— Three days after announcing their official formation in early January, the North Carolina found themselves with the second pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. Popular opinion was the Courage might opt for Christian Gibbons, a Raleigh native and former standout at Cardinal Gibbons High School and CASL before matriculating to an All-American stint at Duke University. Instead, the Courage selected Ashley Hatch, the All-American scoring dynamo from Brigham Young University. FC Kansas City spent the fifth pick in the first round on Gibbons.

This week, both Gibbons and Hatch were named to the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team for next week’s 2017 Nordic Open Tournament in Sweden. Saturday, the two players faced each other for the first time in NWSL play as the Courage hosted FC Kansas City this afternoon at WakeMed Soccer Park. Gibbons has found the field for FC Kansas City every game this year, while Saturday was Hatch’s first NWSL start.

Gibbons brought her own cheering section to Sahlen’s Stadium in Cary. But Hatch and the Courage made the most noise, as Hatch scored her first NWSL goal en route to a 2-0 victory over Kansas City.

Though forward Jessica McDonald was listed among the gameday active 18, she actually wasn’t available to play due to an injured hamstring. That allowed Hatch an opportunity to make her first start nine games into her rookie campaign.

“I prepare for every game the same way, whether I’m starting or I’m not,” Hatch said. “Everyone wants to be out there on the pitch and everyone wants to be playing. But I know Coach [Paul] Riley knows what he’s doing, and so whatever minutes I get I’m grateful for. Whenever I get on the field, I give it my all.”

The Courage outshot Kansas City 12-4 in the opening half while keeping 54 percent possession. While North Carolina found acres of space in the midfield to build up attacks, the FCKC back line held form. A Sam Mewis through ball found Lynn Williams streaking behind the defense in the 5th minute, but Williams couldn’t pull her left-footer on frame. Mewis managed double headers off a Courage corner in the 24th minute, but one was cleared off the line and her second formed a parabola over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Williams drove lateral to goal and found space for a sprite shot that bounded inches wide left of goal.

A header by Abby Dahlkemper off another Courage corner in the 41st minute rattled the left post. Brittany Taylor’s attempted clearance nearly resulted in a Kansas City own goal yet also recoiled off the woodwork. Going the other way, Sydney Leroux gave Kansas City its best scoring chance of the first 45 when she got past North Carolina’s back line, but her shot was parried high by Courage keeper Katelyn Rowland.

The Courage broke the scoreless deadlock in the 60th minute when Abby Erceg headed a Dahlkemper corner towards Zerboni in the goalmouth. The midfielder’s ensuing backheel deflected off KC keeper Nicole Barnhart and into the roof of the net for the 1-0 lead.

North Carolina doubled their margin in the 67th minute when a diagonal through ball by Williams found Hatch, who got behind Gibbons, took a touch, then buried her shot past Barnhart for Hatch’s first NWSL goal.

“Lynn had the ball, and I just looked up and made eye contact with her,” Hatch said. “She gave me a beautiful ball, and I just had to finish it.”

FC Kansas City came into Saturday’s match having allowed only five goals in seven matches, tied for fewest in the league. However, it has only now netted seven goals in eight games, three of them scored by USWNT regular Sydney Leroux.

“It’s a tough loss,” Leroux said. “We definitely could have played a lot better, and we’re going to have to go home and figure it out. We had such a good run up until this point, so it’s not awful but it’s a tough loss Saturday.

“We’re a very defensive team, and from good defense comes good offense, and we’re just not getting it right,” Leroux continued. “We’re almost a step off or a pass off. It’s coming along, but I’m not worried. The goals will always come.”

Last September, Leroux gave birth to her first child, Cassius, who was with Leroux Saturday in Cary. The forward says that even eight games into her return to the pitch, she’s still adjusting to post-childbirth soccer.

“It’s not my finishing touch; it’s my speed,” Leroux said. “My body is different, so it’s trying to figure out how to work this new body like I used to work it, and it doesn’t work that way. You feel like you’re running in quicksand, so I don’t feel fast. I have to think of other ways to score goals or help the team.”

Gibbons continued her homecoming after the game with the 60-plus friends, family, and former coaches and teammates who came to cheer her on.

“I can’t put into words how much it means to have all their support and have them come out here and take over an entire section,” Gibbons said. “Being home has been such a breath of fresh air, and I’m so happy to be here. Obviously not the result we wanted, but nothing can spoil seeing family and friends.”

The Courage (6-0-3, 18 pts.) remain atop the NWSL table heading into an international break. While Hatch heads to Sweden, Mewis, Dahlkemper, Williams, and Jaelene Hinkle will join the senior USWNT for two friendlies next week in Scandinavia.

“I’m really, really honored” Dahlkemper said. “It’s always a big honor to play for the U.S. So I’m excited to get back out there … [The Courage] is so close, so it’ll be nice and comforting knowing that [Mewis, Williams, and Hinkle] will be there, too.”

The Courage returns to NWSL play on Saturday, June 17 when it hosts the Boston Breakers

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

NC: Rowland, Erceg, Dahlkemper, Hinkle, T. Smith, Doniak (Hamilton, 70’), Mewis, Zerboni, Debinha (Rosana, 86’), L. Williams, Hatch (Eddy, 76’)

KC: Barnhart, B. Taylor, Sauerbrunn, Averbuch, Gibbons, LaBonta (Kelly, 76’), Scott, Bowen (Moros, 17’), Groom, Ratcliffe (Tymrak, 68’), Leroux

GOALS

NC: Zerboni, 60’ (Erceg); Hatch, 67’ (L. Williams)

KC: ---

CAUTIONS

NC: Hatch, 12’; Zerboni, 57’

KC: Sauerbrunn, 43’

EJECTIONS

NC: ---

KC: ---

ATTENDANCE: 3,717