North Carolina wins women’s pro crown

Jess McDonald scored two goals and the North Carolina Courage won the National Women’s Soccer League championship with a 3-0 victory over the host Portland Thorns on Saturday.

The Courage lost 1-0 to the Thorns in last year’s title game.

“It feels absolutely amazing. This is what we worked so hard for,” McDonald said. “Every single minute, every single day that we put work into — it counted today.” The Courage had the league’s best record, 17-1-6, but didn’t get to host a playoff game because of Hurricane Florence. The team also set NWSL records this season for the wins, points and goals.

The match was played before a sellout crowd of 21,144 at Portland’s Providence Park. That was a record for a women’s pro league championship in the United States.