KC Current Pick Up First Regular Season Win

The Kansas City Current finished out an eventful week on Sunday afternoon. Earlier in the week the team announced that they had parted ways with head coach Matt Potter. Later the same day, they got their first win of the season in their opening match of the Challenge Cup.

The Current (0-3-0) were looking for their first regular season win of the season Sunday when they took on the Orlando Pride (0-3-0), who were also looking for their first win of the season.

One thing that has plagued the Current this season has been the onslaught of injuries and illness that have prevented many players from getting regular time. That trend continued on Sunday with quite a long, extensive injury report from the team.

Today's @saintlukeskc Health Report ❤️‍🩹 pic.twitter.com/jNaWXwdSzf

— KC Current (@thekccurrent) April 23, 2023

The starting lineup featured only one change from the Challenge Cup win.  Hailie Mace returned to the starting 11 after being a late scratch due to illness in the Houston match.

Your starters are served 🍽️#KCBABY | #KCvsORL pic.twitter.com/uqB7UlH3k6

— KC Current (@thekccurrent) April 23, 2023

FIRST HALF

The Current started the game keeping good position and looking dangerous early. The first good look for the Current came in the 9th minute when Debinha took a shot that deflected off of the post and fell to Cece Kizer. Kizer went down in the box. After a quick check, it was deemed not a foul and play continued.

The next opportunity came two minutes later when Mace came through the defense and made a cross/shot that the Pride keeper, Nelson, saved. The Current did not handle the rebound well and the scored remained 0-0.

By the 20th minute, the Pride started to have better possession, but didn’t have many opportunities to take a shot and require Current keeper, Miller, to make a save. The Pride were given back to back corners beginning in the 22nd minute. The second corner was dangerous, but Miller punched the ball away to end the danger.

The Current got their first corner in the 30th minute. Mace put a ball into the box that was cleared by Orlando and after a flurry of activity and eventually a foul on Vanessa DiBernardo the chance was over.

The Pride took another set of back to back corners and again the Current defending was shaky. Eventually the Current cleared , but not without some moments of worry.

The first half ended with a 0-0 score line with both teams taking 4 shots with 1 on goal.

SECOND HALF

Neither team made any changes at the half.

The Pride had the first opportunity in the second half with a corner kick in the 48th minute. Marta sent a great ball into the box that went flying around off of a couple of headers before heading out of bounds for a goal kick.

The first card of the game went to Ally Watt for Orlando for a late tackle on Hailie Mace from behind. The Debinha took the free kick, but the Pride headed it way. Marta led the Pride on a break, but again neither team could capitalize on the opportunity.

The first goal finally came for the Current when Debinha scored in the 64th minute. Mace took the ball off of the Orlando defender and sent the ball to Debinha who put the home team in front 1-0.

A turnover in the back and Debinha makes Orlando pay… deadlock broken! pic.twitter.com/J2c0hw6rs7

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 23, 2023

Only a couple of minutes later Hailie Mace makes a run and plays a perfect ball into the box. Cece Kizer gets on the end of it and puts the ball in the back of the net. The Current led 2-0 in the 69th minute.

Doubled up!

Just minutes after the opening goal, @cecekizer extends Kansas City's lead. pic.twitter.com/twpwh5zTo5

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 23, 2023

The Pride tried to answer on their 7th corner kick of the day. The ball bounced off the crossbar, but Current defenders Croix Soto and Gabrielle Robinson (who played a great game!) both got a bit of the ball and cleared the danger.

The Current defended well over the last 10 minutes of the match and limited any Orlando shots in the final moments of the match.

The match ended as a 2-0 win for the Kansas City Current.

UP NEXT

The Current are back in action next Sunday, April 30 at Children’s Mercy Park. The Current take on NJ/NY Gotham FC in a regular season match at 4:00pm.