KANSAS CITY (Aug. 30, 2025) — The Kansas City Current (15-2-1, 46 pts., 1st place) clinched a historic postseason berth Saturday night at CPKC Stadium, defeating the North Carolina Courage (5-7-6, 21 pts., 9th place), 2-0. A long-range strike from defender Izzy Rodriguez put the home team ahead in the 31st minute and midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta capped the first-half scoring with a penalty kick 10 minutes later. With the victory, the Current secured the franchise’s third playoff appearance and became the first National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club to lock in a spot in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel.
Kansas City, the only NWSL club that remains unbeaten at home this year, set a new club record for consecutive regular season shutout minutes at 542 minutes. Additionally, the team’s six consecutive clean sheets are the longest streak in NWSL history. The result marked the Current’s 15th win of the season, just one behind the franchise record of 16 set in 2024. They are also the eighth team in league history to reach at least 15 wins in a single regular season.
“Our group did not put a certain goal of clinching a playoff or winning the shield or getting a shutout. Our goal is to come out as a group and be the best that we can possibly be every game we play,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “We’ve operated like that for a year-and-a-half now and we’re only focused on being the best we can be in this game. We have a rule: We celebrate tonight, we rest tomorrow and we get ready for the next one.”
Lorena, who earned her league-leading 10th regular season clean sheet and tied the NWSL record for the fastest goalkeeper to reach double-digit shutouts, was called into action early in Saturday’s contest. After her initial effort was blocked, Courage midfielder Ashley Sanchez uncorked a strike from distance in the ninth minute that seemed destined for the top corner. However, Lorena read the long-range effort perfectly, making a diving stop to push the ball over the crossbar.
In the 19th minute, the Current nearly went ahead on a well-worked give-and-go between midfielder Debinha and forward Temwa Chawinga, but Chawinga’s driven cross barely missed the head of forward Michelle Cooper. Midfielder Ally Sentnor, who made her first start at CPKC Stadium, recorded Kansas City’s first shot on target in the 30th minute with a low drive which ultimately required a diving save from Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy.
Sentnor’s attempt proved crucial as it set up the first of back-to-back corner kicks that resulted in the Current pulling ahead in the 31st minute. On a second-chance ball following her second corner kick, the ball was cleared back out to Rodriguez on the right wing about 25 yards from goal. Rodriguez curled an effort on goal that bounced past the outstretched arms of Murphy and into the bottom left corner of the net. The goal marked Rodriguez’s fifth of her career and first of the regular season.
In the 40th minute, the Current executed a well-timed counterattack en route to earning their second goal of the match. Sentnor kickstarted the move with a long ball forward for Debinha, who held it up and worked a give-and-go with Chawinga. Debinha’s ball forward played Chawinga through on goal in the penalty area, where the forward won a foul to earn a penalty kick.
LaBonta made no mistake from the spot, slotting her effort in the top left corner in the 41st minute to double the Current’s lead. The penalty kick marked the 13th of LaBonta’s career, and she now sits just one behind Megan Rapinoe’s NWSL regular season record of 14 penalty kicks. It marked LaBonta’s 20th career regular season goal for the Current, becoming the second player in franchise history to reach the milestone. She is also the 31st player in league history to score 20 goals for the same club.
The Current’s first-half scoring flurry proved decisive as they took their 2-0 lead into the locker room. The club has now outscored opponents 23-1 in the first 45 minutes of play during the regular season.
Kansas City maintained its two-goal advantage in a comfortable second-half performance that saw the Current hold the Courage without a shot on target, finishing with the 2-0 win to secure a spot in the playoffs. The Current’s 46 points through 18 matches is the best start to a season in NWSL history. Additionally, Kansas City is just one win away from equaling the franchise record for wins in a season and nine points shy of matching the franchise record for total points in a season (55, 2024).
Saturday’s match marked the Current’s 30th game at CPKC Stadium — the world’s first stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team — and the team capped the occasion to improve to 25-1-4 in all competitions at its home venue. Defender Kayla Sharples played the full 90 minutes in the contest and remains one of 11 players to have logged every minute of the 2025 regular season. The match marked Sharples’ 26th consecutive regular season start, tied for the third-longest streak in club history. Kansas City also extended its unbeaten run in regular season play to 11 consecutive matches.
The contest also marked the Kansas City Current’s appreciation match for the 2025 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide. Midfielder Claire Hutton, the Current’s nominee, wore a commemorative armband during the match and representatives from MINDDRIVE, Hutton’s community partner, were on site for the festivities. More information about Hutton’s nomination can be found HERE.
Kansas City hits the road next weekend for the club’s first and only road match in September. The Current travels to California for a tilt with Bay FC on Saturday, Sept. 6. The match kicks off at 9 p.m. CT (7 p.m. PT) from PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., – the site of the 2025 NWSL Championship – and will broadcast nationally on ION. Fans in Kansas City can catch a simulcast of the match on KMCI, 38 the Spot with a pregame show, KC Current Matchday, preceding the match at 8:30 p.m. CT. Fans in Kansas City can also listen all the action on 90.9 The Bridge or tune into the KC Current App to listen to 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: Kansas City Current vs. North Carolina Courage
Date: August 30, 2025
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: 78 degrees, cloudy
Attendance: 11,500
Discipline
44’ Kansas City – Sentnor (Yellow)
71’ Kansas City – LaBonta (Yellow)
Scoring
31’ Kansas City – I. Rodriguez
41’ Kansas City – LaBonta
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | F | |
| Kansas City | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, Wheeler, Mace, Sharples, I. Rodriguez, LaBonta ©, Hutton (77’ R. Rodríguez), Sentnor (86’ Ball), Cooper (81’ Prince), Debinha (86’ Zaneratto), Chawinga (77’ Long)
Unused Substitutes: Ivory, Steigleder, Hopkins, Feist
North Carolina Courage Lineup: Murphy, Kurtz ©, Berkely (74’ Vine), Williams, Bell, Sanchez (74’ Koyama), Jackson, Weatherholt (46’ Shaw), Pinto (74’ Betfort), Lussi (83’ Linnehan), Matsukubo
Unused Substitutes: Jordan, Staude, Speck, Gomes
