KANSAS CITY (July 20, 2024) — The Kansas City Current (1-0-0, 3 pts., 2nd place Group C) opened the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup with a victory Saturday night, as midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta’s game-winning goal in the 68th minute helped Kansas City earn a 3-1 victory against the Houston Dash (0-1-0, 0 pts, 4th place Group C) at CPKC Stadium. The win helped Kansas City keep pace in Group C after Tigres UANL took down Pachuca 4-2 on Friday.
Kansas City forward Michelle Cooper opened the scoring 55 seconds into the first half. Cooper now owns the two fastest goals scored in club history after notching a score in 22 seconds last season. LaBonta provided the game-winner, and forward Kristen Hamilton returned to action with a crucial insurance goal as the Current christened its first-ever international tournament with a victory.
“We just take it one game at a time,” said head coach Vlatko Andonoski. “Obviously, we wanted to win this one, we did, now Pachuca is our next game and it’s the most important game for us. Once we’re done with that one, we’re going to focus on Tigres.”
The Current showed little signs of rust following a two-week break, scoring 55 seconds into the first half on a brilliant team move. Defender Izzy Rodriguez fired a direct pass down the left side of Houston’s defense that met forward Temwa Chawinga in stride. Chawinga made it down to the end line and fired a left-footed cross to the penalty spot that found Cooper, who fired a near-post strike beating Dash goalkeeper Erin McKinney. Cooper’s goal marked Kansas City’s first in international tournament play.
Kansas City nearly doubled the lead in the sixth minute with a header from midfielder Bayley Feist. The veteran midfielder rose above McKinney and got her head on a cross from the right side, but her effort struck the crossbar. The Current generated plenty of chances throughout the first half, but Houston found the second goal of the contest in the 20th minute. Dash midfielder Yuki Nagasato intercepted a loose ball in midfield, took a few touches forward then fired a long-range effort off the post and into the back of the net for the equalizer.
Following the Houston score, Cooper went to work in search of the go-ahead goal. She struck the post in the 32nd minute following a Current corner kick and had another effort sail just high of goal in the 38th minute. Two minutes later, Kansas City goalkeeper AD Franch made an excellent save to keep the match level, as the Current goalkeeper deflected a strike from distance off the crossbar, keeping the match level at the break 1-1.
Houston generated the first two dangerous scoring opportunities of the second half. The visitors nearly took the lead in the 50th minute header off forward Diana Ordóñez, but her effort hit the crossbar and the Current backline was able to clear the ball to safety.
Andonovski made two substitutions in the 65th minute that, by his own admission, helped to steady the Kansas City attack. Midfielder Desiree Scott and forward Kristen Hamilton each made their first appearance of the tournament.
Hamilton made an immediate impact and was ultimately paramount in flipping the match in the Current’s favor. In the 68th minute, Hamilton steered a long free kick from Debinha to a wide-open LaBonta. McKinney got both hands behind LaBonta’s strike from inside the Dash penalty area, but the effort trickled over the goal line as the Current took a 2-1 lead.
Then, Hamilton provided a crucial insurance goal 15 minutes later. The forward pounced on an errant back pass from a Dash defender, which left her with a free breakaway at goal. Hamilton slotted the ball into the back of the net to give the Current a 3-1 lead. The goal marked the 40th of Hamilton’s career across all competitions, and she became the 17th player in NWSL history to reach that threshold.
Grace Bahr, signed by the club Thursday as a National Team Replacement, made her professional debut in the 88th minute.
Sitting second on the Group C table, the Current welcome Liga MX Femenil powerhouse Pachuca to CPKC Stadium July 27 at 7 p.m. CT for the second match of group stage play. Unlike NWSL Regular Season matches, tickets to these matches are available for purchase now on KansasCityCurrent.com.
NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Houston Dash
Date: July 20, 2024
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 7:08 p.m. CT
Weather: 76 degrees, cloudy
Discipline
22’ Houston – Olivieri (Yellow)
35’ Houston – Patterson (Yellow)
67’ Houston – Chapman (Yellow)
86’ Houston – Schmidt (Yellow)
Scoring
1’ Kansas City – Cooper (Chawinga)
20’ Houston – Nagasato
68’ Kansas City – LaBonta (Hamilton)
83’ Kansas City – Hamilton
Scoring Summary
| Goals | 1 | 2 | F |
| Kansas City | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Houston | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Kansas City Current Lineup: Franch, Rodriguez (45’ Spaanstra), Mace, Steigleder, Wheeler, LaBonta ©, Feist (79’ Hutton), DiBernardo (65’ Scott), Chawinga (65’ Hamilton), Debinha, Cooper (88’ Bahr)
Unused Substitutes: Silkowitz, Hisey
Houston Dash Lineup: McKinney, Chapman (72’ Nielsen), Jacobs ©, Petersen, Harris (84’ Ayson), Schmidt, Nagasato, Briede, Ordóñez, Olivieri (72’ Wolfbauer), Patterson
Unused Substitutes: Hinz, Hirst
