2023 North Carolina Courage season
North Carolina Courage 2023 soccer season
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The 2023 North Carolina Courage season was the team's seventh season as a professional women's soccer team. The Courage played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
Managing OwnerSteve Malik
Club PresidentFrancie Gottsegen
Head CoachSean Nahas
StadiumWakeMed Soccer Park
Cary, North Carolina
(Capacity: 10,000)
Cary, North Carolina
(Capacity: 10,000)
| 2023 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Managing Owner | Steve Malik | ||
| Club President | Francie Gottsegen | ||
| Head Coach | Sean Nahas | ||
| Stadium | WakeMed Soccer Park Cary, North Carolina (Capacity: 10,000) | ||
| NWSL Regular Season | 3rd | ||
| NWSL Challenge Cup | Champions (2nd title) | ||
| Playoffs | Quarterfinals | ||
| Top goalscorer | Kerolin (9 goals) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 7,070 (May 6 vs POR) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 4,014 (Jun 17 vs ORL) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 4,800 | ||
|
| |||
| All statistics correct as of July 9, 2023. | |||
Background
Broadcasting
On June 5, 2023, the Courage announced that Bally Sports South would regionally broadcast eight of the team's games.[1]
Team
Current squad
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | GK |  USA |
Katelyn Rowland |
| 1 | GK | USA |
Casey Murphy |
| 2 | DF | USA |
Sarah Clark |
| 3 | DF | USA |
Kaleigh Kurtz |
| 4 | MF | USA |
Emily Gray |
| 5 | FW | USA |
Haley Hopkins |
| 6 | MF |  JPN |
Narumi Miura |
| 7 | DF | USA |
Malia Berkely |
| 8 | MF | USA |
Brianna Pinto |
| 9 | FW |  BRA |
Kerolin |
| 10 | MF |  IRL |
Denise O'Sullivan |
| 11 | FW | USA |
Brittany Ratcliffe |
| 12 | DF | USA |
Emily Fox |
| 13 | DF | USA |
Ryan Williams |
| 14 | FW | USA |
Tyler Lussi |
| 17 | FW |  DEN |
Rikke Madsen |
| 18 | DF |  CAN |
Sydney Collins |
| 19 | MF | USA |
Frankie Tagliaferri |
| 20 | FW | USA |
Olivia Wingate |
| 21 | DF | USA |
Nikia Smith |
| 22 | FW | DEN |
Mille Gejl |
| 23 | DF | USA |
Kiki Pickett |
| 24 | DF |  CMR |
Estelle Johnson |
| 25 | MF | USA |
Meredith Speck |
| 26 | MF | USA |
Clara Robbins |
| 28 | FW | USA |
Tess Boade |
| 29 | FW |  ENG |
Millie Farrow |
| 44 | GK | USA |
Marisa Bova |
| 55 | GK | USA |
Hensley Hancuff |
| 99 | MF | CAN |
Victoria Pickett |
| — | MF | JPN |
Rikako Kobayashi |
Staff
| Executive | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Steve Malik |
| President | Francie Gottsegen |
| Chief soccer officer | Curt Johnson |
| Assistant general manager | Bobby Hammond |
| Coaching | |
| Head coach | Sean Nahas |
| Assistant coach | Nathan Thackeray |
| Assistant coach | Emma Thomson |
Regular season
Matches
| March 25, 2023 1 | North Carolina Courage | 1–0 | Kansas City Current | Cary, North Carolina |
| 2:00 pm EDT |
|
Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,948 Referee: Alex Billeter |
| April 1, 2023 2 | San Diego Wave FC | 3–1 | North Carolina Courage | San Diego, California |
| 8:00 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium Attendance: 17,000 Referee: John Griggs |
| April 15, 2023 3 | North Carolina Courage | 1–2 | Washington Spirit | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 5,160 Referee: Adorae Monroy |
| April 22, 2023 4 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 1–0 | North Carolina Courage | Harrison, New Jersey |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
| April 28, 2023 5 | Houston Dash | 0–1 | North Carolina Courage | Houston, Texas |
| 7:30 pm CDT | Report | Stadium: Shell Energy Stadium Referee: Thomas Snyder | ||
| Note: Match abandoned at 56' due to weather, result awarded to the Courage[9] | ||||
| May 6, 2023 6 | North Carolina Courage | 3–3 | Portland Thorns FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 7,070 Referee: Alyssa Nichols |
| May 14, 2023 7 | North Carolina Courage | 1–0 | OL Reign | Cary, North Carolina |
| 3:00 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,059 Referee: Alex Billeter |
| May 20, 2023 8 | North Carolina Courage | 0–0 | Angel City FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT |
|
Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,723 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk |
| May 27, 2023 9 | Racing Louisville FC | 1–2 | North Carolina Courage | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 pm EDT | Report |
|
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 5,874 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
| June 3, 2023 10 | Kansas City Current | 1–0 | North Carolina Courage | Kansas City, Kansas |
| 6:30 pm CDT | Report | Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Attendance: 10,294 Referee: JC Griggs |
| June 10, 2023 11 | Chicago Red Stars | 0–5 | North Carolina Courage | Bridgeview, Illinois |
| 6:00 pm CDT | Report |
|
Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 3,541 Referee: Karen Callado |
| June 17, 2023 12 | North Carolina Courage | 3–0 | Orlando Pride | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,014 Referee: Calin Radosav |
| June 24, 2023 13 | North Carolina Courage | 1–0 | Racing Louisville FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,041 Referee: Elton Garcia |
| July 1, 2023 14 | North Carolina Courage | 1–0 | Houston Dash | Cary, North Carolina |
| 8:30 pm EDT |
|
Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,387 Referee: Rebecca Pagan | |
| Note: Kickoff delayed from 7:30 pm by thunderstorms in the area. | ||||
| July 9, 2023 15 | Angel City FC | 2–1 | North Carolina Courage | Los Angeles, California |
| 5:00 pm PDT | Report | Stadium: BMO Stadium Attendance: 17,876 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
| August 20, 2023 16 | Portland Thorns FC | 2–1 | North Carolina Courage | Portland, Oregon |
| 7:30 pm PDT | Report |
|
Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 22,107 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
| August 27, 2023 17 | North Carolina Courage | 1–1 | Chicago Red Stars | Cary, North Carolina |
| 2:00 pm EDT |
|
Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| September 2, 2023 18 | North Carolina Courage | 3–3 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Report |
|
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 6,389 Referee: Abdou Ndiaye |
| September 17, 2023 19 | Orlando Pride | 2-1 | North Carolina Courage | Orlando, Florida |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Watt  1'
Adriana 32' |
Report | Matsukbo 52'
Berkely  78' |
Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 5,907 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
| October 1, 2023 20 | OL Reign | 1-1 | North Carolina Courage | Seattle, Washington |
| 5:00 pm PDT | Report | Stadium: Lumen Field Attendance: 10,345 Referee: Elton Garcia |
| October 7, 2023 21 | North Carolina Courage | 0–0 | San Diego Wave FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT |
|
Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 10,434 Referee: Anya Voigt |
| October 15, 2023 22 | Washington Spirit | 0-1 | North Carolina Courage | Washington, D.C. |
| 5:00 pm EDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 15,479 Referee: Ricardo Fierro |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Wave FC (S) | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 37 | NWSL Shield, Playoff semifinals, and CONCACAF W Champions Cup |
| 2 | Portland Thorns FC | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 42 | 32 | +10 | 35 | Playoff semifinals and W Champions Cup |
| 3 | North Carolina Courage | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 33 | Playoff quarterfinals |
| 4 | OL Reign | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 32 | |
| 5 | Angel City FC | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 31 |
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 13 | +1 |
Last updated: October 15, 2023.
Source: NWSLsoccer.com
Results by matchday
Updated to match(es) played on October 15, 2023. Source: NWSL
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Playoffs
| October 22, 2023 First round | North Carolina Courage | 0–2 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,612 Referee: Katja Koroleva |
Challenge Cup
Group stage
| April 19, 2023 1 | Orlando Pride | 1–1 | North Carolina Courage | Orlando, Florida |
| 7:00 pm EDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 3,139 Referee: Gabriele Giusti |
| May 3, 2023 2 | North Carolina Courage | 1–1 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Gejl 3' |
Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,761 Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| June 14, 2023 3 | Washington Spirit | 1–2 | North Carolina Courage | Washington, D.C. |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 5,778 Referee: Matthew Corrigan |
| July 22, 2023 4 | North Carolina Courage | 6–0 | Washington Spirit | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 4,063 Referee: Thomas Snyder |
| July 29, 2023 5 | North Carolina Courage | 5–0 | Orlando Pride | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 pm EDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 3,543 Referee: Greg Dopka |
| August 5, 2023 6 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 2–0 | North Carolina Courage | Harrison, New Jersey |
| 7:30 pm EDT | Report | Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 3,004 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
Divisional standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NC | NJY | WAS | ORL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina Courage | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 6–0 | 0–0 | |
| 2 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 11 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Washington Spirit | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 9 | 1–2 | 4–2 | — | 4–2 | ||
| 4 | Orlando Pride | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | — |
Source: NWSL
Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
Last updated: October 26, 2023.
Source: NWSLsoccer.com
Results by matchday
Updated to match(es) played on June 14, 2023. Source: NWSL
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Knockout stage
| September 6, 2023 Semifinal | Kansas City Current | 0–1 | North Carolina Courage | Kansas City, Kansas |
| Report | Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Attendance: 4,590 |
Championship
| September 9, 2023 Championship | North Carolina Courage | 2–0 | Racing Louisville FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 12:30 pm EDT | Report |
|
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: Alex Billeter MVP: Manaka Matsukubo |
Transactions
2023 NWSL Draft
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2023 NWSL Draft was held on January 12, 2023.
| R | P | Nat. | Player | Pos. | College | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | | Olivia Wingate | FW | Notre Dame | Signed through 2025. | [10][11] |
| 8 | | Sydney Collins | MF | California | |||
| 9 | | Clara Robbins | MF | Florida State | |||
| 11 | | Haley Hopkins | FW | Virginia | |||
Contract options
| Date | Nat. | Player | Pos. | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 15, 2022 | | Marisa Bova | GK | Option exercised. | [10][12] |
| Kaleigh Kurtz | DF | |||
| Tess Boade | MF | |||
| Emily Gray | MF | |||
| Fuka Nagano | MF | |||
| Frankie Tagliaferri | MF | |||
 | Diana Ordóñez | FW | |||
| Jaelene Daniels | DF | Option declined. | ||
Re-signings
| Date | Nat. | Player | Pos. | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 28, 2022 | | Kaleigh Kurtz | DF | Re-signed through 2025 on a guaranteed contract. | [10] |
| December 6, 2022 | | Meredith Speck | MF | Free agent re-signed through 2024 on a guaranteed contract. | [13] |
| January 3, 2023 | | Casey Murphy | GK | Re-signed through 2025 on a guaranteed contract. | [10] |
| January 5, 2023 | | Brianna Pinto | MF | Re-signed through 2025 on a guaranteed contract. | [10] |
| January 19, 2023 | | Ryan Williams | DF | Re-signed through 2025. | [10] |
| January 23, 2023 | | Brittany Ratcliffe | FW | Free agent re-signed through 2023, with a mutual option to extend through 2024. | [10] |
| January 24, 2023 | | Katelyn Rowland | GK | Free agent re-signed through 2025. | [10] |
Loans in
| Date | Nat. | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 27, 2023 | |
Manaka Matsukubo | MF |
MyNavi Sendai |
Loaned until June 2024. Courage have option to transfer playing rights to the club on a permanent basis following the loan period. | [14] |
Loans out
| Date | Nat. | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 15, 2022 | | Tess Boade | MF |  Western Sydney Wanderers |
Loaned until February 2023. Returned December 17, 2022, due to injury. | [12][15][16] |
| August 15, 2023 | |
Hensley Hancuff | GK |
 Växjö DFF |
Loan runs through the 2023-24 Damallsvenskan season. | [17] |
Transfers in
| Date | Nat. | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2022 | | Estelle Johnson | DF | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
Free-agent signed through 2024 on a guaranteed contract. | [18][19] |
| January 20, 2023 | | Tyler Lussi | FW | Angel City FC |
Acquired in exchange for Merritt Mathias. | [10][20] |
| Mille Gejl | FW | BK Häcken FF |
Signed through 2024. | [10][21] | |
| January 23, 2023 | | Emily Fox | DF | Racing Louisville FC |
Acquired in exchange for Abby Erceg and Carson Pickett. | [10][22] |
| February 7, 2023 | | Narumi Miura | MF | Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
Acquired for an undisclosed transfer fee. Under contract through 2024. | [10][23] |
| April 7, 2022 | | Victoria Pickett | MF | NJ/NY Gotham FC |
Acquired in exchange for $200,000 in allocation money. | [24][25] |
| June 27, 2023 | | Hensley Hancuff | GK |
Brisbane Roar FC |
Short-term national team replacement player signing. | [4] |
| Sarah Clark | DF |
Virginia Cavaliers | |||
| Nikia Smith | DF |
 F.C. Ramat HaSharon | |||
| July 17, 2023 | | Rikako Kobayashi | MF |
Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
Free transfer signed to a two-year contract with an option for an additional year. | [5][26] |
Transfers out
| Date | Nat. | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 15, 2022 | | Rylee Baisden | FW | Perth Glory |
Contract mutually terminated. | [10][12] |
 | Katie Bowen | DF | Melbourne City | |||
| December 18, 2022 | | Diana Ordóñez | FW | Houston Dash |
Traded with the 30th-overall selection of the 2023 NWSL Draft in exchange for the eighth-overall selection in the 2023 NWSL Draft, Houston's natural first-round selection in the 2024 NWSL Draft, a 2023 international slot, and $100,000 in allocation money. | [10][12] |
| December 22, 2022 | | Debinha | MF | Kansas City Current |
Free-agent signing. | [10][12] |
| January 14, 2023 | | Fuka Nagano | MF | Liverpool F.C. |
Transfer terms not disclosed. | [27] |
| January 20, 2023 | | Merritt Mathias | DF | Angel City FC |
Traded in exchange for Tyler Lussi. | [10][12] |
| January 23, 2023 | | Abby Erceg | DF | Racing Louisville FC |
Traded in exchange for Emily Fox. | [10][22] |
| Carson Pickett | DF | ||||
Injury listings
| Date | Nat. | Player | Pos. | List | Injury | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 20, 2023 | | Tess Boade | MF | 45-day injured reserve | Shoulder injury suffered while on loan to Western Sydney Wanderers. | [16][28] |
| Emily Gray | MF | Season-ending injury | Anterior cruciate ligament tear during preseason. | [28] | |
Preseason trialists
Trialists are non-rostered invitees during preseason and are not automatically signed. The Courage released their preseason roster on February 3, 2023.[29]
| Nat. | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Elianna Beard | MF |
F.C. Kiryat Gat |
Not signed. | [29] |
|
Sarah Clark | DF |
Virginia Cavaliers |
Signed as a national team replacement player. | [29][4] |
 |
Jennifer Cudjoe | MF |
NJ/NY Gotham FC |
Not signed. | [29] |
|
Nikia Smith | DF |
F.C. Ramat HaSharon |
Signed as a national team replacement player. | [29][4] |
|
Croix Soto | DF |
Oregon Ducks |
Not signed. | [29] |