The North Carolina Courage secured a 1-1 draw against Angel City FC on Saturday night, thanks to a late equalizer from Olivia Wingate. The match, held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, was attended by 7,037 fans. Despite the draw, North Carolina’s hopes for a top-four finish were dashed, confirming their place as the fifth seed and setting them up for an NWSL Quarterfinal on the road.
In the first half of the match, North Carolina dominated with seven out of eight shots and controlled 60% of possession. However, they failed to score before halftime. Angel City came back stronger in the second half with four of their five shots on target, leading to a more balanced game.
Casey Murphy stood out in goal for North Carolina during much of the second half by making three crucial saves. Angel City broke through when Christen Press scored in the seventh minute of added time.
With strong support from their home crowd, North Carolina continued to press forward. Denise O’Sullivan set up Olivia Wingate with a well-placed chip pass that led to Wingate’s equalizing goal in stoppage time.
This result extended North Carolina’s club-record home unbeaten streak to 21 matches since April 2023. They aim to tie Seattle’s NWSL record of consecutive home games unbeaten in their upcoming match against Washington on November 2.
Match notes highlight that North Carolina has won 11 points from losing positions this season and leads the league with ten goals scored by substitutes. Denise O’Sullivan contributed her third assist of the season during this match.
North Carolina will next travel to Bay FC for their final regular-season away game on October 19.
