LOS ANGELES — Angel City FC lost 2-1 to North Carolina Courage in an NWSL match on May 31, 2026, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Maiara Niehues scored Angel City’s only goal in the defeat.
Niehues netted her second goal of the 2026 NWSL season in the 51st minute, equalizing with a header into the bottom right corner of the net off a cross from Evelyn Shores. The goal came just three minutes after Evelyn Ijeh had put North Carolina ahead 1-0 in the 48th minute. Manaka Matsukubo restored North Carolina’s lead in the 79th minute, assisted by Riley Jackson, and that proved to be the game-winner.
The match was scoreless at halftime. Angel City held 53% possession and recorded 17 total shots, five of which were on target. The hosts also outperformed North Carolina in duels, winning 63 to the visitors’ 49, and made 24 tackles compared to North Carolina’s 21. Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson made two saves in the second half. Attendance was 16,057.
Despite the offensive and defensive efforts, Angel City has now lost six matches in the 2026 season, all by a one-goal margin. The club’s record stands at 4 wins, 1 draw, and 6 losses, totaling 13 points, which dropped them from 10th to 12th in the NWSL standings.
"We've said a million times, soccer is a game of momentum. And so, you put the ball in the net early, it changes the momentum of the game, and you really need that shift throughout the game," said Captain Sarah Gorden. "We would like to score earlier to have the lead, and that does take some pressure off the defense, but ultimately it's up to all of us to be better in both ends of the field."
Head Coach Alex Straus said, "In all of these games, we do enough to win, and that’s the frustrating part." He added, "Strategically, I think we're quite compact with our structure, but we need to do more. With the ball we get, we are often doing one action at a time, and we get detached from each other and become a little bit too expansive. And that's the question we need to ask ourselves: Why does this happen?"