No one guessed this result. Perhaps the most enthusiastic North Carolina Courage fan could have said they saw it coming, but I don’t think there was a single person who saw a 4-0 blowout over the Chicago Red Stars.
There were signs that it was going to be tough: Tierna Davidson’s injury, the general playoff inexperience within the squad, even the smoke that gave players coughing fits as they walked out of the tunnel. The omens were worrying.
The Courage exploited the wide areas, Casey Short and Sarah Gorden both exploited for the opening two goals, and after an excellent individual goal from Crystal Dunn, the game was all but over at half-time.