HOUSTON (April 28, 2023) — The North Carolina Courage earned a weather-shortened road win over the Houston Dash, 0-1, Friday night at Shell Energy Stadium. The Courage took a first-half lead before a thunderstorm delayed, then ultimately ended the match early in the second period. The Courage secured their first win in Houston since April 28, 2019, while also handing the Dash their first loss of the 2023 season.
The Courage snapped a three-game regular season losing streak and improved to 2-3-0 while Houston fell to 1-1-3. Both teams now sit with six points through five regular season matches.
The lone goal in the match came near the half-hour mark when Emily Fox drove the left flank and sent a daring cross in front of the goal. Tyler Lussi fought into a dangerous spot and deflected the ball into the back of the net to put the visitors in front.
The Courage had several other chances in the first half, including a goal in the first quarter-hour that was called back by VAR for offside and a brilliant chance at the tail end of the half that was saved by Jane Campbell. The Courage held an advantage in shots, shots on goal, passed at 85% and held 65% of possession for the abbreviated match. Casey Murphy made one save while garnering her second clean sheet of the season.
Match Notes:
- The match was delayed, then officially suspended as an official match after 51 minutes
- The Courage secured their first win in Houston since April 28, 2019
- The three-game losing streak snapped Friday matched the longest reguar season streak in Courage history.
Next Match: The North Carolina Courage return home to begin a four-game home stand as they host Gotham FC on Wednesday, May 3, in UKG NWSL Challenge Cup group play. Gotham leads the East Division with three points while the Courage are tied for second with one point. The match will stream live on Paramount+ and @TheNCCourage will provide social media updates before, during and after the game.
Box Score:
NC (4-3-3): Casey Murphy, Ryan Williams, Kaleigh Kurtz, Emily Fox, Malia Berkely, Denise O’Sullivan ©, Meredith Speck, Narumi, Kerolin Nicoli, Rikke Madsen, Tyler Lussi
Subs Not Used: Mille Gejl, Haley Hopkins, Brittany Ratcliffe, Brianna Pinto, Clara Robbins, Katelyn Rowland, Frankie Tagliaferri, Olivia Wingate, Sydney Collins
HOU (4-4-2): Jane Campbell, Allysha Chapman, Natalie Jacobs, Katie Lind, Caprice Dydasco, Havana Solaun (Courtney Petersen – 46′), Maria Sanchez, Sophie Schmidt, Marisa Viggiano, Ebony Salmon, Diana Ordonez
Subs Not Used: Savannah Madden, Barbara Olivieri, Michelle Alozie, Sophie Hirst, Madelyn Desiano, Lindsi Jennings, Jyllissa Harris, Cameron Tucker
Score:
NC: 1
HOU: 0
Goals:
NC: T. Lussi – 33’ (E. Fox)
HOU:
Cautions:
NC: M. Sanchez – 20’
HOU:
