: Both the Courage and their counterparts, North Carolina FC, have an 8-4-2 record, and both teams sit atop their respective league tables (NCFC plays in USL League One).

With the World Cup set to kick off in a couple of weeks, the Courage have set themselves up to handle the absence of a substantial chunk of their roster for anywhere between 4-8 weeks. Consistency and confidence will be key to seeing them through, and if the win over Houston is any indication, they’ll be in the mix by the time the national team players return to Cary.