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North Carolina Courage secure third straight win as Angel City collapse again before league break

Mak Lind’s side are finding form at the right time, while missed chances and late defensive lapses continue to haunt Angel City.

Kamran Nia's avatar
Kamran Nia
Jun 02, 2026
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Uno Shiragaki celebrates North Carolina Courage’s 2-1 win over Angel City. Credit: Getty Images

The North Carolina Courage defeated Angel City 2-1 on Sunday to secure their third straight win, taking momentum into the league break for the men’s World Cup, while the Los Angeles side fell apart late once again in a contest that displayed signs of the types of teams these sides have been.

The Courage were “forward-leaning”, as coach Mak Lind frequently calls for, sometimes to a fault, while Angel City failed to be clinical in the most important moments.

Ashley Sanchez was the catalyst for the Courage’s opening goal in the 48th minute, making a run before playing a centering ball to Manaka Matsukubo, who played it in to Evelyn Ijeh for the tap-in.

Angel City responded in the 51st minute when Jun Endo drew in a crowd of defenders towards the flank and laid the ball back to Evelyn Shores, who whipped a ball into Maiara Niehues for a headed finish into the goal.

But the Courage won the game after scoring in the 79th minute, when Matsukubo slotted home a low finish past Angelina Anderson.

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