West Wake News

CARY, N.C. (June 14, 2024) – The North Carolina Courage returns home for the first time in a month to host the Orlando Pride on Saturday, June 15, with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at WakeMed Soccer Park. The match will stream live on NWSL+ nationally and air locally on COZI.

The event will celebrate Juneteenth with special performances, food trucks, vendors, and guests. The Courage players collaborated with local artist Mike Phillips to design custom cleats displayed in FanFest. Fans can bid on these boots, with all proceeds going to We Are, a non-profit organization providing anti-racism training for children, families, and educators. Gates will open at 6 p.m. ET and tickets are available online.

North Carolina has three of the next four matches at home after playing six of the last seven on the road. While perfect at WakeMed Soccer Park this year with a 5-0-0 record, North Carolina has lost all seven away games. The team enters the weekend eighth in the table with a 5-0-7 record for 15 points from 12 matches.

The Courage was held scoreless in a 1-0 loss at Portland last weekend due to a late VAR-induced penalty that also resulted in Ryan Williams receiving a second yellow card. Consequently, Williams will be absent this week due to suspension.

The Courage hasn’t lost at home in over a calendar year. Orlando presents a significant challenge as they enter this weekend undefeated in 2024 with an 8-4-0 record giving them 28 points from 12 matches.

Barbra Banda is the reigning NWSL Player of the Month with eight goals and three assists through eight matches played. She scored twice and provided an assist during the Pride’s previous victory over the Courage on May 1. Ally Watt, Adrianna, Marta, Summer Yates and other front-line players have been consistently dangerous while Morgan Gautrat headlines their pacey midfield. Their defense has been solid too, allowing just 11 goals this season.

The Courage looks forward to leveraging their home advantage ahead of the Olympic break as fans have an opportunity to support them directly after two months of mostly away games.