Angel City FC Falls to North Carolina Courage 0-1
September 14, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Angel City FC News Release
CARY, NC – Angel City lost 0-1 on the road at North Carolina tonight, following a second-half goal by forward Kerolin.
The game got off to a quick start with a clutch save by DiDi Haračić in the second minute. Debinha dribbled out of pressure and found Kerolin making a breakaway run. Kerolin sprinted toward goal, beating her marker, and took a shot from inside the box. Haračić came off her line and just got a toe on the shot, deflecting it out for a corner kick.
In the eighth minute, forward Claire Emslie ran onto a long ball over the top, beat the remaining defenders on the dribble, and put a shot on frame from inside the area, but keeper Casey Murphy saved.
Ten minutes later, Angel City came close again. Midfielder Cari Roccaro sent a short forward pass to midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan at the top of the box, who cleverly flicked the ball up and over her mark for midfielder Savannah McCaskill. McCaskill looked to have been brought down in the box by North Carolina midfielder Brianna Pinto, but no penalty was called.
In the 26th minute, Kerolin sent a ball into the box for Pinto. She laid the ball off to midfielder Denise O’Sullivan, who took a hard shot from just inside the 18; her shot was on target, but Haračić got a hand on the ball and tipped it over the crossbar. Less than a minute later, O’Sullivan headed a ball into the box down for Ordoñez, who was lurking at the near post, but she scooped the close-range shot over the bar.
Angel City had another chance in the 43rd minute, when Ali Riley received the ball, made a run up the left wing, and sent a pass back to midfielder Jun Endo in the box. Endo cut the ball to her left foot and put a shot on frame; Murphy blocked the ball, which bounced across the goal and over the endline for a corner kick.
North Carolina’s final chance of the first half came in the 45th minute. Ordoñez split the Angel City defense with a pass up the left to Debinha, who in turn made a forward run and crossed the ball back towards Ordoñez, who was crashing the net. Ordoñez fired off a shot that defender Paige Nielsen just managed to block. The deflection fell to Debinha, but Nielsen blocked her shot, too, and the ball was cleared from the box.
The second half also got off to a quick start, when McCaskill received a ball in space on the right, sprinted up the wing, and sent a diagonal pass to Endo. Endo had the defense beat and sent a shot toward the far post, but it fell just wide.
In the 54th minute, North Carolina broke through: Ordoñez dribbled up the left and laid the ball off to Debinha as she made an overlapping run. Debinha sent a cross in for Kerolin, who one-timed the ball past Haračić from close range.
Most of the remainder of the half saw few quality chances from either side, until the 79th minute, when defender Merritt Mathias sent a ball from the top of the 18 diagonally over the top for Debinha, who headed it on frame from point blank range- but Haračić came up big with another save. Haračić had a final reflex save in stoppage time when Debinha got one-on-one with her and shot from close range.
Angel City remain in seventh place following the loss. They play again at San Diego this Saturday, September 14, at 7:00 p.m. on Paramount+.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
ACFC Head Coach Freya Coombe
Overall thoughts on the game:
“I think that was our best performance of recent games. North Carolina gave us a good challenge and a good fight. We rose to the occasion well. We played some of our best attacking football in terms of being able to put our passes together and play through an opposition with a good defensive shape. I was pleased with the performance. Games like this are decided by really fine margins. DiDi did everything we could ask of her in making some of the saves that she made. I thought she was phenomenal.
“We don’t give up many goals per game. Our defense has been resolute throughout the season. I think we have conceded some of the fewest number of goals in the league along with OL Reign. DiDi is leading the expected goals against and actual goals given up. I think she has shown us how incredible she is and did so again tonight. We are able to deal with that pressure well. Now it is about us taking some of our chances and putting the ball in the back of the net. We certainly have to take more shots going forward.
“I think that the team put in a really good performance against a very tough North Carolina side. I thought we played some of our very best attacking moments. I think we have some improvements to make especially in the middle third. Overall, we do need to take more shots and get into the box a bit more. Defensively I thought we did well again.
“I know we have it in us to not even give up one. Credit to them on the counter. We have to remain a bit more patient. I think our defense has shown itself to be strong this year and I am pleased with the way it is going.”
“We did reduce some players’ minutes tonight. We have to get as much out of our players as we can. They certainly want to play, but we have to keep pushing on as a group.”
On Saturday’s match-up against a sold out Snapdragon Stadium:
“I think it is going to be high tempo, high passion. I think the crowd is going to create an amazing atmosphere for the players to play in, which is what every player in this league deserves week in, week out. I think we can rise to that occasion. We will get rest and recovery now, but we are very much looking forward to the rivalry.”
ACFC Defender Ali Riley
On overall mood of the team with the playoff race still in hand:
“That’s where our focus is. Obviously, we’re disappointed. We wanted to get a win against Houston and then beat North Carolina and go into Saturday up, which of course is going to be a very fun crazy game. However, nothing is done. We’re still positive that our destiny is in our own hands and we know that we put on one of our best performances tonight. Here in North Carolina, it’s never easy. We had really good chances, but it was a little bit tough not getting the penalty in the beginning for us.”
“Just the mentality all the way to the end, you could see how good North Carolina was when they’re moving the ball at the end and had a couple of chances. This is a very good team that has momentum. We knocked them every step of the way. So it was a performance to be proud of and we’re getting better and better, which was something that was one of our goals in the beginning of the season, to take it game by game and try to get better every single game. You’re seeing that even in this tough week. So if we can step it up one more level against San Diego then again, we can we can still finish this week road trip on a high”
On upcoming rivalry against San Diego:
“With the NWSL and with expansion teams in particular, even if you look at how North Carolina was at the beginning of the season, and how they’ve been doing the last few games this season, it’s almost like you’re playing another season within a season with the momentum and the periods that go within a season. Last time we played San Diego, there were a lot of players gone on international duty. It’s one of those things where it’s the individuals you play against. You have a little bit of familiarity there. Obviously in this league, a lot of us know each other really well.
“It’s [about] really focusing on what you can do as a team. Look at ourselves, what we want to do, who we want to be this season. Also, what our goals are and then just doing everything in our control to try to achieve that. In terms of really preparing, we can watch all the games we want throughout the season, but this league is so even. You see teams match up so differently against each other. It’s not always like you can prepare just by scouting and if you look again at how even the season is, it comes down to who’s better on that day. Of course we know the threats they have, the great players they have.
“[After the first game against San Diego], I was super happy because we won, but it’s a celebration of these two expansion teams who have created history, both with the records we’re breaking and also how well the teams have done and how many points, as expansion teams, these two teams have had. These are firsts so it’ll be a celebration. It will blow these records out of the water and will be a dogfight.”
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