The Thorns were in North Carolina on Saturday night facing the Courage, and in a very back-and-forth match, the teams would end up level with a 3-3 final. The Thorns got two goals from Crystal Dunn and one from Olivia Moultrie, while the Courage benefitted from a Thorns own-goal, as well as goals from Kerolin and Victoria Pickett.
Just 30 seconds into the match, the Thorns would be trailing when a North Carolina cross deflected off the foot of Emily Menges and slipped past Bella Bixby, and the Courage had a very early 1-0 lead.
But in the 22nd minute the Thorns would level the score when Sophie Smith‘s cross was met by a one-timer from Crystal Dunn that beat Courage keeper Casey Murphy, and the score was level at 1-1.
Then three minutes later, the Courage would be back in the lead when a blast from Kerolin from 25 yards out rebounded off the left post and into the goal, and the Courage were ahead again, by a 2-1 score. That would be the score at the break.
Both teams had several good scoring chances late in the first half, and early in the second as well, with Murphy and Bixby both making good reaction saves for their respective teams. But in the 52nd minute, a great series of passes between Christine Sinclair, Smith, and Meghan Klingenberg ended with Klingenberg making a nice run into the box, and then making a nice cross to Dunn, who did well to get a foot on the ball and redirect it into the net, and the scores were level once again.
In the 70th minute, the Courage would gain the lead for the third time when Olivia Wingate would make a nice deep run, then find Victoria Pickett open in front of net for the easy finish, and the Courage lead by a 3-2 score.
But the Thorns weren’t ready to let their unbeaten run end just yet. In the 83rd minute, Olivia Moultrie would stun the North Carolina crowd with an unexpected 25 yard curling shot that slipped just inside the left post, and the Thorns had once again leveled the score at 3-3, which would be the final score.
