Courage look to bounce back with game in NJ Saturday

The North Carolina Courage play their third match in an eight-day stretch as they visit NJ/NY Gotham FC this Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Red Bull Arena. The match will be the first for the Courage on ION as part of the NWSL’s new television partnership.

The Courage fell 4-1 in Orlando Wednesday night, thanks in large part to Barbra Banda’s emergence onto the NWSL stage. She scored twice, had an assist, and it was her saved shot that led to a rebound goal in first half stoppage time. North Carolina is now fourth in the standings with a 4-3-0 record for 12 points and a +3-goal differential.

Tyler Lussi hit the crossbar early in the match Wednesday, narrowly denied a goal for a fourth straight match. The Courage stayed true to form with dominant possession and passing numbers, but the pace and ferocity of Orlando’s counter struck. It was the first time in four matches this season where the Courage did not win despite being out-shot by their opponent.

One of those wins came in the first meeting of the season with Gotham FC, where North Carolina held off a furious push down the stretch to hold on for a 1-0 win at WakeMed Soccer Park in March. The Courage are 12W-7L-5D lifetime against NJ/NY with a 10-3-3 record in the regular season. After going winless in five matches against Gotham in 2023, the Courage have a chance to sweep the season series from their East Coast rival for the third time in club history, having done so in 2018 and 2022.

Gotham did not have a midweek match, giving the home side the luxury of rest and regularity entering the fixture. They got a late stoppage time equalizer from Rose Lavelle in her return and team debut to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville last weekend. Gotham has scored just three goals in five regular season games but has also only conceded five times. The reigning champions have not begun their title defense the way they’d hoped, sitting 11th on the table with a 1-2-2 record for five points.

Lavelle’s return comes on the heels of Lynn Williams' reactivation as big-name stars continue to reignite the star-studded lineup. Nearing the quarter-mark of the 2024 regular season, teams across the league are beginning to show their identity in 2024. While Gotham haven’t gotten the results, they’ve shown a relentless tenacity and competitiveness that will require this traveled Courage side to find the energy for the full 90 minutes to get their first road points of the season.