Back-to-back champions! North Carolina Courage win the NWSL Challenge Cup for the second-straight season

• Courage win Challenge Cup
• Defeat Racing Louisville 2-0
• Second-straight year winners

WHAT HAPPENED? A brilliant 54th minute volley from 19-year-old Manaka Matsukubo secured the trophy for the Eastern Conference side. Back-to-back winners of the tournament now, the Courage shutout Racing Louisville after the game was halted for over two-hours due to a lightning weather delay.

Kerolin opened the scoring from a tight angle, finding the back of the net for the Courage in back-to-back finals.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: It was a dominant performance from the NWSL side, who for the second-straight year, are lifting the NWSL Challenge Cup. Matsukubo's brilliant volley will steal the headlines, but U.S. Women's national team star Emily Fox was lights-out defensively and goalkeeper Casey Murphy held her ground throughout the entire match.

This was the Courage's seventh NWSL trophy and they are the first team to ever retain it in consecutive years.

IN A PHOTO:

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WHAT NEXT FOR THE COURAGE?: The NWSL side returns to league play when they travel to Exploria Stadium on September 17 to take on the Orlando Pride.