The North Carolina Courage started off the 2024 NWSL season with a victory, defeating the Houston Dash 5-1 on Saturday in front of 5,878 spectators. This set a new record for the team’s first home game.

After scoring five points, the Courage honored Sam Mewis, known as number five, by inducting her into the newly established Courage Ring of Honor through a post-game ceremony.

In the game, North Carolina had 20 shots compared to Houston’s 8, with 8 shots on target compared to Houston’s 3. They also had possession of the ball for nearly 59% of the game and their passes were accurate 81% of the time.

In the 19th minute, Malia Berkely scored the first goal for the Courage from a penalty kick. She tricked Jane Campbell and calmly placed the ball in the bottom right corner. Brianna Pinto earned the penalty after a defender used their arm to block her cross.

This marked the initial achievement for Berkely in regular season matches.

Houston was close to scoring shortly after, however, Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy stopped the Dash from getting a response in the 21st minute with an excellent diving save to her left. Murphy came through once again in the 52nd minute, fully stretching to push another shot away from the goal and maintain the Courage’s lead.

In the 55th minute, Haley Hopkins of the Courage secured a safety net for her team by taking advantage of a midfield turnover by Denise O’Sullivan. She executed a strong one-on-one finish from the left wing. Hopkins had a total of five shots during the game, two of which were on target. She also had the most touches in the Dash penalty area with a total of six.

Houston managed to close the gap and score one goal in the 65th minute thanks to a free kick that ricocheted off Kaleigh Kurtz and ended up as an own goal during a chaotic situation in the penalty box.

In the 76th minute, Bianca St-Georges scored her debut goal to give her team a two-goal lead. She had only been substituted into the game two minutes prior, and scored after a successful give-and-go with Manaka Matsukubo. St-Georges would score again ten minutes later, making it a brace for the game. This time, the initial shot was blocked but deflected perfectly to St-Georges at the top of the box, allowing her to find the corner of the net.

St-Georges achieved a first in the NWSL by scoring two goals in her debut for the team, a feat not seen since the 2014 season.

In her first game with the Courage, free agent addition Dani Weatherholt sealed the night with a goal during added time, bringing the score to five.

Match Notes

• The first goal scored by Berkely in the NWSL regular season marked their first career goal as a defender.

• Bianca St-Georges scored her first goal only two minutes into her first game for the Courage.

• 18-year-old Riley Jackson made her professional debut, subbing on in the 90’.

Source: wralsportsfan.com