CARY, N.C. (July 8, 2023) – The North Carolina Courage USL-W team are Southern Conference Champions after a 3-0 win over Tampa Bay United Saturday evening on Field Two at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Courage advance to the USL-W National Semifinals, where they will face the Eastern Conference Champion – the winner of Sunday’s match between Eagle SC and Morris Elite SC – next weekend.

After the first quarter hour saw timid action between two sides trying to get a read on one another, the Courage began knocking on the door for the next several minutes before breaking through near the half-hour mark. The Courage won possession at midfield and, in transition, Aven Alvarez feathered a through ball up the right wing for Emily Moxley, who glided into the box and beat the Tampa keeper one-on-one to put the Courage in front. Just a few minutes later, Alvarez would turn goal-scorer after a nice build from the back line up the right flank, Alvarez laid a ball off for Mackenzie Geigle, then made a brilliant run to collect a return pass to spring free up the middle, split a pair of defenders then bury corner netting to double the advantage. That two-goal lead would carry into the halftime break. Less than three minutes after the second-half kickoff, the Courage found the dagger. Brooklyn Holt rolled an ambitious pass up the middle, somehow splitting three defenders, which Braelynn Francher ran onto, side-stepped the keeper, and tapped home an empty netter for her second goal in as many playoff matches. Nine of the 11 starters for the Courage were either current or former members of the academy team, including Alvarez who led the way offensively in the championship match. The Courage, who narrowly missed the post-season in the inaugural USL-W season in 2022, now find themselves two wins away from a national title in year two. The quest will continue next week. Follow @TheNCCourage and @NCCourageUSLW on social media and visit www.nccourage.com for updates on opponent, time, location, and coverage as they become available.