Gooooooal! New women’s soccer team kicks off its season

The Triangle’s new professional women’s soccer team, the North Carolina Courage, kicks off its inaugural season April 22 when it plays the Portland Thorns at WakeMed Soccer Park.

The Courage arrived here in January when Steve Malik – owner of the N.C. Football Club, which was formerly called the RailHawks – bought the National Women’s Soccer League’s championship team known as the Western New York Flash. He moved it to Cary and renamed it N.C. Courage, a nod to the Carolina Courage women’s team that played here from 2001-2003 and garnered a devoted local following. The team will play again April 29 against the Orlando Pride. 

The team is an experienced bunch. In addition to its recent NWSL team championship win, three of its players played on the U.S. Women’s National Team as part of the international SheBelieves Cup tournament last month.

Meanwhile, the men’s team’s season is also in full swing at WakeMed Soccer Park. The NCFC plays FC Edmonton April 15. Both seasons continue throughout the summer; NCFC wraps up in July and N.C. Courage in September. If you’re a soccer fan, there are flex season ticket packages that allow you to mix and match both team’s home matches. Perfect for soccer-loving families with CASL tournaments of their own to manage. –J.A.

See the full season schedule and buy tickets at northcarolinafc.com.