Match Report: Kansas City Current fall 1-0 at Seattle Reign

SEATTLE (May 2, 2025) — The Kansas City Current (5-2-0, 15 pts., 2nd place) dropped its second consecutive National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season match Friday night in a 1-0 loss to Seattle Reign FC (3-2-2, 11 pts., 5th place) at Lumen Field. Seattle forward Lynn Biyendolo broke a scoreless deadlock in the 37th minute with what stood as the match-winning goal.

Friday’s contest featured a cagey pace from the opening whistle as little separated the two sides throughout most of the contest. The first shot on target came in the 21st minute when a well-worked Current give-and-go culminated with a long-range effort from forward Haley Hopkins. Seattle goalkeeper Claudia Dickey comfortably dove to deny the chance, keeping the match scoreless.

The hosts ultimately broke through in the late stages of the first half. Following a Reign corner kick served in by defender Lauren Barnes, Seattle forward Jordyn Huitema connected with the ball at the back post and headed it towards the center of the Current’s six-yard box. Biyendolo met the header with a left-footed shot that was initially blocked, but the forward eventually found the back of the net to put Seattle ahead.

In the 44th minute, a brilliant team move by the Current nearly leveled the contest. Midfielder Debinha and forward Bia Zaneratto combined for a give-and-go that split the Seattle defense, and a Zaneratto backheeled pass found Debinha in the Reign penalty area. After evading one Seattle defender, Debinha fired a low, goal-bound strike that was blocked by a second Reign defender. The deflection did just enough to keep the ball out, buying time for Dickey to race back and make a diving stop. Debinha’s chance marked the last action of the first half as the Reign took a one-goal lead into halftime.

The Current turned up the pressure as the second half began, creating several dangerous scoring opportunities to try and level the match. In the 48th minute, Zaneratto forced a turnover in the attacking third and drove at goal, but her effort from inside the penalty area was blocked.

In the 65th minute, Zaneratto again created a dangerous scoring opportunity. Hopkins slid Zaneratto a pass at the top of the penalty area and, after turning past a Seattle defender, lobbed an effort that had Dickey beat, but the ball struck the top of the crossbar.

The Current put the ball in the back of the net in the 71st minute when a deflected shot from forward Temwa Chawinga found the foot of Debinha, and the Brazilian steered the ball past Dickey. However, the assistant referee ruled Debinha offside and the goal was chalked off. Kansas City continued to push numbers forward in search of a late equalizer but the final whistle came without a Current tally. The 1-0 Reign victory marked the first time the Current have been held scoreless in the 2025 regular season.

Friday night’s contest was the first career NWSL regular season start for forward Flora Marta Lacho, who featured at left back for the first 61 minutes of the contest. Lacho, the first Angolan player in league history, made her third appearance for the club. It was also the first start of the season for defender Hailie Mace, who logged a full 90 minutes.

The Current are back in action at CPKC Stadium on Sunday, May 11, for a clash against Bay FC. The contest will broadcast nationally on ESPN, and listeners in Kansas City can catch all the action on 90.9 The Bridge. Fans can also tune in on the KC Current App to hear the match in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

Limited single-match tickets for 2025 regular season home matches are now on sale to the general public. The best way to ensure you won’t miss a second of the action at CPKC Stadium is by joining the Current Club, the Current’s trailblazing fan membership experience. Focused on ensuring fans continue to be able to access exclusive opportunities, members can unlock special benefits like priority access to single match tickets, members-only gifts and discounts, access to live and virtual events, exclusive content and more. 2025 Season Ticket Member Account Holders are already enrolled in Current Club at no additional cost. Click  HERE for more information about the Current Club. 

NWSL Match Report 
Match: Seattle Reign vs. Kansas City Current  
Date: May 2, 2025  
Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA 

Kickoff: 7:38 p.m. PT/9:38 p.m. CT 
Weather: 60 degrees, mostly cloudy 
Attendance: 5,912

Discipline 
57’ Seattle – Barnes (Yellow)
69’ Kansas City – LaBonta (Yellow)
70’ Seattle – Ji (Yellow)

Scoring 
37’ Seattle – Williams (Huitema)

Scoring Summary

Seattle Reign Lineup: Dickey, McClernon, Bugg, Barnes © (90+4’ Mason), Meza, James-Turner (79’ McCammon), Ji (84’ Holmes), Crnogorčević (79’ Curry), Dahlien (90+4’ Mercado), Huitema, Biyendolo 
Unused Substitutes: Miller, Glas, Van der Jagt, Adames

Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, Mace, Cook, Sharples, Lacho (61’ I. Rodriguez), LaBonta ©, Hutton (75’ R. Rodríguez), DiBernardo (61’ Chawinga), Hopkins (75’ Wheeler), Zaneratto (75’ Long), Debinha
Unused Substitutes: Ivory, Ball, Feist, Scott