CARY, N.C. (May 2, 2026) — The Kansas City Current (3-4-0, 9 pts., 10th place) used a pair of first half goals to notch a 2-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage (2-2-3, 9 pts., 9th place) Saturday evening at First Horizon Stadium. Midfielder Croix Bethune opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a well-placed volley, and Bethune set up forward Michelle Cooper in the 23rd minute to double the Current’s advantage. Kansas City weathered a late North Carolina rally, as a goal from Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo in the 85th minute led to a frenzied finish, but the Current stood firm to earn the one-goal victory.
Bethune’s eighth-minute goal marked the Current’s earliest goal of the regular season thus far. Her assist marked the second time in her NWSL regular season career that she recorded both a goal and an assist in the same contest, the first coming in 2024. Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta made her 100th career regular season start for Kansas City, the first player in club history to reach the milestone. Saturday’s victory also marked the Current’s first road triumph over the Courage since 2022.
“We loved the start of the game — energy, intensity, quality. The way we stepped on the pitch, we arrived all business, and I think we could see that,” said Head Coach Chris Armas. “You don’t often win the game in the first half, but the two-goal lead gave us a cushion. We pushed for more and had to fight them off late, but awesome start. Really proud of the team.”
Kansas City set the tempo early with multiple waves of high pressure and ended up making an early statement just eight minutes into the contest. Defender Laney Rouse — making her second career NWSL start in her hometown of Cary, N.C. — set up the scoring opportunity on the right wing with a dangerous cross into the penalty area that settled at the near post. The ball struck the outstretched leg of a Courage defender before falling to Bethune near the penalty spot.
Bethune settled the loose ball with a touch, popping it up to herself before fizzing a right-footed volley off the fingertips of Courage goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and into the back of the net. The goal marked Bethune’s second of the season.
Fifteen minutes later, Kansas City doubled its lead. The move started at midfield, as LaBonta intercepted a Courage pass and nodded a header forward for Cooper. Cooper squared the ball behind her for a nearby Bethune, who took a touch as Cooper broke forward down the right wing. Bethune split multiple North Carolina defenders with a pass that met an unmarked Cooper in stride. Cooper pushed forward and, as Sheridan came off her line, rounded the goalkeeper and found the lower left corner of the goal from an acute angle.
The strike marked Cooper’s second of the 2026 campaign and 14th of her Kansas City career, moving her into fourth place all-time in club history. Kansas City continued to press for the club’s third goal of the opening half and had multiple scoring opportunities as the first half progressed, but the Current’s 2-0 lead stood as the halftime whistle sounded.
North Carolina pressure led to a frenetic final 15 minutes that featured multiple key interventions from the Current defense. In the 75th minute, defender Elizabeth Ball made a critical block to deny a goal-bound effort from Matsukubo. Two minutes later, goalkeeper Lorena made a brilliant diving save on a header from inside the six-yard box from Courage forward Evelyn Ijeh.
The Courage found a lifeline in the 85th minute with a goal from Matsukubo. Defender Ryan Williams slid a low ball across the penalty area that found Ijeh at the six-yard box, but her initial effort was denied by an incredible kick save from Lorena. However, the ensuing rebound led to a scramble at the back post, and Matsukubo ultimately steered the ball into the lower left corner of the goal.
As second half stoppage time progressed, the Courage were reduced to 10 players after a violent conduct offense committed by second-half substitute Feli Rauch. Kansas City saw the remainder of the match out from there, earning the club’s first road victory of the 2026 campaign.
LaBonta’s 100th career regular season appearance for the Current came nearly five years to the date of her first start for the club in Kansas City’s inaugural match on May 15, 2021. Defender Ellie Bravo-Young made her 50th career NWSL regular season appearance as a second-half substitute in the late stages of Saturday’s contest.
Next weekend, the Kansas City Current kicks off its “Summer Kickoff Series” with a Mother’s Day tilt against Chicago Stars FC on Sunday, May 10. The match kicks off at 11:25 a.m. CT and will broadcast nationally on ESPN. Fans in Kansas City can listen to the match over the air on 90.9 The Bridge, and an audio stream of the match will be available in English, Spanish and Portuguese on the KC Current App.
The first 5,000 fans in attendance for the Current’s Mother’s Day Match, presented by Helzberg, will receive a limited-edition bag charm courtesy of the Current and Helzberg. Hy-Vee will be distributing carnations to all fans upon entry, and Helzberg will be on CPKC Plaza providing free ear piercings to interested fans. Additional promotional items for next Sunday’s match and more information on the Summer Kickoff Series can be found HERE.
NWSL Match Report
Match: North Carolina Courage vs. Kansas City Current
Date: May 2, 2026
Venue: First Horizon Stadium, Cary, N.C.
Kickoff: 6:32 p.m. ET/5:32 p.m. CT
Weather: 57 Degrees, Cloudy
Attendance: 10,031
Discipline
40’ North Carolina – Weatherholt (Yellow)
90+7’ North Carolina – Rauch (Red)
90+8’ North Carolina – North Carolina Bench (Yellow)
Scoring
8’ Kansas City – Bethune
23’ Kansas City – Cooper (Bethune)
85’ North Carolina – Matsukubo
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | F | |
| North Carolina | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kansas City | 2 | 0 | 2 |
North Carolina Courage Lineup: Sheridan ©, Staude, Williams, Shiragaki, Jackson (90+1’ Schlegel), Weatherholt (81’ Rauch), Koyama, Matsukubo, Sanchez, Okafor (55’ Thompson), Betfort (55’ Ijeh)
Unused Substitutes: Pritchard, Schmidt, Brooks, Younce, Wickenheiser
Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, I. Rodriguez, Sharples, Ball, Rouse, R. Rodríguez (79’ Feist), LaBonta ©, Bethune (79’ Carusa), Chawinga (63’ Hopkins), Cooper (86’ Bravo-Young), Sentnor
Unused Substitutes: Jordan, White, Robinson, Scott, Hocking
