In their inaugural season, the North Carolina Courage brought playoff soccer to the Triangle, and it was an afternoon we won’t soon forget. The Courage won the NWSL Shield less than two weeks ago in Houston, and then lost to Orlando last Saturday night, but on Sunday they faced their biggest test of the season against a team they couldn’t beat all year.

Not only did the Courage punch their ticket to Orlando with a late 1–0 victory, the record-breaking crowd of over 10,000 supporters helped the club take down the Chicago Red Stars for the first time all season.

The day started off wet: Rain, mist, drizzle, it was all spotty. Luckily, mother nature knew there was a game in Cary at 3:30pm and decided to hold off the rain for the rest of the afternoon. The field was a little wet to start but it didn't seem to slow down the players any, especially the speedy Taylor Smith.

During the first half, the Courage didn’t look as dominant as they normally do. Maybe it was the playoff jitters, maybe it was the quality of the opponent, but the team did not play with such an attacking mind. Taylor Smith played a great game defensively and kept the Red Stars attack at bay, but that didn't really translate into building an attack.

In the 9th minute of the match, Debinha went down hard after going up for a header and instantly waved for attention that she was hurt. Things were not going well.

The first half saw few shots on net for the Courage: USWNT forward/reigning league MVP Lynn Williams and the yet-to-be-announced rookie of the year Ashley Hatch couldn’t get it going, but that’s just how tough Chicago’s defense was.

In the second half, the Courage came out as a different team, attacking more. They created more chances, more crosses, and did a better job on defense; it felt like just a matter of time until they connected.

Jessica McDonald came on in the 83rd minute to provide a spark, replacing Hatch, but she wasn’t able to score in her limited time either. So how did the Courage end up scoring a goal? From an unlikely hero, Denise O’Sullivan. Signed midway through the season after leaving the Houston Dash, O’Sullivan scored the lone goal of the semi-final off a deflection and helped the Courage book their flight to the NWSL Championship.

In the 89th minute, the Courage earned a corner kick. Sam Mewis took it and McDonald tried her luck at the header, but the ball went the other way into the open field. O’Sullivan ran up at full speed and took the shot and the ball was deflected off Red Stars defender Julie Ertz and sent into the back of the net past the unlucky goalkeeper, USWNT starter Alyssa Naeher.

The place was electric. Everyone was cheering and nobody could believe that after 88 minutes of tense frustration, the Courage took the lead in the last minute of the match.

(Photo Credit: Zack Leischner)

In extra time, the Red Stars played fast hoping for an unlikely late equalizer. Sam Mewis again became the hero of the match after she saved a ball from going in the net right on the line. But all these ladies were heroes on Sunday afternoon: Abby Erceg shut down Christen Press the whole match, McDonald provided a needed spark, Mewis was repeatedly vital, Katelyn Rowland had another clean sheet, and of course, O’Sullivan scored when we all needed someone to step up.

The crowd for the match was incredible. The Raleigh market rose to the occasion to support women’s soccer, proving once again how great of a soccer market they really are. The Oak City Supporters did a great job of connecting the fans to the match and helping to lead cheers that echoed around Sahlen’s Stadium. Around the 70th minute, the whole stadium took place in a NC — Courage call and response chant. It was awesome.

I was so glad I was able to make it to the match, to experience that in person. Let me know if you went too or if you watched it from home, and let us know if you’re going to Orlando!

The Courage play the Portland Thorns in the NWSL Championship match on Saturday October 14th at 4:30pm. Lots of Courage fans from the Carolinas will be making the trip south to support the ladies. We’ll have full coverage of the game here at Soccer ’n’ Sweet Tea, so be sure to follow along. Go Courage!