By Leo Baudhuin, Staff Editor
Cary, N.C. — A franchise record 10,227 people crowded the stands at WakeMed Soccer Park. It was miserably humid—made worse by the fact that most were seated in direct sunlight—but the excitement in the arena was tangible as fans awaited the kickoff of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Final: a matchup between the North Carolina Courage and the Chicago Red Stars.
It posed an intriguing face-off: the first place Courage meeting a team that had dealt them two of their five losses on the year, a Chicago side that they had yet to beat in 2019. However, it didn’t take long for the home fans to have something to cheer about; Brazilian star Debinha struck in the fourth minute to put the Courage ahead.
“We were on the back foot from the get-go tonight,” Red Stars head coach Rory Dames said after the match. “It definitely took us a good fifteen to twenty minutes to settle in, and at that point we were already chasing them.” Chicago never quite recovered from the first goal; Jess McDonald doubled the score with a well-placed header in the 26th minute, and Crystal Dunn tucked away her own shot for the Courage in the closing minutes of the first half.
“The one that probably really got us was the one right before halftime,” Dames pointed out. “If we could’ve gone in 2-0 and got reorganized … that goal definitely put us on the back foot.” Dames spoke to the areas his team struggled: supporting Australian striker Sam Kerr in the attack, a couple missed chances, injuries to key players that might not have decided the end result of the match but led to Chicago sitting back more than they would’ve liked against a high pressing team. 2019 was also the first time that the Red Stars had made it to NWSL final—Chicago was knocked out in the semifinal round for four consecutive years prior—and Dames attributed some of the loss to his and the team’s collective lack of experience in a championship setting.
Despite the Red Stars coming out stronger in the second half—Chicago’s Vanessa DiBernardo even found the back of the net in a play that was whistled dead due to an earlier foul—their fate was ultimately scored when Sam Mewis put away a header off a set piece. The 4–0 scoreline secured North Carolina’s second championship title in as many years, the decisive victory a reflection of their dominance in the NWSL.
“[I’m] very proud of my group for continuing to play through the game and trying to make the best of it that we could,” Dames said of his team, framing the match as a valuable learning experience for both himself and his players. “I think all you can do is tip your hats to the Courage and their players and their fans and congratulate them on another championship,” he added. “Everybody will go away and regroup and put together plans to make another run at them next year.”
The mood surrounding the Courage following the match was one of elation. “I’m so happy,” said Debinha, who was voted the game’s MVP. “Everybody worked hard the whole season, and for us it was a big win.”
Courage head coach Paul Riley echoed her sentiment: “Obviously this is a great feeling. There’s nothing like winning the championship.” Now with three consecutive NWSL Shields—awarded to the team who takes first place in the regular season standings—and two championships, North Carolina have carved a legacy for themselves in professional women’s soccer. While roster changes will shake up the team in the offseason—the NWSL recently announced new salary rules for 2020, and rumors point to the league’s likely expansion into Sacramento—the Courage will hope to continue to build on the success they’ve found these past few years.
Image credit: @nwsl, Instagram
