Photo Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
The North Carolina Courage and NJ/NY Gotham FC played to a scoreless draw Saturday night in a game that highlighted both teams’ defense. Both teams won their opening weekend games, but had to settle for just one point each in Matchweek 2.
The most exciting moment of the night, for Gotham and U.S. women’s national team fans, was the return to play of defender Tierna Davidson. Davidson missed almost all of last year after suffering an ACL tear three games into the 2025 NWSL season, on March 28 against Houston, the second such injury in the 27-year-old’s career. The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup winner and 2024 Olympic gold medalist made her first appearance since the injury when she entered the game in the 61st minute. Gotham’s defense wasn’t particularly lacking, but the defender’s return will make them even better.
This game featured two of the premier goalkeepers in the NWSL, Gotham’s Ann-Katrin Berger and North Carolina’s Kailen Sheridan. They have specific individual strengths, but both are preventative goalkeepers who are very comfortable with their feet. However, neither had to make many big, difficult saves because their defenders did good work. Sheridan also marked 15,000 NWSL regular season minutes played in just her second game with North Carolina since her offseason move.
