The reigning Nation Women’s Soccer League champions, the North Carolina Courage, began the 2019 campaign after having one of the best seasons in league history with a 1-1 home draw against a team they met in last year’s playoffs, the Chicago Red Stars.
The Courage headed into the game with a full squad available. With the majority of them having played together last season when they took home the NWSL Shield, the Women’s International Champions Cup, and finishing it off with the 2018 championship.
Starting the title-defense season was the record-breaking backline of Abby Dahlkemper, Jaelene Hinkle, Abby Erceg, and Merrit Mathias.