North Carolina Courage Vs Washington Spirit: 3 things we learned
By Drew Hubbard
On Wednesday night, the North Carolina Courage defeated the Washington Spirit in a 2-0 victory to take first place in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup standings. Here are three things we learned.
The two teams at the top of the Challenge Cup standings squared off against one another on Wednesday night as the North Carolina Courage prevailed by defeating the Washington Spirit 2-0.
After another 0-0 match to start the day, this one got off to a much more exciting start with Debinha hitting the post early on. Although both teams had chances and the game was surprisingly open, it took until the second half for the goal-scoring to start.
Lynn Williams found the first of her two goals in the 50th minute when she fired in a one-on-one with Spirit keeper Aubrey Bledsoe at the near post. She then doubled the lead midway through the second half, getting on the end of a Debinha cross.
Here are three things we learned from the Courage’s 2-0 win, which hands them six points from six and puts them at the top of the NWSL Challenge Cup standings.
3. Two of the best number 10s go head to head
These are two of the best teams in the NWSL, and within those teams, are two of the best number 10s in the league: Debinha for North Carolina and Rose Lavelle for the Spirit.
Lavelle got her Challenge Cup started on the right foot in the first game against Chicago, scoring her team’s first goal. On this occasion, she didn’t get on the scoresheet against the Courage, but she made an impact. She found her normal attacking space early on, sliding past defenders and driving forward with that quintessential athletic, lung-busting style.
Debinha also may not have scored but she earned an assist for the Courage’s second goal and now has one goal and one assist in the competition so far. The Brazillian midfielder has formed a relationship with Crystal Dunn in the dual attacking midfield roles that is at the heart of what makes Carolina so good. While Dunn didn’t start this match, Debinha consistently supplied Lynn Williams with excellent service.
They play the position in very different ways, but both Lavelle and Debinha are making their name known in the NWSL and in the international stage, and we saw why when they were pitted against each other on Wednesday.