Match Report: Kansas City Current suffer first defeat of 2025 campaign in 3-2 loss against North Carolina Courage

CARY, N.C. (April 26, 2025) — The Kansas City Current (5-1-0, 15 pts., 1st place) fell for the first time in the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season Saturday with a 3-2 loss against the North Carolina Courage (1-3-2, 5 pts., 11th place). Forward Haley Hopkins opened the scoring in the 39th minute with her first goal for the club, and fellow forward Bia Zaneratto gave the Current a 2-1 advantage in the 57th minute. However, the hosts found two goals in the late stages of the contest to emerge victorious.

“Obviously this is not how we want to move forward, we want to make sure that we go out and finish off games, especially when we're up and we have a positive result in the last moments of the game," said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. "But, you know, to give credit to North Carolina, I think they never stopped on the other side. This is just another example of how good this league is and how you literally cannot relax even for a second regardless of who you play and where you play them. So it's definitely something that hurts but it's also motivation for us to get ready for the next game."

Saturday’s contest from First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park got off to a cagey start, with both sides struggling to generate chances over the opening few minutes of the contest. The Courage earned the first shot on target in the 22nd minute when forward Ryan Williams fired a low strike that goalkeeper Lorena punched away at the near post.

The Current, meanwhile, generated plenty of half-chances from set pieces throughout the first half, but began to break the Courage defense as the half wore on. In the 27th minute, defender Izzy Rodriguez had a dangerous scoring opportunity blocked by a North Carolina defender after Hopkins slid a dangerous ball across the penalty area.

Kansas City broke through for the opener about ten minutes later with an excellent team move. Defender Elizabeth Ball kickstarted the sequence with a well-placed ball forward for Hopkins, who raced onto the long pass and slid a pass forward for forward Temwa Chawinga in stride. Chawinga, who connected with Hopkins’ through ball in the Courage penalty area, returned the give-and-go with an angled pass towards the top of the 18-yard box. Hopkins met the feed with a thunderous left-footed strike that struck the inside of the post before rolling over the goal line and into the back of the net.

The goal marked Hopkins’ first as a member of the Current after joining KC from the Courage in the offseason. Hopkins also made her first start for the Current Saturday night. Her strike ultimately stood as the difference as Kansas City took a one-goal advantage into the locker room.

The Courage responded in the early moments of the second half, as Williams drew the hosts level in the 52nd minute. The goal snapped the Current’s 453-minute shutout streak and marked the first goal Kansas City has conceded since the 2025 regular season opener against Portland.

However, Kansas City responded immediately through yet another stunning give-and-go sequence in the 57th minute. Following a throw-in deep in Courage territory, midfielder Claire Hutton expertly controlled a bounding ball in the penalty area and skillfully navigated a crowded penalty area as she weaved through multiple North Carolina defenders. Through traffic, Hutton rolled a pass forward for Zaneratto, who fired a strike into the roof of the net to give the Current the lead.
 
Like Hopkins, Zaneratto scored her first goal of the 2025 regular season Saturday night. After making her return to the pitch March 29 against Utah, the goal marked her first for the Current in all competitions since June 2024.

The Current maintained its 2-1 lead in the 79th minute following a stunning double-save from Lorena. The sequence began with a dangerous long-range effort from forward Tyler Lussi that was curling towards the back post before a diving Lorena sprawled to push the ball away. However, the ball was recycled back into the penalty area seconds later, and forward Ashley Sanchez fired a shot from the penalty spot that seemed destined for the back of the net. However, Lorena made an incredible diving stop to keep the ball out of the goal and maintain Kansas City’s advantage.

In the final moments of the match, North Carolina flipped the match with a pair of late goals. Defender Kaleigh Kurtz tied the match in the 90th minute, capitalizing on a loose ball in the penalty area following a Courage corner kick and firing a low shot into the back of the net. Two minutes later, Williams and Sanchez combined to give the Courage the lead in second-half stoppage time. Sanchez’s low, curled shot just evaded the outstretched arms of Lorena to give the Courage a 3-2 victory.

The Current wrap up its two-match road swing Friday night in Seattle for a clash against the Seattle Reign at 9:30 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast on NWSL+ and Paramount + and will also be broadcast locally on KMCI, 38 the Spot. Fans in Kansas City can listen to the action on 90.9 The Bridge or the KC Current App 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: North Carolina Courage vs. Kansas City Current
Date: April 26, 2025
Venue: First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina
Kickoff: 7:08 p.m. ET/6:08 p.m. CT
Weather: 75 degrees, partly cloudy
Attendance: 6,235

Discipline
30’ North Carolina – Shaw (Yellow)
34’ North Carolina – Bell (Yellow)
64’ Kansas City – Mace (Yellow)

Scoring Summary

North Carolina Courage Lineup: Murphy, Kurtz, Rauch (75’ Lussi), Williams, Bell, O’Sullivan ©, Staude (84’ Pinto), Jackson (75’ Koyama), Shaw (76’ Betfort), Sanchez, Matsukubo
Unused Substitutes: Jordan, Weatherholt, Vine, Speck, Mclean

Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, Wheeler, Ball, Sharples, I. Rodriguez, LaBonta ©, Hutton (58’ R. Rodríguez), DiBernardo (86’ Long), Hopkins (58’ Mace), Zaneratto (70’ Lacho), Chawinga (45’ Debinha)
Unused Substitutes: Ivory, Cook, Feist, Scott