North Carolina Courage 2–0 Angel City FC, NWSL Matchday 19

North Carolina Courage v Angel City FC

North Carolina Courage5th 36 pts

A. Sanchez 41′, 78′

2

2–0

Full time

Wed 26 Aug

Expected goals: North Carolina Courage 1.15, Angel City FC 1.09

Angel City FC9th 26 pts

0

Wed 26 Aug, 8:00 pm EDT First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park NWSL 2026, Matchday 19

The match story

Ashley Sanchez portrait — Courtesy North Carolina Courage

NWSL News

Ashley Sanchez returns as a scorer, and a link for others

Sanchez’s Courage season has brought more frequent shooting. Her return against Spain also showed the value of moving the ball on.

17 October 2026

Key moments

41′Goal A. Sanchez (North Carolina Courage)1–0
78′Goal A. Sanchez (North Carolina Courage)2–0

Top performers

North Carolina Courage

A. SanchezMNCshirt 22G4SH
C. OkaforMNCshirt 80G3SH
E. IjehFNCshirt 100G2SH

Angel City FC

A. SentnorMLAshirt 170G6SH
S. JónsdóttirLAshirt 32, came off the bench0G4SH
C. EmslieMLAshirt 100G2SH

Three per club, chosen from the match record: goals, then shots.

What it means

North Carolina Courage

5th▲1 from 6th

In the playoff places, 10 points above Angel City FC, with nine to play.

Angel City FC

9thNo change

Outside the playoff places, 2 points behind Seattle Reign FC in the last playoff place, with ten to play.

Season series

Matchday 10 Sun 31 May

Angel City FC1

North Carolina Courage2

Matchday 19 Wed 26 Aug

North Carolina Courage2

Angel City FC0

North Carolina Courage took both meetings, 4–1 on aggregate.

Team stats

NC LA

Expected goals: North Carolina Courage: 1.15; Angel City FC: 1.09
Possession: North Carolina Courage: 49%; Angel City FC: 51%
Shots: North Carolina Courage: 12; Angel City FC: 17
Corners: North Carolina Courage: 2; Angel City FC: 5

NWSL table 2026

Standings →

NWSL table
#	Club	P	GD	Pts
1	Gotham FC	21	+13	44
2	Washington Spirit	21	+11	37
3	Portland Thorns FC	21	+6	37
4	Utah Royals FC	21	+10	36
5	North Carolina Courage	21	+8	36
6	San Diego Wave FC	21	+6	36
7	Kansas City Current	21	+3	31
8	Seattle Reign FC	20	−1	28
9	Angel City FC	20	+5	26

After this result

By the numbers

Angel City FC have 13 points from last 5 and are in form. 2.6 a match, against 1.7 all season. NWSL average 1.4.

Angel City FC are 10 matches unbeaten. Last defeat: 0–2 at North Carolina Courage, 26 August.

Angel City FC have 10 scoring matches in a row, level with their longest this season. Longest 10. Next at Kansas City Current, 7 November.

Angel City FC have scored 54 goals, the most in the NWSL. 1.8 a match. NWSL average 1.4.

The match on the pitch

North Carolina Courage: 49% possession; 96 possessions; 10% ended in a shot; 16% reached the box; 5.6 actions each
Angel City FC: 51% possession; 96 possessions; 14% ended in a shot; 26% reached the box; 6.0 actions each

Where each team won the ball

North Carolina Courage

Angel City FC

Where each possession began, both teams attacking right. North Carolina Courage started 6% of their possessions in the final third, Angel City FC 9%.

Where the shots came from

North Carolina CourageAngel City FC

North Carolina Courage attack right, Angel City FC left. A larger ringed dot is a goal. Own goals are not shots.

How each team moved the ball

North Carolina Courage

Angel City FC

Passes between 20 zones, both teams attacking right. Forward moves in the team colour, backward moves dark, sideways moves pale; line weight is the share of the team’s passes.

How long possessions ran

North Carolina CourageAngel City FC

Share of possessions by number of actions.

Longer possessions shot more

North Carolina CourageAngel City FC

Of the possessions with each number of actions, the share that produced a shot. A gap marks too few possessions to rate.

Where play slowed down

North Carolina CourageAngel City FC

Mean seconds between one action and the next in the same possession, by where the action happened.

Every recorded action

Observed match events

Every action recorded in this match, where it happened: what was seen on the pitch, not a simulated path. 1,731 events in the record.

Period Minute 96 Only the 5 minutes up to it

North Carolina Courage attack right, Angel City FC left. Passes are arrows to where they ended, dashed when not completed; a ringed start is a restart. A dot is a shot, a larger ringed dot a goal; a diamond is a take-on, a square a keeper action. Showing the whole match.

Choose an action on the pitch or in the list to see everything recorded about it.

73 events shown.

Events shown, in recorded order
Time	Player	Team
1:38	F. Rauch	North Carolina Courage
2:20	A. Sentnor	Angel City FC
5:54	E. Parkinson	North Carolina Courage
5:55	E. Parkinson	North Carolina Courage
5:56	E. Parkinson	North Carolina Courage
5:57	Ary Borges	Angel City FC
10:47	T. Suarez	Angel City FC
11:21	T. Suarez	Angel City FC
13:46	R. Williams	North Carolina Courage
13:46	A. Anderson	Angel City FC
14:14	T. Suarez	Angel City FC
19:48	P. Chilufya	Angel City FC
21:42	E. Parkinson	North Carolina Courage
23:00	C. Okafor	North Carolina Courage
23:46	C. Wickenheiser	North Carolina Courage
26:44	T. Suarez	Angel City FC
26:46	T. Suarez	Angel City FC
27:52	C. Okafor	North Carolina Courage
30:57	C. Emslie	Angel City FC
30:59	K. Sheridan	North Carolina Courage

Page 1 of 4

Lineups

North Carolina CourageFormation 4-2-3-1

North Carolina Courage, 4-2-3-1, each line from right to left. Goalkeeper: 1 K. Sheridan. Line 1: 13 R. Williams, 12 N. Staude, 25 M. Bell, 11 F. Rauch. Line 2: 20 S. Koyama, 14 C. Wickenheiser. Line 3: 8 C. Okafor, 19 E. Parkinson, 2 A. Sanchez. Line 4: 10 E. Ijeh.

North Carolina Courage lineup: 11 starters, then 5 substitutes who came on, then the team, with minutes, goals, assists and expected goals for this match
#	Player	Min	G
1	K. Sheridan	90	0
13	R. Williams	90	0
11	F. Rauch, off at 85′	85	0
14	C. Wickenheiser, off at 85′	85	0
12	N. Staude	90	0
25	M. Bell, off at 59′	59	0
8	C. Okafor, off at 52′	52	0
20	S. Koyama	90	0
10	E. Ijeh, off at 85′	85	0
19	E. Parkinson	90	0
2	A. Sanchez	90	2
Substitutes
16	R. Jackson, on at 52′	38	0
17	D. Weatherholt, on at 85′	5	0
18	U. Shiragaki, on at 59′	31	0
26	V. Bøe Risa, on at 85′	5	0
33	H. Betfort, on at 85′	5	0
Team			2

Unused: M. White, C. Brooks, I. Younce, O. Wingate

All player stats

North Carolina Courage lineup: 10 outfield starters, then 9 substitutes, then the team, with every figure for this match
#	Player	Min	G	Sh	CC	Pass %	Tkl	Int
13	R. Williams	90	0	1	1	86%	3	2
11	F. Rauch, off at 85′	85	0	0	3	84%	2	0
14	C. Wickenheiser, off at 85′	85	0	0	0	74%	1	0
12	N. Staude	90	0	0	0	87%	2	1
25	M. Bell, off at 59′	59	0	0	0	88%	0	0
8	C. Okafor, off at 52′	52	0	3	0	57%	0	0
20	S. Koyama	90	0	0	1	80%	1	0
10	E. Ijeh, off at 85′	85	0	2	1	58%	0	0
19	E. Parkinson	90	0	2	2	81%	0	0
2	A. Sanchez	90	2	4	0	82%	0	0
Substitutes
99	M. White	–
5	C. Brooks	–
6	I. Younce	–
9	O. Wingate	–
16	R. Jackson, on at 52′	38	0	0	1	88%	0	0
17	D. Weatherholt, on at 85′	5	0	0	0	57%	0	0
18	U. Shiragaki, on at 59′	31	0	0	0	87%	0	1
26	V. Bøe Risa, on at 85′	5	0	0	0	100%	0	0
33	H. Betfort, on at 85′	5	0	0	0	67%	0	0
Team			2	12	10	83%	9	4

North Carolina Courage goalkeeper
#	Goalkeeper	Min	Saves	SOT faced	Save %	GA	Claims
1	K. Sheridan	90	3	3	100%	0	3

Clean sheet: K. Sheridan

Angel City FCFormation 4-2-3-1

Angel City FC, 4-2-3-1, each line from right to left. Goalkeeper: 19 A. Anderson. Line 1: 20 G. Thompson, 6 E. Sams, 11 S. Gorden, 15 E. Shores. Line 2: 8 A. Borges, 16 C. Lageyre. Line 3: 10 C. Emslie, 17 A. Sentnor, 99 T. Suarez. Line 4: 24 P. Chilufya.

Angel City FC lineup: 11 starters, then 5 substitutes who came on, then the team, with minutes, goals, assists and expected goals for this match
#	Player	Min	G
19	A. Anderson	90	0
20	G. Thompson	90	0
15	E. Shores, off at 71′	71	0
16	C. Lageyre, off at 82′	82	0
6	E. Sams	90	0
11	S. Gorden	90	0
10	C. Emslie, off at 46′	45	0
8	A. Borges	90	0
24	P. Chilufya, off at 61′	61	0
17	A. Sentnor	90	0
99	T. Suarez, off at 46′	45	0
Substitutes
3	S. King, on at 46′	45	0
25	S. Mattice, on at 71′	19	0
14	N. Martin, on at 82′	8	0
33	R. Tiernan, on at 46′	45	0
32	S. Jónsdóttir, on at 61′	29	0
Team			0

Unused: F. Nguyen, K. Cherry, J. Immethun, S. Leroux

All player stats

Angel City FC lineup: 10 outfield starters, then 9 substitutes, then the team, with every figure for this match
#	Player	Min	G	Sh	CC	Pass %	Tkl	Int
20	G. Thompson	90	0	0	0	79%	0	0
15	E. Shores, off at 71′	71	0	0	0	76%	1	1
16	C. Lageyre, off at 82′	82	0	1	1	88%	2	1
6	E. Sams	90	0	0	0	86%	2	2
11	S. Gorden	90	0	0	1	81%	2	1
10	C. Emslie, off at 46′	45	0	2	1	86%	0	0
8	A. Borges	90	0	0	3	93%	2	1
24	P. Chilufya, off at 61′	61	0	1	0	80%	0	0
17	A. Sentnor	90	0	6	1	69%	1	0
99	T. Suarez, off at 46′	45	0	0	0	80%	0	0
Substitutes
30	F. Nguyen	–
4	K. Cherry	–
3	S. King, on at 46′	45	0	1	0	85%	1	1
25	S. Mattice, on at 71′	19	0	0	1	68%	0	1
14	N. Martin, on at 82′	8	0	1	0	91%	0	1
40	J. Immethun	–
2	S. Leroux	–
33	R. Tiernan, on at 46′	45	0	1	1	73%	0	0
32	S. Jónsdóttir, on at 61′	29	0	4	1	55%	0	0
Team			0	17	10	80%	11	9