{"id":24120,"date":"2019-08-05T15:42:54","date_gmt":"2019-08-05T19:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonsoccer.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=24120"},"modified":"2019-08-05T15:42:54","modified_gmt":"2019-08-05T19:42:54","slug":"north-carolina-victory-over-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2019\/08\/05\/north-carolina-victory-over-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Courage pick up victory over 10-person Washington team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cary, North Carolina \u2014<\/strong> It wasn’t the type of evening on the radar.<\/p>\n

After watching the rain trickle onto the field and then wash into the actual corridors of Sahlen Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, the match between the Courage and Washington Spirit was moved to Saturday. However, Saturday was already a jam-packed day. Not only were there two NWSL games, but the U.S. Women’s National Team kicked off their Victory Tour against Ireland.<\/p>\n

However, there was really no choice.<\/p>\n

The next day, nightmare ensued for the Washington Spirit. The Spirit are used to weather delays and have seen plenty of rainfall at their own stadium. However, the Spirit haven’t seen an early red card this year. Paige Nielsen was shown a straight red card in the 24th minute for fouling Debinha.<\/p>\n

However, Debinha didn’t score off the free kick, but in the second half. Julia Spetsmark, the Swedish international, found her Brazilian teammate for a goal in the 64th minute. After the match, Courage head coach Paul Riley said his side had glimpses of brilliance against Washington.<\/p>\n

“We had some great moments at times,” Riley said. “Our two fullbacks [Jaelene Hinkle and Merritt Mathias] were excellent in getting in lots of balls today.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in goal, Stephanie Labb\u00e9 continues to dominate the league. Since joining the Courage, Labb\u00e9 has four clean sheets in eight matches. She missed a large portion of the summer, due to the World Cup. However, she was opposite of Aubrey Bledsoe, who leads the league in saves with 55 saves and six shut outs.<\/p>\n

Washington will look to bounce back on Saturday, as they host the Chicago Red Stars.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheNCCourage\/status\/1158422664286834690<\/p>\n

Rosie White scores first Reign FC goal<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rose White didn’t waste any time for fans to start chanting her name.<\/p>\n

On the road in Houston, White tacked on her first goal as a member of Reign FC. Her goal came early, in the 21st minute, to secure three points. However, Reign FC had more chances on the road, with White having two more shots on goal.<\/p>\n

However, all eyes turned to Houston for a number of reasons. They had 19 total shots, with four hitting on frame. However, Kristie Mewis, Kyah Simon and Kealia Ohai could not find the back of Casey Murphy’s net.<\/p>\n

Also, eyes are on Houston due to their attendance numbers. While other teams are seeing a surge in attendance, the Dash are far away from any increase. The Dash only saw 3,621 seats filled up at BBVA Stadium.<\/p>\n

After the match, Reign FC coach Vlatko Andonovski said that traveling to Houston is unlike any other place.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing into Houston, we knew it was going to be different from the travel perspective,\u201d Andonovski said. \u201cThe temperature was a factor. There were lots of variables that came in to deciding what type of game we were going to play. So, that\u2019s why we decided to stay a little bit lower, be a lot more conservative, allow shots from distance. Sometimes, that can backfire, but this time we were fortunate enough and good enough that it worked well.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, it was another disappointing game for Dash coach James Clarkson.<\/p>\n

“We take one step forward and two steps back after tonight and huge opportunity to win the game,” Clarkson said. “The game was winnable, and we got ourselves in some good spots \u2013 about 20 shots on goal and maybe four on target… It\u2019s something that we\u2019ve got to continue to work on and try to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Big moment for @rosiewhite13<\/a>. <\/p>\n

See how she grabbed her first @ReignFC<\/a> goal.<\/p>\n

0-1 | #HOUvSEA<\/a> on ESPNews pic.twitter.com\/QsPICb9E8O<\/a><\/p>\n

— National Women\u2019s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 2, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n