Match Info:
North Carolina Courage vs. Portland Thorns Saturday, October 30 at 10 p.m. ET Providence Park Portland, OR
CARY, NC (October 28, 2021) – The North Carolina Courage will wrap up the 2021 regular season against the Portland Thorns on Saturday, October 30 at 10 p.m. ET at Providence Park in Portland, OR. As the last few teams secure playoff bids, Saturday’s match against Portland is a must-win for the Courage to remain in contention for a playoff spot, contesting the remaining berths with Gotham FC and the Houston Dash.
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North Carolina Courage – #10 Debinha A proven difference-maker in the midfield, Debinha has a knack for performing at her best in crucial moments. The Brazilian international consistently utilizes her speed, quick footwork, and sharp passing ability to wreak havoc in both the defensive and attacking thirds. In this weekend’s match against their league foe, Debinha will look to add to her season goal and assist tallies, placing pressure on the Thorns backline and bolstering the midfield alongside teammates Denise O’Sullivan, Angharad James, and Cari Roccaro to lead the charge on the attack while also contributing defensively. Portland Thorns – #10 Lindsey Horan One of the league’s leaders in shots taken, Horan is arguably one of Portland’s best offensive talents. This season, the forward has tallied 38 shots, fifteen of which were on target, and converted two goals while logging three assists and 28 key passes in thirteen matches played. A win for the Thorns could be the difference in the Courage securing a berth in the NWSL playoffs, making the result a necessary one for the Portland side. Alongside the ever-iconic Christine Sinclair, Horan will look to add her name to the scoresheet as the Thorns take on the Courage at their home stadium.
Last Time Out
The North Carolina Courage fell to NJ/NY Gotham FC 3-0 last Sunday, two goals from Margaret Purce and an individual goal from Carli Lloyd being the deciding factor for Gotham in the match. Though the result was not in favor of the home side, the contest was highlighted by solid midfield performances from Debinha, Cari Roccaro, and Meredith Speck, as well as a celebration of Amy Rodriguez’s 100th NWSL appearance, Merritt Mathias’s 150th NWSL start, and Denise O’Sullivan’s 100th NWSL appearance. “In my opinion, I think [Gotham] had a 10-minute spell of momentum and put three goals in, and it happened really fast,” said Cari Roccaro following the match. “When you’re looking at the clock and it’s 3-0, you have nothing to lose at that point and you have to just try and do anything to get a rhythm back, and we did our best. I thought there were times where we held our own and times where they picked us apart, so I think it was just a back and forth thing. It’s definitely a good test, and Carli’s just unbelievable. She’s still got it.” “We started the game off strong, we came out and we knew this was a result we needed to get and we had a good game plan,” said Casey Murphy. “Second half, things took a turn for the worst, and they got momentum and from there it was hard to get any sort of rhythm back and get back to the game plan that we had in mind. We’re definitely disappointed with the result. As far as the standings, we’ve gotten to a place where some things are out of our control now, which you never want, but for us our focus has to remain on the last game in Portland.”
Playoff Scenario:
If Saturday’s result ends with a Portland win, the Courage will officially be out of play-offs and their season will be over. With a Courage win, North Carolina would rely on the Houston Dash to draw or lose their match against the Washington Spirit. The Courage would still have a chance to make play-offs with a tie against Portland, as long as Houston loses to the Spirit.
