Main Takeaways

Amid officiating controversy, the North Carolina Courage left two points on the table in a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Red Stars that saw them lead for over 90 minutes. 

Game Recap

North Carolina traveled to SeatGeek Stadium to take on the Chicago Red Stars last weekend in their ninth match of the season. The Courage lineup saw a handful of major changes, as several key players are still away on international duty for their countries and midfield stalwart Denise O’Sullivan is currently sidelined with a left knee injury.

Brittany Ratcliffe earned her first start of the season and goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland returned to the net for the first time since the Challenge Cup final. Usual-defender Carson Pickett slotted into the Courage midfield in the wake of O’Sullivan’s absence and Jaelene Daniels lined up next to captain Abby Erceg, who earned her 100th Courage appearance on Saturday. 

Kiki Pickett returned to the field for the first time since knee surgery earlier this year and Katie Bowen made her first appearance for the Courage. French forward Valérie Gauvin was also listed on North Carolina’s game-day roster for the first time this season.

The match began as a back-and-forth battle between the two sides. In the 20th minute, Rowland came up huge with a big save to deny Chicago’s Vanessa DiBernado and keep the score level. 

North Carolina’s Carson Pickett broke through in the 22nd minute after Meredith Speck sent a ball into the box that ended up being her first assist of the 2022 season. The goal was Carson Pickett’s first in the NWSL.

Soon after the half-time break, the Courage doubled their lead in the 49th minute thanks to Ratcliffe’s first goal of the season. Merritt Mathias played a perfectly weighted cross into Ratcliffe, who beat a diving Emily Boyd with a one-touch finish.

The rest of the second half played out much like the match began, with both teams exchanging dangerous chances. Then, the tide seemed to shift in Chicago’s favor as the clock ticked past the 90-minute mark.

In the 90+1 minute, the Courage defense was caught on their heels and Chicago chipped a ball over Katelyn Rowland to get on the board. On the other side of the pitch, North Carolina’s Jorian Baucom was fouled in the Chicago box at 90+3, but no penalty kick was awarded. 

Despite the fourth official indicating a minimum of three minutes stoppage time, the game continued on. In their last play of the game, the Red Stars capitalized off a corner and pulled themselves level with the North Carolina side that had been leading for 94 minutes.

With the tie, the Courage remain in last place in the NWSL with eight points and a 2W-2D-5L record. 

North Carolina will look to secure their third win of the regular season at home against Angel City FC on Friday, July 15th at 7:30pm.