Courage fall 1-0 in first meeting with San Diego Wave

Post-game Notebook: North Carolina Courage vs San Diego Wave FC | May 22, 2022 | NWSL Regular Season

The North Carolina Courage fell 1-0 against San Diego Wave FC on Sunday, May 22 at WakeMed Soccer Park.

The Courage (0-3-0, 0 pts) outshot the Wave (4-1-0, 12 pts) 15-9 and held 55.7% of the possession, but Alex Morgan’s first-half goal proved decisive in the first ever meeting between the two clubs.

“We give up really bad goals, basically that’s what it comes down to,” said head coach Sean Nahas. “I thought we competed more in the second half than we did in the first in certain areas of the field. I thought our backline was really good all game in dealing with the direct play and second-ball phase and the height that they had. They did everything that we asked them. So I thought they defended brilliantly and gave us a really good chance to be successful. At the end of the day, it's time for players to step up. And today, we just couldn't find that last piece. Credit to [San Diego], they were organized, they defended well.”

Quick-hits:

Still searching for first point

While the Courage have already hoisted a trophy this season, they are still in search of its first regular season point after losing the first three games.

Between the Challenge Cup and the COVID issues, the Courage’s slow start to the regular season isn’t something to worry about just yet. The team has had some good moments in the losses and clearly can win, the Challenge Cup proved that, but they need to get that first point soon.

“Unfortunately, we're 0-3 in the regular season, which is not a great way to start,” said Merritt Mathias. “From the outside, it's probably putting in a lot of question marks. And I don't think that we're there as a team, I think we still believe in ourselves. There's a lot of great pieces, I just think we're missing some pieces up top and missing some opportunities to get the equalizer and pushed a little bit too late. Defensively, I thought we were pretty sound, I think we kept them to very few opportunities. I think there's stuff to build on from this game.”

The “Alex Morgan effect” and fan support

Sunday was the Courage’s best attended game of 2022, with 6,070 fans in attendance (nearly double the Challenge Cup final’s 3,161), and that was in no small part due to Alex Morgan being in town.

“It's called the Alex Morgan effect,” said Kaleigh Kurtz. “Whatever way we get fans into the like stands, that's great, but I think it definitely has something to do with her name. When you look around you can just see little girls, which is awesome, but you can see little girls with signs saying like, ‘Alex Morgan, please sign my thing.’ So it's definitely awesome. I think it'll come more with time and especially the more we continue to get a groove and start winning games and putting teams on the backfoot, then people will start cheering. But right now for me, I'm either completely deaf to what goes on in the surroundings besides what is on the field but it just sounds a little quiet, but I I love that I look around and there's a lot less empty seats.”

Mathias shared similar sentiments, acknowledging the influence of a player like Morgan being in town, but also spoke at length about fan support wavering.

“The fan support has wavered,” Mathias said. “It isn’t a coincidence that Alex Morgan is playing and there are 6,000 people that are here. Previous games, the fan support has wavered and there are reasons for that. And there are reasons why people aren’t here and haven’t wanted to spend their money or beliefs and that is up to them. If this gets out there, I am a part of the community that has struggled with some of the choices that this club has made. They’ve made it very clear. 

“My personal opinion is that we miss you guys. There are a ton of people that are not only a part of your community, but definitely support it. It would be wonderful for you to come back consistently and be in the stands, because it does change the environment. To see the seats filled again is pretty incredible, but it can’t be because of Alex Morgan. It has to be because of what you believe in here. And I think there is something to believe in and to invest in again. So yeah, unfortunately we didn’t get the result, but I hope people were inspired enough to come back.”

When asked about how the club could win those fans back, Mathias continued her candidness.  

“My personal opinion is that, from a player standpoint, the voices that have been heard have been from the front office,” Mathias said. “There’s been a very particular voice that has been heard in wanting to support the community. And personally, I don’t think we’ve done a great job of that in the past years. And that is fair. I don’t think that has been any secret. We didn’t have a Pride Night for three years, we didn’t wear a jersey. Everyone knows all these things and I think bringing back Jaelene [Daniels] was a decision made by the club and as a player who is part of the community, you have to work through those struggles but that is what a team is about. You have to be able to embrace people of all different religions, of all different views, of all different backgrounds. 

“For me, I think it is really important that we have a voice as much as the club. That there is a group here that truly, truly loves and supports and is here for the LGBTQ community. I think that is a really important message to get out there, because we definitely miss you guys. We definitely miss our fans. They are a huge, huge reason why we were so successful for so many years. The way they had our back and the support we had day-in and day-out. I hope putting a good product on the field gets people back, but also knowing that you’re loved and believed in. From a team standpoint, we love and believe in our fans. For sure. We know how important they are and we definitely miss them. It is still a long season. Hopefully we can get a product out there that is winning and we are proud of. But I think this is a group that fans can be really proud of. For what they stand for and just the entertainment factor that they have and the beliefs that they have and the people that they are. If you don’t like one player, then there are 25, 26 other ones to choose from. Find someone you love.”

Roadtrip

After back-to-back home games, the Courage are set for a trio of road games. The team will face the Houston Dash (May 29), Racing Louisville (June 4) and the Washington Spirit (June 11) on the road before returning home for a rematch with the Dash on June 19.

Match Facts:

Starting XIs:

NC Courage (4-4-2): Casey Murphy; Merritt Mathias, Abby Erceg ©, Kaleigh Kurtz, Carson Pickett; Denise O’Sullivan, Malia Berkely, Debinha, Meredith Speck; Diana Ordoñez, Jaelene Daniels.

Wave (4-3-3): Kailen Sheridan; Christen Westphal, Noami Girma, Kaleigh Riehl, Tegan McGrady; Kristen McNabb, Emily Van Egmond, Taylor Kornieck; Belle Briede, Jodie Taylor, Alex Morgan ©.

Subs:

59’ NC Diana Ordoñez out, Rylee Baisden in.

59’ SD Tegan McGrady out, Sofia Jakobsson in.

59’ SD Christen Westphal out, Mia Gyau in.

65’ NC Jaelene Daniels out, Brianna Pinto in.

74’ SD Jodie Taylor out, Amirah Ali in.

74’ SD Taylor Kornieck out, Katie Johnson in.

75’ NC Meredith Speck out, Jorian Baucom in.

87’ SD Alex Morgan out, Makenzy Doniak in.

Goals (Assists):

42’ SD Alex Morgan (Taylor Kornieck)

Discipline:

49’ SD Emily Van Egmond (YC)

75’ SD Kaleigh Riehl (YC)

90’+ 2’ NC Kaleigh Kurtz (YC)