- Aline Gomes - 32'
- Manaka Matsukubo - 45'+4'
- Hanna Lundkvist - 84'
North Carolina Courage edge San Diego Wave FC 2-1
The North Carolina Courage, buoyed by the efforts of Aline Gomes and Manaka Matsukubo, beat San Diego Wave FC 2-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Aline Gomes opened the scoring for North Carolina (12-2-9) in the 32nd minute with a right-footed shot from close range that found the bottom right corner of the net. In first-half stoppage time, Manaka Matsukubo doubled the Courage's lead with a header from the center of the box to make it 2-0.
San Diego Wave FC (5-7-11) managed to pull one back in the second half when Hanna Lundkvist scored in the 84th minute following a corner kick. Despite attempts on target by María Sánchez and Mya Jones toward the end of regulation time, the Wave couldn't find an equalizer.
Up next: The North Carolina Courage take on Angel City FC on Saturday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park. San Diego Wave FC will next face the Houston Dash on Sunday, October 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Melinda Sopka
NWSL Standings
Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kansas City Current | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | +19 | 33 |
Orlando Pride | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | +10 | 25 |
San Diego Wave FC | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | +9 | 24 |
Washington Spirit | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | +2 | 23 |
Portland Thorns FC | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | +7 | 22 |
Seattle Reign FC | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | +4 | 21 |
Racing Louisville FC | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 20 |
Gotham FC | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | +5 | 18 |
North Carolina Courage | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 18 |
Bay FC | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 15 |
Angel City FC | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -4 | 15 |
Houston Dash | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | -9 | 11 |
Chicago Stars FC | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | -17 | 6 |
Utah Royals | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | -18 | 5 |