Match Report: Kansas City Current continue unbeaten streak against Chicago

After an early lead, the Current came from behind to draw the Chicago Red Stars with goals from forwards Kristen Hamilton and Cece Kizer in front of 6,848 fans at Children’s Mercy Park. The result extends the club’s unbeaten streak to four. 

The Current tallied first on the scoresheet in the 8th minute off a set piece. Hailie Mace stepped up to a corner kick, and after a quick give-and-go, lofted the ball in to find Kristen Hamilton in the middle of the penalty box. Her outstretched leg poked the ball in past Red Stars’ goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. 

Chicago wouldn’t answer until after halftime, when Mallory Pugh’s corner kick found Amanda Kowalski charging in at the back post. Her header slipped past goalkeeper AD Franch to tie the match in the 53rd minute. 

The Red Stars went ahead just six minutes later. A penalty kick was awarded after Desiree Scott and Pugh fought for the ball on the edge of the box. Pugh stepped up to the spot and put it in the lower right corner to take the lead. 

The Current’s defense continued to shine bright tonight, withstanding 11 shots and goalkeeper AD Franch logging four impressive saves. A highlight came in the 63rd minute, when Chicago forward Sarah Luebbert slipped a ball through the line for Pugh. Franch stepped up and slid in with a kick save to prevent another goal. 

Kansas City fought until the end. In the 68th minute, forward Elyse Bennett, who entered the match at halftime, slid the ball to forward Cece Kizer, speeding down the left flank. The recent addition to the Current outpaced Kowalski to fire a shot from the top of the box. Her ball rocketed past an outstretched Naeher for the equalizer. 

The Current has no game this weekend while the NWSL observes the FIFA international break, but will unveil the team’s new $18 Million training complex later this week with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. CT. 

Kansas City’s next match is July 1 in Houston at 7:30 p.m. CT, and the next home match kicks off July 17 against OL Reign at 6:00 p.m. Flex plans are available for all remaining home matches at Children’s Mercy Park. For pricing and information visit KansasCityCurrent.com.

NWSL Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Chicago Red Stars 
Date: June 18, 2022
Venue: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS 
Kickoff: 7:39 p.m. CT/8:39 p.m. ET
Weather:  91 degrees, sunny 
Attendance: 6,848

Discipline
3’ Chicago – Dibernardo (Yellow)
88’ Chicago – Colaprico (Yellow)

Scoring
8’ Kansas City – Hamilton (Mace)
53’ Chicago – Kowalski (Pugh)
59’ Chicago – Pugh (PK)
68’ Kansas City – Kizer (Bennett) 

Scoring Summary

Lineups:
Kansas City:  Franch, Loera, Ball (25’ Merrick), Edmonds, Scott ©, Mace (70’ Rodriguez), Del Fava, LaBonta (82’ Leach), Pickett (45’ Bennett), Hamilton, Kizer (70’ Curran)
Substitutes Not Used: Miller, Nolf, Johnson, McCain 

Chicago: Naeher, Milazzo, Kowalski, Morse, Hill (75’ Mautz), Colaprico, Dibernardo, St-Georges (59’ Luebbert), Pugh, Stevens (59’ Cook), Nagasato (76’ Griffith) 
Substitutes Not Used: Boyd, Aguilera, Fisher, Foster, Dawber