Event: OL Reign at NC Courage (NWSL)
Date/Time Ended: September 17th/ 8:35pm
Date/Time Submitted: September 17th/ 9:35pm
Headline: OL Reign Squeaks Out a 2-1 Win Over the NC Courage to Keep Playoff Dreams Alive
(Cary, NC) Goals from Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe, along with heroic goaltending from Phallon Tullis-Joyce kept the OL Reign in the rase for the NWSL postseason, on the road versus the NC Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park in North Carolina on Saturday night.
All three goals were scored in the first half hour of the match, with North Carolina’s only score coming in at six minutes, courtesy of an own goal from Reign. Courage Defender Ryan Williams got a shot on goal, but the rebound deflected off Reign’s Alana Cook. The next goal came five minutes later, courtesy of Rose Lavelle, who capitalized on a rebound from Megan Rapinoe to tie the game 1-1. The last goal of the contest came from Rapinoe on a free kick, a rocket to the bottom left of the goal.
While Tullis-Joyce kept the score in check for the Reign, the combined efforts of Courage goalie Casey Murphy, Williams and fellow Defender Carson Pickett, and Midfielders Denise O’Sullivan, Debinha and Diana Ordoñez maintained pressure on the Reign from start to finish in a very physical matchup.
With only three games left in the regular season for the NWSL for most teams, the loss is a hard one to swallow for the Courage. With three games left before playoffs, the top eight teams are only eight points apart, with the top six advancing to the postseason. In this scenario, every point counts, and the Courage will need to win their remaining games and hope that the Reign, Chicago Red Stars, and Angel City lose most of their final outings.
The final games for both the Courage and Reign are Gotham FC, San Diego Wave, and Houston Dash.