— On this Saturday of Light, the springtime sunshine returned to WakeMed Soccer Park, in sharp contrast to the NC Courage’s rainy season opener last week. Fortune also ultimately shined again on the Courage, which followed up last weekend’s late-match win over Portland with another nail-biter against the Sky Blue FC. A 90th minute goal by Jessica McDonald proved the difference this Saturday, as North Carolina earned a 1-0 victory to go to 2-0-0 on the young NWSL season.

“As the game grinds on, you think to yourself maybe we’re not going to get that big opportunity,” said Courage manager Paul Riley. “I think we worked hard enough to win, and we got that opportunity.”

In the opening half, a game Sky Blue squad held the majority of possession and forced the Courage into numerous errant passes. However, with Crystal Dunn starting at striker alongside Lynn Williams, North Carolina carried the attack, attempting 11 shots to just three for Sky Blue.

In the 17th minute, Williams raced past the Sky Blue back line and got off an angled attempt that flew wide right of frame. In the 43rd, Jaelene Hinkle looped a ball over the top that found Williams in stride. With Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan rushing out, Williams’ chip cleared the keeper but couldn’t find its way over the goal line.

“The first half we were disappointed, went into the locker room and talked about it a little bit,” Riley said. “We didn’t play with enough bite and passion. It was unusual that we looked a little complacent.”

The Courage flew out of intermission, however, sliding Dunn back into the left midfield and shifting Kristen Hamilton, and later second half substitute Jessica McDonald, into the forward position.

“The first thing we wanted to do was flip Crystal to the [left] side of the field,” Riley explained. “We felt it would be more appropriate if we could get her against [Christina] Gibbons … We wanted to overload with Crystal and Lynn Williams on that side, and that’s what we did in the second half. In the first 15 minutes [of the second half], we destroyed them down the left-hand side.”

“I said to Jessica before she went in to replace [Hamilton], if we get this left side ticking, we can get you in that back door,” Riley continued. “So be sniffing around that back door when we get around the back [of the defense].”

And sniff around McDonald did. Just as a draw appeared inevitable, the Courage broke through at the outset of second half added time. A Dunn tackle forced a turnover from Carli Lloyd. Dunn then dropped the ball back to Jaelene Hinkle, who raced across midfield before skimming a through ball ahead to a streaking McDonald. McDonald took a touch, then rounded a diving Sheridan before depositing her first goal of the season into an open Easter basket.

“Crystal made a big tackle and just passed me through,” Hinkle said. “I was like, we’re going for it and going for goal. Thankfully, my pass got to Jessica and she finished real clean.”

“I took the risk to take another touch,” McDonald said. “[Sheridan] went down; she made a movement that I was crossing my fingers that she would make as a keeper. So, I took the extra touch, and it was an awkward angle to create that finish. Yeah, I was kinda crossing my fingers and getting my hips around it, and it obviously crossed the goal line.”

“Nine times out of ten [Jess] hits it,” Riley quipped. “This time she went around the goalkeeper.”

It was a gutting conclusion for a resolved Sky Blue squad, who bent without breaking while successfully pressing the North Carolina midfield throughout the match. It was Sky Blue’s first game with national teamer Carli Lloyd, who came to the club via trade over the offseason.

“I’m pretty proud of the group,” Lloyd said. “We held on strong until the last little minute. But I think the beginning of the first half, we really stuck to our game plan. We played one and two touch, so there were some good things … I’m excited—it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

The Courage finished with a whopping 23-3 advantage in shot attempts, with Sky Blue not putting a single shot on frame. That said, North Carolina only forced Sheridan into four saves before the late game-winner. North Carolina enters a two-week FIFA international break that will see three Courage players—Dunn, Williams, and Abby Dahlkemper—join the U.S. national team for two friendlies against Mexico.

The Courage returns to action on Saturday, April 14 at the Washington Spirit, the start of three NWSL matches in a week’s time that concludes with consecutive home matches on April 18 against the Seattle Reign and April 21 against the Utah Royals.

“Now we move on away from home and get a weekend off for Easter,” Riley said. “Everybody goes home with their families, then we’ll regroup on Tuesday and get going again.”

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

NC: D'Angelo, Hinkle, Erceg, Dahlkemper, Mathias, Zerboni, C. Dunn, O'Sullivan (Speck, 79’), Debinha (Jenkins, 86’), Hamilton (McDonald, 55’), L. Williams

NJ: Sheridan, Gibbons, Skroski, Stott, Freeman, Lloyd Killion, Beckie (Meehan, 68’), Groom (Abam, 78’), Johnson (Leon, 58’), McCaskill

GOALS

NC: McDonald, 90’ (Hinkle)

NJ: ---

CAUTIONS

NC: ---

NJ: Gibbons, 66’; Stott, 86’

EJECTIONS

NC: ---

NJ: ---

ATTENDANCE: 4,078