North Carolina Courage recovered from an early setback and produced a strong second-half display to defeat Seattle Reign FC 3-1 in the National Women’s Soccer League on Saturday night at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.
Seattle struck first in the 19th minute when Sally Menti (19′) found the breakthrough, giving the visitors an early edge and briefly quieting the home crowd. But the Courage answered almost immediately. Just three minutes later, Ashley Sanchez (22′) restored parity with a well-taken finish to make it 1-1, ensuring the sides went into the interval level after an open first half.
The match turned after the restart as North Carolina began to take firmer control in key moments, even while Seattle enjoyed slightly more of the ball. The Courage earned the chance to go ahead in the 64th minute, and Riley Jackson (64′, pen) made no mistake from the penalty spot to put the home side in front. It was the decisive swing in a fixture that had been finely balanced through the opening hour.
From there, North Carolina looked increasingly confident. Sanchez then delivered the clinching moment in the 71st minute, grabbing her second goal of the night with Ashley Sanchez (71′) capping a sharp attacking move to stretch the lead to 3-1.
Seattle had enough possession to suggest they could get back into the contest, finishing with 53.4 percent of the ball and 17 total shots to North Carolina’s 16, but the Courage were more clinical in the decisive areas. The home side put six efforts on target and converted three times, while Seattle managed only four shots on target despite matching North Carolina’s four corners.
There was a moment of tension just before the penalty when North Carolina defender Madison Curry was shown a yellow card in the 63rd minute, but the Courage responded in the best possible way by taking control of the scoreboard a minute later.
The result lifts North Carolina Courage to 6-3-3 on the season, while Seattle Reign FC fall to 4-2-6. On a night when the contest was level at halftime, North Carolina’s cutting edge after the break proved the difference, with Sanchez’s brace leading the way in an impressive home victory.
