Christian Brathwaite scores lone goal for Greenville as defense concedes five in second half
Greenville, SC (June 2, 2023) – The Greenville Liberty stumbled after an early goal, giving away the lead and conceding five second-half goals in a loss to the division-leading NC Courage on Friday night at Paladin Stadium, presented by Duke Energy. Greenville’s Christian Braithwaite, a UGA commit, scored the Liberty’s goal in the loss.
The Greenville Liberty entered its second of a three-match home stand on Friday night. They met the South Division leaders, the undefeated North Carolina Courage, on Fiesta de Futbol Night. From first kick, the Courage were in unison, formatted in triangles and combining passes with ease. Greenville did not concede, though. The Liberty’s measured and deliberate attack bided their time until the 21st minute, when Christian Brathwaite reared back and triggered a rocket shot into the net to open the scoring. Both teams fought to score, although nothing developed beyond wide shots and defensive blocks for either side as the Liberty took a one-goal lead in to the midway point of the match.
The ladies in blue returned with the same lineup, but tired legs posed problems for the Liberty almost immediately in the second half. Minutes in, the Courage attack began an assault on the Greenville net, scoring a pair and going up a goal. As Greenville looked to replenish the squad with substitutions, the Courage attack remained in high gear as they tallied three more goals to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Scoring stalled the final 10 minutes of the match, but the whistle blew to finalize the lopsided loss for Greenville.
The Liberty will end its three-match home stand next Tuesday, June 6th versus the Charlotte Independence. They will kick off at 7:00 PM before embarking on a 10-day away match stretch. Tickets for Tuesday, June 6th are on sale here.
