**Cary, North Carolina** – The North Carolina Courage opened the 2022 Challenge Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park with a resounding 2-0 victory over Gotham FC.
The first half began with the Courage on the attack, and an early opportunity came by way of a Merrit Mathias cross for forward Taylor Smith though she was unable to direct the effort on target. Six minutes later, it was Gotham FC’s first opportunity to get on the board as midfielder Paige Monaghan got on the end of a cross that beat the onrushing goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland but landed just wide to the left.
Momentum swung back to the way of the Courage in the 22 ^nd minute, and having just failed to convert a great opportunity from a corner one minute earlier, the hosts would open the scoring. Defender Carson Pickett swung a level ball into the box where Brianna Pinto was waiting, and the midfielder looped her effort just beyond Harris to the left side to go one-up.
As the half wore on, the hosts continued to apply pressure and nearly added a second goal just before the halftime interval when clever play on the left flank produced a cross-cum-shot that landed wide.
At the halftime interval, the Courage held tightly to its one goal advantage over Gotham FC.
It didn’t take long for the Courage to press in the second half, either, with an opportunity to score just two minutes into the half. A fantastic ball in from a free kick on the left flank couldn’t reach anyone at the back post, though a toe on the cross would have almost certainly led to the Courage doubling their lead.
However, in the 51 ^st minute, the Courage did earn the second goal they were seeking. Again finding relative success of a set-piece, a corner kick resulted in North Carolina’s Malia Berkely knocking the ball down for debutant defender Abby Erceg, and Erceg’s effort toward the far post was unable to be saved by Harris.
Right after the hour mark, Pinto again tries to double her tally as she curls a shot toward the Gotham FC goal, though she failed to keep it on target. The Courage would continue to attack the opposition goal, and a pair of efforts from defender Carson Pickett and Tess Boade landed narrowly wide of Harris’s goal.
The Courage exerted their dominance throughout, and though Gotham FC had a pair of quality opportunities, it was a well-deserved win from the hosts. The Courage move on to face the Orlando Pride next Saturday on the road, while Gotham FC travels to the home of the Washington Spirit one day prior on Friday.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights