North Carolina v San Diego
North Carolina Courage edge San Diego Wave FC 2-1
The North Carolina Courage, buoyed by the efforts of Aline Gomes and Manaka Matsukubo, beat San Diego Wave FC 2-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Aline Gomes opened the scoring for North Carolina (12-2-9) in the 32nd minute with a right-footed shot from close range that found the bottom right corner of the net. In first-half stoppage time, Manaka Matsukubo doubled the Courage's lead with a header from the center of the box to make it 2-0.
San Diego Wave FC (5-7-11) managed to pull one back in the second half when Hanna Lundkvist scored in the 84th minute following a corner kick. Despite attempts on target by María Sánchez and Mya Jones toward the end of regulation time, the Wave couldn't find an equalizer.
Up next: The North Carolina Courage take on Angel City FC on Saturday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET at WakeMed Soccer Park. San Diego Wave FC will next face the Houston Dash on Sunday, October 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
ESPN Generative AI Services creates recaps from event data and/or transcripts that are reviewed by human editors before posting; email support@espncustomercare.com for corrections.
Head-To-Head
Game Information
Cary, North Carolina, USA
Crew Member:Melinda Sopka
NWSL Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Wave FC | 15 | 9 | 1 | 5 | +6 | 28 |
| Washington Spirit | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | +12 | 27 |
| Portland Thorns FC | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | +8 | 27 |
| Gotham FC | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | +7 | 24 |
| Utah Royals | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | +5 | 24 |
| Kansas City Current | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | +1 | 24 |
| North Carolina Courage | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | +4 | 21 |
| Orlando Pride | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | +2 | 20 |
| Angel City FC | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | +6 | 19 |
| Seattle Reign FC | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | -3 | 17 |
| Denver Summit FC | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | +1 | 16 |
| Houston Dash | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -6 | 15 |
| Bay FC | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | -6 | 15 |
| Boston Legacy FC | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -6 | 13 |
| Chicago Stars FC | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | -20 | 12 |
| Racing Louisville FC | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | -11 | 7 |
NWSL News
Babajide, Madugu welcome expanded WAFCON as Nigeria target another title
1d
WAFCON champs Nigeria retain backbone of squad, but Ashleigh Plumptre out injured
1d
NWSL's Washington Spirit add Cameroon midfielder Monique Ngock to roster
1d
