Congratulations to the North Carolina Courage on winning the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship!

Match Highlights

• Kerolin Nicoli scored her first Courage goal and was named 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship MVP
• The Courage outshot the Spirit 19-9 throughout the match
• Emily Gray, Debinha and Kerolin each notched four shots throughout the match.

The Courage defeated the Washington Spirit, 2-1 to win and the match featured goals by Courage striker and Championship MVP, Kerolin Nicoli, along with Spirit forward Ashley Hatch and an own goal by Spirit defender Taylor Aylmer to give the Courage the win in the 70th minute.

The winning Courage goal occurred in the 70th minute, set up by a corner from defender Carson Pickett who sent a lofted ball into the far post. Diana Ordoñez challenged the initial ball, sending a shot in which deflected off Spirit defender Taylor Aylmer and into the back of the net, tallied as an own goal by the Spirit.

“I’ve been a part of championship teams before and we missed out on that the past couple of years,” said Courage captain Abby Erceg. “[Winning a championship] again, it’s really addictive. I said to the team at the start of the year, ‘I really want this team to experience that feeling.’”

“Coming into preseason, there was just a feeling about the group, a vibe about the group, a different energy, and it’s a winning energy,” Erceg added. “I wanted the group to experience that, and I think moving forward, [winning the Challenge Cup] is only going to help in terms of experience. I’m really happy for the girls, I think they’ve done a lot to get to the place that they’re in. I think we were written off quite early, so for them to prove everybody wrong is cool.”

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