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KC Current suffer defeat in North Carolina

Published

4 weeks ago

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Photo: Thad Bell | KC Soccer Journal

Taking their undefeated streak on the road, the Kansas City Current faced the North Carolina Courage at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Current are just the second team in NWSL history to win their first five matches (Seattle Reign is the other team won its first seven in 2014, which is the league record). Five games in, the Courage had yet to win a match.

First things first, let’s take a look at that injury list:

OUT: Michelle Cooper (lower leg), Kristen Hamilton (hip), Alex Pfeiffer (SEI – knee), Nichelle Prince
(thigh), Gabrielle Robinson (SEI – knee), Regan Steigleder (lower leg)

QUESTIONABLE: Alana Cook (hip)

Oof! This meant Head Coach Vlatko Andonovoski, with the next five out of six games on the road and the list of injuries, would opt for some rotation in the starting XI.

  • Haley Hopkins earned her first start (and against her former team)
  • Elizabeth Ball back in the CB spot (Cook on the bench)
  • Hutton returned to the starting line up (Debinha on the bench, earning some rest)
  • Bia with her second start of the season

The Current started the game on the attack, winning a corner kick early and having a few opportunities, including a Temwa Chawinga attempt in the eight minute, and an Ellie Wheeler shot outside the box in the 11th minute. But the Courage were not being kept away from the Current side of the field either. North Carolina’s Ryan Williams had a close attempt in the 22nd minute and again in the 29th minute, and then the Courage had a couple more in the early 30 minutes of the match.

But it was a long ball from Elizabeth Ball to Haley Hopkins who found Chawinga making a run and sent the ball her way. After, Hopkins slid into the middle and received a pass back from Chawinga who passed it into open space near the top of the box. Hopkins met with the ball and was able to send a left-footed shot from outside the box. The ball hit the post but went right into goal to make it 1-0 for the Current in the 39th.

Second half now, the Courage were looking to equalize, and a Manaka Matsukubo pass that went right between Izzy Rodriguez and Kayla Sharples left Williams with the perfect set up, beating Rodriguez to send the ball to the bottom left corner of the goal. The Current’s streak of not giving up a goal since the first game ended.

The 1-1 score did not stay for long. The Current found themselves in the Courage’s box to regain the lead. Claire Hutton, winning the ball in crowded space, found Bia. Zaneratto, in front of the goal, took a left-footed shot right to goal, and Kansas City regained the lead in the 57th minute.

As the clocked reached 90 minutes, it appeared the Current were headed to their sixth win of the season. By then, Andonovski had made a number of changes. Debinha came in for Temwa Chawinga at the start of the second half (Chawinga actually suffered some sort of injury in the first half; no word on what it is exactly). But Debinha for Chawinga is a good replacement, right? It was the later ones that seemed a bit odd (at least to me) because despite their record, the Courage can be a very dangerous team. But Lacho came in for Bia, Hailie Mace for Hopkins (instead of a defender, like for Izzy who struggled in this game a bit) and Mary Long for DiBenardo.

In those closing minutes, the Courage were pressing for the equalizer for the second time in this game. After a corner kick, Sharples headed the ball away, but Ashley Sanchez recovered, sending the ball back to box where Kaleigh Kurtz recovered, and the Current defense did not do much to stop the shot.

In stoppage time, North Carolina, again, in a dangerous transition headed towards the Current goal. Sanchez was left unmarked  and given plenty of space to take shot for the game-winning goal. LaBonta tried to stop the shot, but it was too late, and the Kansas City Current left Cary, NC with a loss, their first of the season.

Kansas City was the only team left to suffer a loss this season. They remain at the top of the NWSL table, but they are basically tied with the Orlando Pride. Up next for the Current: a trip to Seattle to face the Reign on Friday evening.

 

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