The Lion's Pitch – Details, episodes & analysis

The Lion’s Pitch is your weekly deep dive into all things NC Courage! Hosted by Katie and Trevor, each episode brings you the latest on the Courage’s matches, stats, and news from around the NWSL.

In this week’s episode:

• Looking Back: We review the 0-0 draw away at Portland. While the scoreline may not scream excitement, we break down why this was the best performance of the season so far for the Courage.
• Stand-Out Stat: We highlight the key stat that made this Portland game stand out!
• Looking Ahead: With the international break coming up this weekend, we preview the upcoming game against Gotham. We’re expecting a high-scoring match for the Courage post-break, and we think they'll be ready to take home the win.
• Courage News & News Around the League: We discuss the newly designed mascot, Roary. What do you think—love it or leave it? Plus, all the latest happenings in the NWSL.

We also take a moment to reflect on the recent racist and homophobic attacks on Barbra Banda in Gotham. We urge NWSL fans and the league to do better and work towards creating a truly inclusive environment for all.

Welcome to The Lion’s Pitch, your go-to podcast for everything North Carolina Courage. Every week, Trevor and Katie break down the latest matches, preview upcoming opponents, discuss NC Courage news, and take a look around the NWSL. Plus, we’ll bring you bonus episodes with interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and some fun surprises along the way.

The 2025 season has begun, so you won’t want to miss a single episode. New content drops every Thursday.

Thanks for tuning in—catch you next time, Courage Country!

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Bluesky @lionspitch.bsky.social.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Lion’s Pitch is your weekly deep dive into all things NC Courage! Hosted by Katie and Trevor, each episode brings you the latest on the Courage’s matches, stats, and news from around the NWSL.

In this week’s episode:

• Looking Back: We look closer at the 1-2 loss to Seattle Reign in the home opener. While it may have seemed rough from the stands, we break down the game and highlight why it wasn't as bad as it appeared in real-time.
• Stand-Out Stats: Highlighting the key stats you won’t want to miss from the game against Seattle Reign.
• Looking Ahead: We turn our focus to the upcoming away match against the Portland Thorns, analyzing what we can expect based on their performance this season.
• Courage News & News Around the League: All the latest buzz in NC Courage news and what's happening across the NWSL.

We also take a moment to reflect on the recent racist and homophobic attacks on Barbra Banda in Gotham. We urge NWSL fans and the league to do better and work towards creating a truly inclusive environment for all.

Welcome to The Lion’s Pitch, your go-to podcast for everything North Carolina Courage. Every week, Trevor and Katie break down the latest matches, preview upcoming opponents, discuss NC Courage news, and take a look around the NWSL. Plus, we’ll bring you bonus episodes with interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and some fun surprises along the way.

The 2025 season has begun, so you won’t want to miss a single episode. New content drops every Thursday.

Thanks for tuning in—catch you next time, Courage Country!

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Bluesky @lionspitch.bsky.social.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North Carolina Courage beat Chicago Red Stars. USWNT head coach Emma Hayes was in the stands, and the Courage put their best boot forward. They absolutely delivered:

• Ryan Williams made a case for a much-needed outside back position for the national team.
• Brianna Pinto scores off an assist from Ashley Sanchez (though officially called an OG) and is immediately subbed off due to injury.
• Kaleigh Kurtz makes three blocks in the box to deny Chicago a goal.
• Ashley Sanchez performs magic with a mid-stride, backheel nutmeg leading to a banger from Denise O'Sullivan (and an assist by Tyler Lussi)
• Kerolin smashed the ball in goal with a pinpoint pass assist from Olivia Wingate.

We discuss some standout stats from the game and look ahead to San Diego, whom we just played a few weeks ago. We dedicate a few minutes to our neighbors in Western NC, where we discuss ways to donate to Hurricane Helene relief funds before wrapping up with some news around the league.

The NC Courage win 1-3 against the Racing Louisville.

We discuss all things North Carolina Courage each week. Trevor and Katie will break down each match and discuss what to expect from upcoming opponents. We’ll even have bonus episodes with interviews and other surprises along the way.

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 NWSL season with a reformulated Courage squad and two NEW expansion teams to face, so you won’t want to miss an episode. New content is released each Thursday.

Thanks for checking out the pod. We’ll see you soon, Courage Country.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Twitter @lionspitch.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North Carolina Courage lose to Racing Louisville. Ashley Sanchez puts Abby Erceg on skates to assist a goal from Brianna Pinto. And Kerolin is finally back!

We look ahead to Sunday's away match against the Chicago Red Stars in Chicago. Then we take a look around the league.

The NC Courage lose 1-2 against the Racing Louisville.

We discuss all things North Carolina Courage each week. Trevor and Katie will break down each match and discuss what to expect from upcoming opponents. We’ll even have bonus episodes with interviews and other surprises along the way.

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 NWSL season with a reformulated Courage squad and two NEW expansion teams to face, so you won’t want to miss an episode. New content is released each Thursday.

Thanks for checking out the pod. We’ll see you soon, Courage Country.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Twitter @lionspitch.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North Carolina Courage tie Bay FC at WakeMed Soccer Park, extending their home unbeaten streak. Ashley Sanchez scored, making her the first player in the NWSL to score against every team.

We look ahead to Saturday's away match against Louisville's newly formulated squad and wrap up with some Courage and NWSL news.

The NC Courage tie 1-1 against the Bay FC.

We discuss all things North Carolina Courage each week. Trevor and Katie will break down each match and discuss what to expect from upcoming opponents. We’ll even have bonus episodes with interviews and other surprises along the way.

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 NWSL season with a reformulated Courage squad and two NEW expansion teams to face, so you won’t want to miss an episode. New content is released each Thursday.

Thanks for checking out the pod. We’ll see you soon, Courage Country.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Twitter @lionspitch.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North Carolina Courage beat Alex Morgan and the San Diego Wave in Snapdragon Stadium. Alex Morgan was denied a PK from Casey Murphy, and four Courage players scored. Melia Berkley was credited with three assists in the first half, a first in the NWSL. Throw in a red card for the San Diego keeper, and calling it a fantastic game is an understatement—but probably not for Alex Morgan fans.

Sunday's match was Alex Morgan's final match. We thank her for her contributions to the sport, both on and off the field. Then, we look ahead to Friday's home match against Bay FC.

We look ahead to the game against the Bay FC and wrap up with some Courage and NWSL news.

The NC Courage win 1-4 against the San Diego Wave.

We discuss all things North Carolina Courage each week. Trevor and Katie will break down each match and discuss what to expect from upcoming opponents. We’ll even have bonus episodes with interviews and other surprises along the way.

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 NWSL season with a reformulated Courage squad and two NEW expansion teams to face, so you won’t want to miss an episode. New content is released each Thursday.

Thanks for checking out the pod. We’ll see you soon, Courage Country.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Twitter @lionspitch.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North Carolina Courage maintained their unbeaten streak at home with a win against the KC Current. Despite extreme heat and a torrential downpour in the 80th minute (causing a 90-minute game delay), the Courage won with goals by brand new Australian international Cortnee Vine, and Durham local and UNC alum Brianna Pinto.

We discuss the game, go over some stand-out stats and then we look ahead to the game against the San Diego Wave. We wrap up with some Courage and NWSL news.

The NC Courage win 2-1 against the Kansas City Current.

We discuss all things North Carolina Courage each week. Trevor and Katie will break down each match and discuss what to expect from upcoming opponents. We’ll even have bonus episodes with interviews and other surprises along the way.

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 NWSL season with a reformulated Courage squad and two NEW expansion teams to face, so you won’t want to miss an episode. New content is released each Thursday.

Thanks for checking out the pod. We’ll see you soon, Courage Country.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Twitter @lionspitch.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The North Carolina Courage lost on the road to Seattle Reign. We review the game and give a special shout-out to Megan Rapinoe, whose jersey was retired before the match. We look ahead at what now seems to be a more beatable KC team. We wrap things up by discussing the groundbreaking CBA that just dropped, which gives the players much of what they've been asking for!

The NC Courage lose 1-0 against the Seattle Reign.

We discuss all things North Carolina Courage each week. Trevor and Katie will break down each match and discuss what to expect from upcoming opponents. We’ll even have bonus episodes with interviews and other surprises along the way.

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 season with a reformulated Courage squad and two NEW expansion teams to face, so you won’t want to miss an episode. New content is released each Thursday.

Thanks for checking out the pod. We’ll see you soon, Courage Country.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Twitter @lionspitch.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an summer Olympic break, we're back!

In this episode, Katie gives her report from the Olympics. We take a look ahead at a newly formulate Seattle Reign game. And we review all the NWSL news from the past few weeks.

We discuss all things North Carolina Courage each week. Trevor and Katie will break down each match and discuss what to expect from upcoming opponents. We’ll even have bonus episodes with interviews and other surprises along the way.

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 season with a reformulated Courage squad and two NEW expansion teams to face, so you won’t want to miss an episode. New content is released each Thursday.

Thanks for checking out the pod. We’ll see you soon, Courage Country.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Twitter @lionspitch.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this very special episode, we are joined by CTID Cast, Six Point Weekend, and The Uproar.

We kick off by talking about the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup game against Orlando Pride, which ended in a draw. The Courage clinched the victory in PKs, largely due to Marisa Bova's outstanding performance, which included two crucial saves in her professional debut. Even with the Olympic athletes' absence, the team's performance was exceptional!

With it being about halfway through the season, we picked our outstanding players of 2024 (so far):

• Ryan Williams
• Manaka
• Narumi Miura
• Riley Jackson
• Kaleigh Kurtz
• Ashley Sanchez

Everyone explains what we need for the last half of the season:

• Score more
• Adjust to new and returning players after the Olympics
• Road wins
• Take down top-of-the-table teams
• Full squad availability
• Get selfish in the final third and shoot

Everyone shares where they think we'll finish this season and in the post. With the mountain climb to the top, everyone believes we'll be around 3-5th place with a third star at the end of this season. This team has so much upside, and the rest of the season will be fantastic.

We end with the most significant impact player of the season (who wasn't previously covered):

• Kerolin
• Cortnee Vine
• Olivia Wingate
• Brianna Pinto
• Denise O'Sullivan
• Feli Rauch

Do y'all agree with our selection, or is there an outstanding player we missed? Your opinion matters to us. Leave us a review and let us know who and why.

We discuss all things North Carolina Courage each week. Trevor and Katie will break down each match and discuss what to expect from upcoming opponents. We’ll even have bonus episodes with interviews and other surprises along the way.

We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024 season with a reformulated Courage squad and two NEW expansion teams to face, so you won’t want to miss an episode. New content is released each Thursday.

Thanks for checking out the pod. We’ll see you soon, Courage Country.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com or follow us on Twitter @lionspitch.

• Hosted by Trevor Knoblich and Katie Cleary
• Produced by Mary Pruter
• Edited by Danielle Russell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.