After a comeback draw at home to open the 2025 NWSL season, Seattle Reign head to their first road battle of the year. The Reign will face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, March 22, in a match that kicks off at 4 p.m. PT. The match will stream on NWSL+ for all viewers.
The Courage also earned a point in their season opener, coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville under similar stormy conditions. Both teams will be looking for that fighting spirit when they face off on Saturday.
"For us and where at right now, being hard to beat is going to be a big element of who we want to be," Reign head coach Laura Harvey said in a pre-match press conference. The Reign struggled to demonstrate that hard-to-beat mentality in the 2024 season. Showing grit on the road against the Courage, where they've historically struggled to get points, would be a huge statement for the Reign.
The Reign will be without Shae Holmes, who had a solid performance in the home opener but had a prior commitment this weekend. Forwards Nérilia Mondesir and Lynn Biyendolo will also miss the match with injuries. Jordyn Huitema is also questionable.
Head-to-Head
- The Reign are 4-11-3 against the Courage.
- That includes a 1-9-0 record on the road.
- The Reign have scored 13 goals while conceding 25 in this matchup.
Recent results
- North Carolina opened the season with a 1-1 draw on the road against Racing Louisville.
- The Reign also drew 1-1 at home against Gotham.
2024 results
- North Carolina finished the 2024 season in third place with a 12-11-3 record.
- The Courage scored 34 goals and conceded 28.
- The Reign ended in 13th place with a 6-15-5 record.
Offseason moves
- The Courage didn't have a lot of turnover from their 2024 season.
- They lost 2023 NWSL MVP Kerolin in free agency, as the Brazilian forward made a move to Manchester City.
- They also parted ways with forwards Haley Hopkins and Bianca St-Georges along with Narumi Miura, who was a key part of the Courage midfield.
- The team added four players: U.S. Women's National Team forward Jaedyn Shaw, 20-year-old Japanese midfielder Shinomi Koyama, forward Hannah Betfort, and USC defender Brooklyn Courtnall.
- They also just signed Princeton grad Heather MacNab to a short-term contract.
Courage players to watch
Jaedyn Shaw: The dynamic forward came to the Courage this offseason after spending three years with the San Diego Wave. In their opening match, Shaw lined up as the central attacking midfielder but played more like a withdrawn striker – with her average position ahead of forward Manaka Matsukubo. The Courage struggled to get Shaw involved in their opener. The same could be said for Ashley Sanchez, who lined up on the right wing and, along with Shaw, had the fewest touches among starters for the Courage. Both players will likely be looking to get on the ball more against the Reign.
Denise O'Sullivan: The 31-year-old Irish midfielder is a workhorse for the Courage and is key to their possession-focused style of play. She's not going to make it easy on the Reign's midfield on both sides of the ball, and the Reign will want to pressure her to make her uncomfortable when she has the ball. O'Sullivan completed 56 passes and won three tackles last week against Louisville.
Ryan Williams: The right back has been one of the most underrated players in the league for the last couple of years. She will consistently be pushing into the attack on the right side and whipping in crosses. Williams attempted five crosses against Louisville alongside the six attempted crosses by Sanchez. It was Williams' cross that led to Riley Jackson's goal for the Courage.
RILEY JACKSON WITH THE EQUALIZER!!!
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-03-16T01:46:37.065Z
What to watch
NC will dominate possession: As both Harvey and Jess Fishlock said in the pre-match press conference, the Courage play an exciting style of football. They like to keep the ball and dominate possession, trying to move it quickly to teammates. Look for the Courage to try to find a teammate after one or two touches. Most of North Carolina's touches occur on their backline.
"I think you have to accept certain things against North Carolina. You have to accept that they're going to have a lot of the ball, and if you don't accept that the game can be really frustrating," Harvey said.
Along with O'Sullivan as the holding midfielder, the Courage backline is really comfortable on the ball and good at quick combination passing. Williams likes to push high and wide on the right side, while left back Feli Rauch often drifts inside to combine with teammates.
The combination passing between the backline and midfield is what makes the Courage threatening in the attack. They can stretch defenses just enough to find a hole that allows their midfield to turn and push forward.
The combination play between the backline and midfield lead to this shot for Tyler Lussi against Racing Louisville
"You just have to make sure that your lines are tight, and we can identify what they're trying to do in those moments," Fishlock said.
The Reign's transition play: As Harvey said, the key against North Carolina is to recognize they will have possession and not try to change that. Part of that means that if the Reign defend well, they can catch the Courage with too many players high up the field and transition quickly. The Reign actually did this well on the road against North Carolina last year, and they now have even more speed on the frontline to be able to create more dangerous chances.
"We want to be aggressive. We want to defensively be solid, and we want to try and catch them in transition. I think that's an area that we can look at to try and catch them in," Harvey said.
More chance creation: While the Reign did well to limit Gotham's chances last week, they struggled to get shots off until the last 30 minutes of the game. As they continue to build chemistry with one another, and with some needed rotation due to injuries, can the Reign create more chances in their second week of NWSL action?
Projected starting lineup
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
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)
NC Courage
OUT: Brooklyn Courtnall (leg), Sydney Collins (SEI – ankle), Charlotte McLean (illness), Dani Weatherholt (IR45 – leg), Olivia Wingate (IR45 – leg)
QUESTIONABLE: Feli Rauch (illness), Cortnee Vine (illness)
How to Watch
The Reign face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, March 22, at 4 PM PT. The match will air on NWSL+.
