Kansas City Current falls 2-1 against North Carolina Courage

The Kansas City Current (10-3-5, 35pts., 3rd place) closed its two-game road swing with a 2-1 loss against the North Carolina Courage Sunday afternoon. In a match that featured torrential downpours throughout the second half and a 92-minute weather delay due to inclement weather, Current forward Temwa Chawinga opened the scoring with a history-making goal in the 62nd minute. The goal marked Chawinga’s seventh consecutive NWSL match with a goal, which set a new league record. 

North Carolina found the equalizer in the 67th minute then, in the 80th minute, the match entered a weather delay that extended just beyond an hour-and-a-half. Both sides had quality chances when the match resumed, but the Courage found the winner with a goal from Brianna Pinto in the third minute of second-half stoppage time. 

"They punished us on the opportunities that they had, and I think that we need to learn how to take care of games,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “We cannot give up goals and expect to be successful.”

After a cagey start, the Current recorded its first shot on target in the 14th minute. On a second-chance ball following a Kansas City corner kick, forward Nichelle Prince served in a cross that found Chawinga in the center of the Courage penalty area. Chawinga’s header went straight to Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy. 

In the 20th minute, heroic defending from Prince and defender Alana Cook proved paramount in keeping the match level. A Courage free kick fell to the back post, and multiple North Carolina attackers had looks at an unoccupied net to take the lead. Prince blocked the first attempt, then the ball fell for North Carolina midfielder Narumi Miura. Preventing a certain goal, Cook stretched to clear Miura’s shot off the line. 

The Current took hold of the opening half from there. Midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo curled a shot just wide in the 36th minute from inside the Courage penalty area, and defender Ellie Wheeler capped an impressive series of dekes with a strike that sailed high in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. Wheeler’s effort marked the last action of the first half as the sides entered the locker room knotted at zero. 

Kansas City nearly went ahead in the opening minutes of the second half. Forward Debinha had two quality looks in the 47th minute, the first of which came after a Courage turnover. Prince made a perfect feed to Debinha across the top of North Carolina’s 18-yard box after picking up a loose ball and pushing it forward, but Debinha’s effort was blocked by a Courage defender. Debinha had another chance from inside the Courage penalty area seconds later, but her shot rolled inches wide of the post.  

As rain began to fall at WakeMed Soccer Park, Chawinga bolted into action for a historic strike. In the 62nd minute, Chawinga pounced on a loose ball and was through on goal after powering past a Courage defender. Chawinga rounded Murphy and slotted the ball home for her 14th goal of the NWSL regular season, which extended her lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race. Additionally, Chawinga is just two goals behind midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta’s franchise record for most goals in NWSL play. 

Five minutes later, North Carolina leveled the contest. Forward Cortnee Vine curled a strike into the back of the net to equalize the contest in the 67th minute. 

Heavy rains continued throughout the second half. Sunday’s weather reached a climax in the 80th minute, when a booming strike of lightning sent both teams to the locker room. A 92-minute weather delay ensued, and both teams eventually returned from the locker room to finish the final ten minutes of the contest. Both sides had quality chances to win the match. Defender Alana Cook nearly put the Current ahead in the 83rd minute, heading a corner kick from defender Izzy Rodriguez at goal, but a Courage defender cleared the ball off the line. 

Then, in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, Pinto curled home an effort following a North Carolina throw-in on the left wing. The strike stood as the match-winning goal. 

The Current return to CPKC Stadium next weekend for a clash against the Utah Royals Saturday, Sept. 7. The match will be broadcast locally on KMCI, 38 The Spot and nationally on ION. Fans in Kansas City can catch the match on 90.9 The Bridge or on the KC Current app. 

NWSL Match Report
Match: North Carolina Courage vs. Kansas City Current
Date: September 1, 2024
Venue: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina
Kickoff: 2:06 p.m. ET/1:06 p.m. CT
Weather: 88 degrees, cloudy (and rainy)
Attendance: 6,003

Discipline
75’ North Carolina – Kurtz (Yellow)

Scoring
62’ Kansas City – Chawinga 
67’ North Carolina – Vine (Hopkins)
90+3’ North Carolina – Pinto

Scoring Summary

Goals 1 2 F

North Carolina 0 2 2

Kansas City 0 1 1

North Carolina Courage Lineup: Murphy, Pickett (61’ St. Georges), Miura, Weatherholt (78’ Rauch), Hopkins (81’ Gomes), Williams, O’Sullivan ©, Berkely, Vine, Sanchez (80’ Pinto), Kurtz
Unused Substitutes: Hancuff, Speck, Lussi, McLean, Haugen

Kansas City Current Lineup: Schult, Wheeler, Ballisager, Cook, Mace, LaBonta ©, Feist (68’ Scott), DiBernardo (72’ Jereko), Chawinga, Debinha (90’+3 Magaia), Prince (68’ Rodriguez)
Unused Substitutes: Steigleder, Ball, Franch, Hamilton, Sharples