Angel City Kicks Off Inaugural Season with 2-1 Win Over North Carolina Courage

Vanessa Gilles and Jun Endo both scored to secure Angel City's first-ever win in club history against the two-time National Women's Soccer League champions North Carolina Courage in front of a sold-out 22,000 home crowd at the Banc of California Stadium.

Gilles, an ACFC centerback, was the first to open the scoring in the third minute when she netted a swift header off a cross from Endo, who made light work of Courage midfielder O'Sullivan.

Ten minutes later, Endo netted one of her own when Savannah McCaskill found her in empty space allowing Endo to use her speed and powerful left foot to confidently finish in the bottom right.

Like the first half, the second half got off to a quick start, this time with the visiting team changing their strategy to a much more aggressive one.

By applying constant pressure and winning the majority of possession, North Carolina's efforts paid off in the 51st minute when midfielder Emily Gray crossed the ball into the box and found Brazilian standout Debinha, who finished with a diving header past Angel City's Didi Haračić.

Four minutes later, Haračić had the save of the day to maintain the historic win for the expansion club.

ACFC play their second home game Sunday, May 8, against the Orlando Pride at 5 p.m. PST. The match will be broadcast on Paramount+.

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