Match Recap: Courage Win 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship
CARY, NC (May 7, 2022) — The North Carolina Courage defeated the visiting Washington Spirit, 2-1, at home on Saturday to win the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship. The match featured goals by Courage striker and Championship MVP, Kerolin Nicoli, along with Spirit forward Ashley Hatch and an own goal by Spirit defender Taylor Aylmer to give the Courage the win in the 70th minute.
Ten minutes into the match, the Courage found the lead early with a goal from Kerolin, set up by a driving run in by Debinha through the midfield. Debinha slotted a ball in at the top of the 18 yard box, splitting the Washington defense, and landing on the run of Kerolin. The Brazilian striker placed the ball past the reach of Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and into the lower left corner of the goal. “She’s different,” Head Coach Sean Nahas said of Kerolin. “She’s going to be one of the best players in the league, she’s a quality player. The best part to me is that [her skill] is not just on the attacking side, but she defends so well, she works so hard, and she’s bought in. She loves this team and we love her, and she’s only going to get better as she gets more comfortable. She’s going to have to adjust once teams figure her out, but I’m sure she will.” With 10 minutes remaining in the half, Spirit striker Ashley Hatch scored a goal to equalize. Hatch received a slotted pass from Trinity Rodman onto her run in the box, placing a shot across the face of the goal and into the lower left-hand corner of the net The winning Courage goal occurred in the 70th minute, set up by a corner from defender Carson Pickett who sent a lofted ball into the far post. Diana Ordoñez challenged the initial ball, sending a shot in which deflected off Spirit defender Taylor Aylmer and into the back of the net, tallied as an own goal by the Spirit. “I’ve been a part of championship teams before and we missed out on that the past couple of years,” said Courage captain Abby Erceg following the match. “[Winning a championship] again, it’s really addictive. I said to the team at the start of the year, ‘I really want this team to experience that feeling.’” “Coming into preseason, there was just a feeling about the group, a vibe about the group, a different energy, and it’s a winning energy,”Erceg added. “I wanted the group to experience that, and I think moving forward, [winning the Challenge Cup] is only going to help in terms of experience. I’m really happy for the girls, I think they’ve done a lot to get to the place that they’re in. I think we were written off quite early, so for them to prove everybody wrong is cool.”
Up Next: The North Carolina Courage will hit the road to resume regular season play against NJ/NY Gotham FC on Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed live on Paramount+ and Twitch (international).
Match Notes:
– Kerolin Nicoli scored her first Courage goal and was named 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship MVP
– The Courage outshot the Spirit 19-9 throughout the match
– Emily Gray, Debinha and Kerolin each notched four shots throughout the match.
Box Score:
NC (4-3-3): Katelyn Rowland, Carson Pickett, Abby Erceg, Kaleigh Kurtz, Merritt Mathias, Emily Gray (Meredith Speck – 85’), Denise O’Sullivan, Malia Berkely, Debinha, Kerolin (Taylor Smith – 74), Diana Ordoñez (Jaelene Daniels – 85’)
Subs Not Used: Casey Murphy, Brianna Pinto, Ryan Williams, Katie Bowen, Rylee Baisden, Jorian Baucom
WAS (4-5-1): Aubrey Kingsbury, Julia Roddar (Camryn Biegalski – 46’), Sam Staab, Emily Sonnett, Kelley O’Hara (Morgan Goff – 74’), Dorian Bailey, Taylor Aylmer (Jordan Baggett – 80’, Audrey Harding – 96’), Anna Heilferty (Bayley Feist – 74’), Ashley Sanchez, Trinity Rodman, Ashley Hatch
Subs Not Used: Devon Kerr, Karina Rodriguez, Tinaya Alexander, Amber Brooks,
Score:
NC: 2
WAS: 1
Goals:
NC: Kerolin Nicoli (Debinha) – 10’, Aylmer (Own Goal) – 70’
WAS: Ashley Hatch (Trinity Rodman) – 35’
Cautions:
NC: Merritt Mathias – 68’
WAS: Matías Giménez – 70’
Ejections:
NC: –
WAS: –
