East Wake Times

The North Carolina Courage are preparing to host Seattle Reign FC at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park for their home opener on Saturday, March 22, at 7 p.m. ET. This match marks the first home game of the season for the Courage.

After the match, the club will honor Jessica McDonald by inducting her into the Ring of Honor alongside Sam Mewis, who was inducted in 2024 and will attend to celebrate McDonald's achievements. Fans can meet McDonald for autographs during FanFest at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Both teams began their seasons with draws last weekend, thanks to second-half goals from their U-20 USWNT players. Riley Jackson scored for the Courage against Racing Louisville, while Emeri Adams equalized for Seattle against Gotham. Jackson's goal was her second for the Courage and her first in a regular-season game.

In their previous match, the Courage controlled possession with 67.8%, one of their highest figures since Opta started tracking stats in 2016. They also had a slight edge in shots over Louisville.

Assistant coach Nathan Thackeray expressed satisfaction with the team's performance against Louisville, noting areas that could improve but highlighting strong control in the second half.

The game saw debuts for Jaedyn Shaw, Hannah Betfort, and Shinomi Koyama with Betfort creating two chances in just 34 minutes as a substitute. Goalkeeper Casey Murphy made six saves during challenging weather conditions and aims to continue her form against her former team this weekend.

Under Head Coach Sean Nahas, the Courage have maintained a strong home record with a 20-9-9 record since 2022. They were undefeated at home throughout most of 2024 until losing narrowly to Washington Spirit.

Seattle brings offensive talent with Jordyn Huitema and Ji So-Yun but missed new addition Lynn Biyendolo due to injury in their opener. Biyendolo is known for scoring a club-record 42 goals during her time with the Courage.

With both teams earning one point from opening matches and only three teams securing wins across the league so far, Saturday's game offers an early chance for the Courage to set a positive tone for their season.