**CARY, N.C.** – The North Carolina Courage defeated the Orlando Pride, 3-0, behind a brace from the league’s leading goalscorer Kerolin and a tally from second half substitute Meredith Speck to help earn the result. The win shot the Courage to the top of the league standings ahead of Sunday’s games, with North Carolina on 20 points with the Reign, Wave, and Spirit, but Saturday’s hosts hold the advantage in goal differential. Meanwhile, the Pride remain in 8 ^th place with 13 points from their 12 games played.
North Carolina got off to a hot start with midfielder Narumi Miura creating danger in the opposition penalty box as early as the 6 ^th minute. Miura was on the ball in the left side of the penalty area when she found an open angle and slid a teasing cross across the front of the goal for a teammate to latch onto. Unfortunately, no runners came through and the chance fell flat.
One minute later, Kerolin found her first chance of the night as she got on the end of a through ball over the top and found herself in behind the defense with space to run into. Closing down on goal, Pride shotstopper Anna Moorhouse did well to come off her line and get a vital foot on the ball before the Brazilian forward rounded her for an easy goal. The challenge halted momentum and left Kerolin frustrated as she failed to get a shot away.
The home side only continued piling pressure on the Pride goal with forward Tess Boade having a look of her own in the 12 ^th minute. Boade had somehow come out on the other side of a 1-on-1 with an Orlando defender in possession and found herself just a few yards away from goal. Though she had little space to work with, Boade was still able to toe poke an effort toward Moorhouse that the goalkeeper repelled from near point blank range to keep out.
Not to be deterred for much longer, though, North Carolina scored their first goal of the night through Kerolin in the 32 ^nd minute. A really impressive team move saw the ball worked in the box before being laid back off to Kerolin near the edge of the area. From her position, Kerolin passed the ball into the bottom right corner of goal and put her team in front still in the first half.
Outside of a look on goal for forward Messiah Bright in the 43 ^rd minute, Orlando were unable to produce a lot in front of the North Carolina goal as the Courage continued to dominate all around.
Into the second half, two goals in five minutes from Meredith Speck and Kerolin in the 78 ^th and 83 ^rd minutes all but sealed the result for surging Courage side. First, in the 78 ^th minute, forward Olivia Wingate played a pass across the top of the box for Speck, and she produced a fine finish from 17 yards out to beat Moorhouse and increase her team’s advantage.
Then, in the 83 ^rd minute, Kerolin finished off a move that started all the way in defense as a long ball over the top played her in behind the Pride defense again. Squeezing around a defender, Kerolin then squared a pass across the box that was sent back toward goal by a Pride player. Bouncing off the post, Kerolin somehow managed to eventually bundle the ball over the line and into the back of the net for the game’s third and final goal.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights