NC Courage forward’s return from injury impacts offense amid continued unbeaten streak

NC Courage forward Tess Boade went semi-viral last weekend for an assist she earned against the Orlando Pride.

The simple, backwards pass set up Kerolin Nicoli for the opening — and winning — goal in the Courage’s 3-0 win, giving Boade her second assist since her return to the professional stage.

It just took some time for Boade to find her way back on the field.

Boade spent five seasons with the Duke women’s soccer team, playing in 93 games. But it’s been a while since she’s actually played the sport. For the past six months, she’s been sidelined.

“Six months watching games from the sideline, to now being back for about two three weeks now,” she said. “For sure, it feels great.”

Boade took an opportunity to play internationally, but suffered a shoulder injury and was forced to sit out of the early part of NC Courage’s season on injured reserve. Now heading into her fourth game since activation, the 5-foot-4 forward has two assists in her three matches played, including two starts.

With the Courage still riding high on their near-perfect streak — unbeaten in nine of their past 10 matches — the former Blue Devil said she’s implementing some of the lessons she’s learned on the sideline, onto the field.

“This was my first surgery and rehab,” Boade said. “So it was the first time I had to sit on the sideline, and it sucked, but I also think towards the end of it I realized how much as like a blessing it was that I got to sit back and kind of watch.”

Spending that much time on the sidelines, Boade said she learned how to look at the “bigger picture” in soccer. She said by looking from the outside in, rather than potentially overthinking what she’s doing on the field. It’s been an adjustment, but Boade said it’s helped give her clarity to certain elements of the game like passing and finding pockets of space — all things Racing Louisville takes advantage of.

NC Courage presents a very complex style offense, mostly built around approaching the game tactically. Head coach Sean Nahas built this style because of the players around him, Boade said, and it’s part of the reason she’s felt comfortable readjusting on the field.

“There’s so much of information overload that sometimes you can kind of get caught overthinking and all of that,” she said. “And when you watch an assignment, it’s funny because it’s just so easy to like, ‘Oh, they should have done this or should have turned up like that.’ It’s so easy on the sideline, but when you’re in it, I think kind of learning to have that like deep breath of like, ‘Okay, you know, it’s not that deep.’”

Boade isn’t the only player with high expectations for the match. Defender Emily Fox, who was just announced to Team USA’s Women’s World Cup roster, is once again playing against her former club. Fox didn’t earn any points the last time the two clubs faced off, but the former No. 1 overall pick has been a consistent defensive starter the Courage have relied upon throughout the season.

With the World Cup around the corner, Boade and Nahas both said they feel prepared for a few players’ absence when competing in Australia, particularly with Nahas’ approach in practices. He said he’s constantly rotating players in, regardless of playing time, to make sure everyone’s available at any given moment. That includes Boade as she reenters the Courage rotation, and players like Frankie Tagliaferri, who’ve gained opportunities to make an impact and contribute to the team’s momentum.

“I think that’s one of our biggest strengths as a team this year,” Boade said, “is that top to bottom, you know, we’ve got people can go out, start play 90 minutes and perform. I think we’re all on the same page.”

Saturday’s match is the second time Racing Lousiville FC and NC Courage face off this season. The Courage won the first matchup, 2-1, while Boade was still on the sidelines recovering. Fox, however, was a starter and played against her former club.

The Courage are a perfect 7-0-0 all-time against Racing Louisville, but the visitors head to WakeMed Park on a five-game unbeaten streak (three wins, two draws), and have only allowed one goal in those matches. NC Courage is third in the NWSL, while Racing Louisville FC is in eighth.

“This year, I mean, we honestly have such a great vibe and I think that that is carrying on over into our success in the fields,” Boade said. “We’ve got incredible people who I truly feel like every single person is rooting for everyone.”