North Wake News

The North Carolina Courage are set to face the Kansas City Current in the NWSL playoff quarterfinals on Saturday, November 9, at 12 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. A watch party is scheduled at the Downtown Raleigh Carolina Ale House, with doors opening at 11 a.m. ET.

This marks the first NWSL playoff encounter between these two teams, although they have met in knockout games three times since 2022. The Courage have won twice against the Current in Challenge Cup semifinals, while Kansas City emerged victorious in this year's NWSLxLiga MX Femenil Summer Cup semifinals.

In their 2024 regular season series, both teams secured home victories. A notable match saw Cortnee Vine equalize and Brianna Pinto score a stoppage-time winner for the Courage.

Kansas City's Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski has a record of 3-8-1 against the Courage across all competitions, whereas Sean Nahas of the Courage holds a 4-5-0 record against Kansas City.

Kansas City’s offense, led by Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga, broke the NWSL scoring record with 57 goals this season. However, they will face one of the league's toughest defenses in North Carolina, which conceded only 28 goals and boasts four playoff clean sheets.

Goalkeeper Casey Murphy could play a pivotal role for the Courage. She ranks second in NWSL playoff saves with 28 and has made significant contributions to her team's past performances.

Historically, North Carolina holds a 5-3-0 record in NWSL playoffs. They reached finals in previous years but lost to champions like Portland Thorns and Washington Spirit. Their playoff runs in 2018 and 2019 concluded with trophy wins.

Courage captain Denise O’Sullivan leads her team in playoff appearances and minutes played. Kaleigh Kurtz and Casey Murphy are also among those who have started multiple playoff games for North Carolina.