Angel City Football Club earns first home win of 2024, topping North Carolina – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES — After losing its first game of the season at home and playing three straight on the road, the Angel City Football Club earned its first victory of 2024 at BMO Stadium on Sunday, holding off the dangerous North Carolina Courage, 2 -1.

Two goals from Claire Emslie were enough as North Carolina couldn’t rally for its first away point five games into the NWSL season.

After winning two consecutive shutouts, the Courage (3-2-0, 9 points) had not conceded a goal for 262 minutes until Emslie’s brilliant free kick in the 23rd minute which put the ACFC (2- 2-1, 7 points). points) ahead for good.

Taken immediately from 20 yards, Emslie’s shot was set up by midfielder Rocky Rodriguez, who attempted to thread a pass through North Carolina’s stingy defense to Alyssa Thompson as the young forward made a dazzling race towards the surface.

Courage defender Kaleigh Kurtz received a yellow card for tackling Thompson to the ground, giving Emslie a perfect spot to shoot over the wall and away from the outstretched arms of U.S. international goalkeeper Casey Murphy.

The lead held until the break, although North Carolina found itself in increasingly dangerous spots around the Angel City box.

Striker Tyler Lussi was alone at the far post in the 37th minute, but the Courage striker scuffed his attempted volley over the bar.

This trend continued early in the second half as North Carolina moved higher up the field.

The home team had a chance to maintain the lead when Angel City captain Sarah Gorden stopped in front of a shot and then a follow-up attempt rang off the post.

Emslie and Thompson had a more direct combination for Angel City’s second goal of the game.

From midfield, Thompson hit a through ball which gave Emslie the chance to take a throw-in to reach the edge of the area. Not knowing whether to challenge the Angel City striker or stay in the goalmouth, Murphy was stuck in no woman’s land. Emslie’s cheeky chip rolled over the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 in the 54th minute.

“I knew there was space in back,” Emslie said. “(Thompson) looked up. We attracted attention. It was a perfect ball from him. I knew the keeper was big and she was off her line, so I thought I would just touch and try to absorb it.

The brace, Emslie’s first in NSWL play, gave the Scotland striker a team-leading three goals in five games before being substituted out of the match after 64 minutes.

Soon after, an offside wiped out a North Carolina goal, but the visitors cut their deficit in half in the 73rd minute after Kurtz fouled Madison Curry to the right of the Angel City box .

The ensuing free kick looked towards the far post from the head of Angel City’s Rodiguez, where Lussi took advantage of another opportunity, converting with the inside of his right thigh for his second goal of the year .

In a tense final half-hour, including 10 minutes of stoppage time, Angel City held on to a one-goal advantage, securing back-to-back wins after taking one point in their first three matches.

“It was about doing the dirty work and getting it done,” Gorden said after his 100th NWSL regular-season appearance. “Twenty-seven minutes is a lot of time, but honestly, football is a game of energy and we could feel like we were going to close out the game.”

Sunday’s performance in front of a sold-out crowd at BMO Stadium came two days after the team traded Paige Nielsen and Amandine Henry for a combined $125,000 in allocation money — moves the players called “emotional.” and which the club described as “strategic”.

For Angel City coach Becki Tweed, the result was indicative of what the team focused on during the week.

Tweed said: “At the end of the day we still didn’t complete what I would call a 90 minute performance, but we had 90 minutes of courage and resilience and that unity that gets you results .”