CARY, N.C. — Any chance Paul Riley gets, he let’s anyone within earshot know he believes Jaelene Hinkle is the top player at her position. After a September victory over the Orlando Pride, the North Carolina Courage head coach said Hinkle was the “best left back in the country, maybe the world.”
The particular play during the Sept. 14 match that sparked Riley’s praise of the 26-year-old Texas Tech product came in the 40th minute. The Courage were leading 2-0 and had a chance to put the game away rather quickly, it seemed.
And then Hinkle went to work.