**CARY, N.C.** – The North Carolina Courage put on a showstopping display as the hosts defeated the visiting Washington Spirit, 6-0, after a four-goal flurry in the second half separated the two sides. Opening the scoring through Brittany Ratcliffe in the 61 ^st minute, the Courage proceeded to score four more goals in the next 18 minutes to put a stamp on the match and help their Challenge Cup positioning in a mighty way.
Initially a very tight contest, the two teams traded chances in the opening few minutes to get settled into the match. First up, Washington forward Ashley Hatch twisted and turned around the penalty area in the 9 ^th minute before firing a shot that rolled just wide of goalkeeper Kelly Rowland’s near post. Then, North Carolina found a way forward as Tess Boade led the charge with shots in the 12 ^th and 23 ^rd minutes, respectively, but neither side could crack the other’s proverbial code in the first half.
However, an action-packed second half saw the Courage then score all six of their goals within the final half-hour, beginning with forward Brittany Ratcliffe in the 61 ^st minute. Forward Tyler Lussi was on the ball out wide to the left when she whipped in a cross to find Ratcliffe just wide of the penalty spot. Taking a touch and trying to shake a defender in the process, Ratcliffe then created just enough space to have a look at goal and she powered an effort past Spirit goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart for the game’s first goal.
Four minutes later, North Carolina saw their lead doubled through a remarkable strike from midfielder Frankie Tagliaferri, who scored her first professional goal with the rocket. Another cross into the box was initially cleared by the Spirit defense, but only as far as Tagliaferri just outside the penalty area. Settling the ball for a moment, Tagliaferri then swung her left foot with venom and watched as the ball soared through the air to give her side a second goal in the 65 ^th minute.
With hardly any time to reset or catch a breathe, the hosts North Carolina added a third through forward Olivia Wingate in the 70 ^th minute, an instant impact from the substitute. The Courage recovered the ball on the edge of their attacking third, and the forward Boade drove ahead with the ball. Spotting Wingate’s run into the penalty area, Boade slipped an inch-perfect pass for Wingate to latch onto, and the talented goalscorer did the rest from there as she calmly slotted past Barnhart to put her team up three.
Barely a minute later, Boade then turned from provider to goalscorer as she took a pass across the box and beat Barnhart at the near post for a remarkable fourth goal in 11 minutes as the hosts just could not stop scoring. Running in transition, the ball was out wide to the left when a cross somehow squeezed through a host of bodies in the box and over to Boade, who made no mistake from close range in finishing the chance.
Then, in the 79 ^th minute, part of the icing on the cake came from attacker Brianna Pinto, who scored the pick of the bunch with a vicious volley from outside the box following a North Carolina corner. The Spirit were able to get the initial set piece delivery clear, but as the ball fell to Pinto, she absolutely lashed her right foot over the top the ball and sent it flying into the top right corner faster than anyone on the field could blink. With the points surely all but secure already, Pinto’s goal earned the Courage some extra style points in their demolition of Washington’s defense.
Finally, the last bit of the icing on the cake came for attacking midfielder Narumi, who was able to finish off a scramble near the Spirit goalmouth as Barnhart was out of position and the Japanese midfielder tapped home from close range. North Carolina moved again down the left side of the field, and as Barnhart made a good initial save from just a few yards out, it was then unfortunate for her to see Narumi pick up the loose ball and fire home for the game’s sixth and final goal.
The win is the biggest in NWSL Challenge Cup history and by the largest margin in league history with the hosts making their intentions more than known through the six-goal thriller. The result takes North Carolina to the top of the East Division and certainly pads their goal differential, while the Spirit remain in 3 ^rd place with one win and three losses through four games played.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights