The Kansas City Current (6-4-4, 22pts, 5th place) extended its franchise-best unbeaten streak to nine matches with a 2-1 road victory over the San Diego Wave (7-4-4, 25pts, 2nd place) on Sunday afternoon.
Forward Cece Kizer and defender Hailie Mace’s first-half goals proved enough for the Current to secure the win, which marked the expansion Wave’s first home loss in club history.
“We had a really great week of practice where the quality was there to support the energy and endeavor and I thought that was reflected in the way we went about that first half,” said head coach Matt Potter. “So, very positive the goals were a reflection of that.”
Kansas City applied pressure to San Diego from the opening kickoff. Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta forced an early save from Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan in the 8th minute on a one-on-one opportunity following a San Diego turnover, a harbinger of what was to come in the opening 45 minutes.
The Current opened the scoring in the 27th minute after forward Kristen Hamilton launched a counterattack with a long through ball. Kizer ran onto the pass, weaved past a Wave defender and fired a shot past Sheridan to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead.
The goal marked Kizer’s fourth goal as a member of the Current, all of which have come during the team’s nine-match unbeaten streak, and her second go-ahead goal this season.
Potter’s squad continued applying pressure on San Diego’s back line and it paid off in the 39th minute. Following another Wave turnover, Mace dribbled right into a group of San Diego defenders and fired a rocket from the top of the penalty box. The Ventura, California, native and July Best XI of the Month honoree’s curling shot sailed perfectly into the top corner to double the Current’s lead.
The Current’s 2-0 lead stood heading into halftime as a stout Kansas City defense didn’t allow a shot on target in the first half.
Another Current player reached a significant individual milestone in the early stages of the second half. Team captain and midfielder Desiree Scott surpassed 10,000 NWSL minutes played in the 60th minute. Scott became just the second Canadian player and 29th player in league history to reach the milestone.
“You can really see a togetherness and a belief in the partnerships that are building, the connections on the field,” said team captain Scott. “You know, people are working for one another and we’re just becoming more of a team. And you can see on the right side of the pitch, you can see people understanding each other’s roles a bit more and who they are as individuals. That connection coming together all across the pitch as we build through this season has been incredible to see. It’s great to come back in with the quad and continue this unbeaten record.”
Minutes later, the Current nearly extended its lead. Substitute forward Elyse Bennett continued her recent game-changing run of form by winning a penalty kick in the 67th minute.
LaBonta stepped up to take the spot kick and fired her shot to Sheridan’s right, but the goalkeeper dove to deny the effort and break LaBonta’s streak of three consecutive penalty kicks made in 2022.
However, Kansas City remained in control of the match after the momentum swing and continued to stifle San Diego’s offense. The Wave’s lone goal came from forward Amirah Ali in the 88th minute, which marked the team’s only shot on target in Sunday’s match. The Current weathered a late Wave push to see out a 2-1 win, which marked the team’s third consecutive road victory after entering the 2022 regular season without a road win in franchise history.
Kansas City remains on the road next weekend, taking on the North Carolina Courage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at WakeMed Soccer Park.
The team’s next home match is on Friday, Aug. 19, against Angel City FC, and the Current is encouraging fans from across the region to #ShowUpKC as the team looks to break an all-time Kansas City attendance record and fill the seats with over 10,000 fans.
Tickets for remaining 2022 home matches and 2023 season ticket membership renewals are available online at KansasCityCurrent.com/tickets.
- Story from KC Current