The Triangle’s very own professional women’s soccer team, the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), return to play in March. After ending the previous season at five out of fourteen teams, the Courage have a lot to look forward to as their club grows and they seek to add another championship to their collection. The team made some key trades and acquired one of the United States Women’s National Team’s biggest rising stars during the offseason.
On January 14, the team announced their first intraleague trade- a major one, no doubt. They acquired midfielder Jaedyn Shaw from the San Diego Wave FC in exchange for $300,000 in allocation money, an international spot for the 2025 and 2026 NWSL seasons, and $150,000 in intraleague transfer fees. Shaw is just 20 years old and recorded 13 goals and four assists in three seasons for the Wave. She made her debut for the senior USWNT in 2023 and since then has amassed eight goals and two assists, including an assist during February 23’s SheBelieves Cup match against Australia. Shaw is a standout player who has proved she has so much to bring to the Courage and will likely blend seamlessly into their midfield which already contains impactful players like Denise O’Sullivan and Ashley Sanchez.
The Courage have added a new player to all three portions of the field, acquiring rookie defender from the University of Southern California Brooklyn Courtnall, forward Hannah Betfort from Utah Royals FC, and Japanese midfielder Shinomi Koyama from the Swedish club Djurgårdens. However, this means a few key players have left the roster as well. Notably, Brazilian forward Kerolin who was awarded the 2023 NWSL MVP award and played for the Courage for three seasons, recording 17 goals, left the club in January to join the British Women’s Super League team Manchester City.
Other players leaving the NC Courage roster include midfielder Narumi Miura, forwards Haley Hopkins and Bianca St-Georges, as well as midfielder Victoria Pickett who has been placed on loan to join the new Canadian Northern Super League. This leaves some important shoes to fill as the 2025 NWSL season kicks off next month. Varsity Millbrook Women’s Soccer player Jordan Davis shared her thoughts on the upcoming season, saying, “I am excited to see Brianna Pinto and Maycee Bell play because they both played at UNC. The Courage atmosphere is great too!”
Overall, the North Carolina Courage maintain a roster filled with world-class talent. In the month of February, five Courage players were called up to compete in friendlies with their respective national teams.
Eboni Christmas, the manager of Shea Butter FC, a podcast covering women’s soccer and amplifying the voices of Black players, shared her optimism on how the next NWSL season will turn out for the Courage, saying, “The Courage season should be a new experience for all fans. The addition of Jaedyn Shaw and the improved talents of Ashley Sanchez should make for a lot of high scoring games, something the Courage is not particularly known for. Their loss of Kerolin will be tough, but Manaka coming back and Denise sticking around has given the Courage one of the best front four in the NWSL. They will be a playoff team by the end of the season.”
The North Carolina Courage will play their first home game at WakeMed Soccer Park against Seattle Reign FC on March 22. Make sure you don’t miss it!
