NWSL Kansas City Current held on to beat North Carolina Courage 3-2 at CPKC Stadium after building a three-goal lead in the first half. Evelyn Ijeh scored before the interval and Riley Jackson added a 77th-minute penalty, but North Carolina could not find a third goal.
A Natalia Staude own goal put Kansas City ahead in the 12th minute. Croix Bethune and Michelle Cooper added goals in the 35th and 41st minutes, taking the score to 3-0 before Ijeh’s reply in first-half stoppage time.
Ijeh and Jackson cut a three-goal deficit to one
Ijeh’s goal came in the third minute of added time at the end of the first half. Her goal meant the Courage went into the break trailing 3-1, with two further goals needed to draw level.
Jackson’s penalty in the 77th minute made it 3-2. North Carolina had now scored once in each half, but the remaining time produced no further goals. Kansas City’s three first-half goals proved enough for the win.
The Current had established their lead over a 29-minute span. Staude’s own goal opened the scoring, Bethune doubled the advantage 23 minutes later, and Cooper added the third six minutes after Bethune. Ijeh then gave the Courage their first goal before the break.
Nine shots on target from Kansas City’s 13 attempts
North Carolina finished with more possession and more shots: 58% of the ball and 18 attempts, against Kansas City’s 42% and 13. The Current nevertheless put nine shots on target to the Courage’s eight.
Kansas City’s nine attempts on target came from fewer total shots, while North Carolina had eight on target and seven off target. The Courage’s remaining three attempts were blocked.
Both teams took four corners. Twelve of Kansas City’s 13 attempts came from inside the penalty area, while North Carolina recorded 14 shots from inside the box and four from outside it.
Seven bookings across the two teams
Felicitas Rauch received North Carolina’s first yellow card in the 45th minute. Kansas City then had three players booked between the 55th and 74th minutes: Cooper, Lo’eau LaBonta and Isabel Rodriguez.
Staude was booked in the 82nd minute. Haley Hopkins of Kansas City and Erica Parkinson of North Carolina each received a yellow card in the 90th, bringing the totals to four for the Current and three for the Courage. Across the whole match, Kansas City committed 12 fouls and North Carolina six.
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