NC Courage win 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup with gritty 2-1 win over Washington Spirit
Playing through a packed schedule and a rough game against a tough opponent, the North Carolina Courage added another title to their already storied Triangle tenure on Saturday, defeating the visiting Washington Spirit, 2-1, to win the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship.
The NC Courage have won three consecutive NWSL Shields, the inaugural Women’s ICC Championship, and the 2018 and 2019 NWSL Championships since relocating from New York in January 2017.
Courage striker and Challenge Cup championship MVP Kerolin Nicoli scored and the Courage benefited from an own-goal off Spirit defender Taylor Aylmer in the 70th minute to earn the victory.
Nicoli’s tally came at about the 10-minute mark when she split the defense on a slick feed from Debinha and fired a shot into the lower left corner of the cage past a diving Aubrey Kingsbury for a 1-0 advantage.
“(Kerolin’s) different,” Courage coach Sean Nahas said in a news release. “She’s going to be one of the best players in the league, she’s a quality player.”
Twenty-five minutes after Nicoli’s strike, the Spirit’s Ashley Hatch equalized with a very similar goal.
In the second half, a Courage set play on a corner kick proved the difference. Carson Pickett sent the ball into the box, toward the far post. Diana Ordoñez sent a redirection back toward the goal, which deflected off Aylmer and into the net.
“I’ve been a part of championship teams before and we missed out on that the past couple of years,” Courage captain Abby Erceg said in a news release. “It’s really addictive. I said to the team at the start of the year, ‘I really want this team to experience that feeling.’”
The Courage outshot the Spirit 19-9 in the match.
There were also a couple of scary moments during the match that left some questioning safety procedures.
At one point, according to a Sports Illustrated report, Spirit midfielder Jordan Baggett was injured and needed a stretcher. The medical crew wasn’t quick enough, so some of the Spirit players ran over to bring the stretcher to their teammate.
Another controversial moment happened when the Spirit’s Sam Staab ran into Nicoli, knocking her to the ground as she screamed in pain. No penalty was called.
After a short break, the Courage will hit the road to resume regular-season play against NJ/NY Gotham FC on Saturday at 7 p.m.
