North Carolina Courage U23, also known as North Carolina Courage USL W, is an amateur women's soccer team that plays in the USL W League. It is affiliated and shares ownership with the professional team North Carolina Courage, which competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
| Founded | January 27, 2022 | ||
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| Stadium | WakeMed Soccer Park Cary, North Carolina, United States | ||
| Head coach | Willie Davis | ||
| League | USL W League | ||
| 2024 |
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| Active teams of North Carolina FC | ||||
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| USLC | NWSL | USL2 | USLW | Youth |
History
editIn January 2022, NWSL club North Carolina Courage added an amateur team to compete in the newly formed W League,[1] becoming the second NWSL club to do so after Racing Louisville FC earlier that month.[2]
In the 2023 USL W League season, the Courage U23s went undefeated with an 11–0–1 record to win the South Atlantic division, then defeated FC Miami City and Tampa Bay United in consecutive 3–0 victories to win the Southern Conference championship and advance to the national championship semifinals.[3] After defeating Eagle FC 4–1, the Courage U23s advanced to the national finals for the first time in club history, facing Indy Eleven, where they lost 2–1 in overtime.[4][5] Former USWNT player Heather O'Reilly joined the team as a player and coach that season.[6][7]
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The Courage U23s returned to the national final with a 14–0–1 in the 2024 season.[9] They defeated the Colorado Storm in a 3–2 comeback victory at WRAL Soccer Park in Raleigh.[10]
Stadium
editNorth Carolina Courage plays its W League matches at Field Two at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.[11]
Players
edit- As of May 17, 2024
| Pos. | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| GK | MK Daly | Dartmouth |
| GK | Emily Edwards | Purdue |
| DF | Aven Alvarez | North Carolina |
| DF | Bella Ayscue | Penn State |
| DF | Amber Brooks | (Washington Spirit) |
| DF | Taylor Chism | NC State |
| DF | Kayleigh Herr | Penn State |
| DF | Brooklyn Holt | NC State |
| MF | Gabby Ciocca | Virginia Tech |
| MF | Braelynn Francher | UNC Charlotte |
| MF | Baylor Goldthwaite | Wake Forest |
| MF | Phoebe Goldthwaite | Duke |
| MF | Lauren Martinho | Duke |
| MF | Cazzi Norgren | Missouri State |
| MF | Bella Sember | North Carolina |
| FW | Macey Bader | UNC Charlotte |
| FW | Ivy Gardner | Liberty |
| FW | Mackenzie Geigle | Louisville |
| FW | Hannah Jibril | NC State |
| FW | Mia Oliaro | Duke |
| FW | Lexi Strickland | NC State |
| FW | Alyssa Tucker | Campbell |
Staff
editCoaching history
editYear-by-year
edit- As of July 21, 2024
| Season | League | Division | Regular season | Playoffs | Top goalscorer | Ref. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts. | Pos. | ||||||
| USL W | South Atlantic | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 22 | 2nd | Did not qualify | Emily Sapienza (5) | [12] | |
| South Atlantic | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 7 | +39 | 34 | 1st | Finals | [13] | |||
| South Atlantic | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 6 | +50 | 34 | 1st | Champions | [14] | |||
References
edit- ^ "USL Welcomes NC Courage U23s to W League" (Press release). North Carolina Courage. January 27, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Hruby, Emma (January 18, 2022). "Racing Louisville first NWSL team to expand into USL W League". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "CHAMPS! Courage U23 win USL-W conference title" (Press release). North Carolina Courage. July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ "USL W League: Indy Eleven and NC Courage U23 move into final". Soccer America. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ "Indy Eleven W League rallies around injured teammate, wins championship on wonder-goal". The Indianapolis Star. July 22, 2023.
- ^ Hruby, Emma (May 19, 2023). "USWNT Great Heather O'Reilly Stays Unretired With USL W League". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ Schnittker, Nicholas (July 8, 2023). "Former Huskies winning, growing with Courage U23s". The Wake Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ USL W League [@USLWLeague] (July 20, 2024). "M. V. P. 🥳👏" (Tweet). Retrieved July 21, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "2024 USL W League Final Preview: NC Courage U23 vs. Colorado Storm". USL W League. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "NC Courage U23 claims 2024 USL W League title after second-half comeback". USL W League. July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NC Courage U-23 Schedule". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "Standings". USL W League. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "Standings". USL W League. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ "NC Courage U23 claims 2024 USL W League title after second-half comeback". USL W League. Retrieved July 21, 2024.