Match Forecast: Seattle Reign FC Travels to North Carolina
Hitting the road for the first time during the 2025 season, the Reign travel to Cary, North Carolina to take on the Courage for the 18th time across all competitions. Both teams opened the season with 1-1 draw, against NJ/NY Gotham FC and Racing Louisville FC, respectively.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m. PT at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
WHERE TO WATCH: Fans can tune into the match on NWSL+.
2025 NWSL REGULAR SEASON RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): Seattle Reign FC: 0-0-1, North Carolina Courage: 0-0-1
Key Info Ahead of the Match:
1. LAST MEETING – Seattle Reign FC and the North Carolina Courage last met in August 2024, when the Reign hosted the Courage at Lumen Field. The match ended 1-0, courtesy of forward Emeri Adames, who forced an own goal seven minutes into stoppage time to seal the storybook ending to the unforgettable night in front of 16,598 fans.
The Reign had a standout second half, knocking on the door for the go-ahead goal the entire 45 minutes. The goal finally came in the dying seconds of the match when forward Veronica Latsko served a ball into the box and Adames got her head on the end of it, forcing goalkeeper Casey Murphy sprawl to the ground in an attempt to save the match, and eventually knock the ball into the back of the net
The match also served as the debut for forwards Ana-Maria Crnogorčević and Nerilia Mondesir, who have since played in 11 NWSL regular season matches apiece.
2. SCOUTING NC COURAGE – Like the Reign, the Courage opened their season last weekend and earned a 1-1 draw. Playing on the road in Louisville, the match was delayed due to weather, but once it kicked off, Racing had the upper hand, notching one first half goal. The second half brought an uptick in momentum for the Courage, who were fighting to come back from the one goal deficit and salvage a point on the road. Midfielder Riley Jackson pounced on a follow up shot to secure the equalizer for North Carolina in the 69th minute.
Though many players from the 2024 squad are retuning, the Courage brought in several new players ahead of the 2025 season, including defender Brooklyn Courtnal, midfielders Shinomi Koyama and Jaedyn Shaw and forward Hannah Betfort.
The Courage have five players out for the match - Brooklyn Courtnall (leg), Sydney Collins (SEI – ankle), Charlotte McLean (illness), Dani Weatherholt (IR45 – leg) and Olivia Wingate (IR45 – leg), in addition to two players listed as questionable for the match - Feli Rauch (illness) and Cortnee Vine (illness).
3. BUILDING CAMARADERIE– With one regular season match under their belts, the 2025 Reign squad is coming together in a blend of returning talent and exciting newcomers. The Reign’s backline serves as a prime example of the chemistry that’s building on the pitch. All four players, Shae Holmes, Phoebe McClernon, Jordyn Bugg and Madison Curry, played a full 90 minutes in the match and put up a combined 21 clearances and 17 duels won to limit Gotham to just one goal.
The Reign’s Starting XI from last weekend included nine players returning to the squad from 2024 and two newcomers in Curry and forward Maddie Dahlien. Four additional players from Seattle’s 2024 roster subbed onto the pitch against Gotham – midfielders Maddie Mercado and Sam Meza and forwards Emeri Adames and Nerilia Mondesir.
4. CAROLINA CONNECTIONS – Reign FC has three players with connections to North Carolina. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, who played all 90 minutes of the Reign’s opening match against Gotham, is from Charlotte and is one of three players on the squad to have played college soccer at the University of North Carolina. The other two UNC alum are midfielder Sam Meza and Maddie Dahlien, who both appeared in the Gotham match as well.
Availability Report:
OUT
Lynn Biyendolo (lower leg)
Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee)
Shae Holmes (excused absence)
Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg)
Nérilia Mondesir (thigh)
QUESTIONABLE
Jordyn Huitema (leg)