**KANSAS CITY, Ks.** – A much-needed victory for Kansas City finally came on Saturday night as the hosts hung on, 1-0, against the North Carolina. It was an 82-minute wait against the Courage after forward Kristen Hamilton’s opening goal in the 8 ^th minute, but after going winless the entire month of May in five matches (L5), the Current were desperate for a turnaround. For North Carolina, it was a loss that capped off a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions after a rather fruitful May of their own.
Riding the early momentum from the home crowd, Kansas City capitalized early as Hamilton rolled home a finish from close range to put the hosts ahead. Receiving a pass inside the box from teammate Debinha out wide, Hamilton then swung her right foot at the ball and got enough on it to beat Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy for to give her team their first lead in over 260 minutes across all competitions.
North Carolina got into the game through forward Kerolin in the 20 ^th minute, with the Brazilian displaying some bedazzling footwork before producing a chance near goal. Kerolin had received a pass and was working her way into the box when she glued the ball to her feet and went on a twisting run that eventually saw her near the endline. From that position, she attempted to either cross or shot from a tight angle, but nothing came of the chance in the end.
Kansas City then created three separate high quality looks in front of goal in the between the 26 ^th and 39 ^th minute, but somehow North Carolina was able to avoid conceding again. In the 26 ^th minute, Cece Kizer raced onto the end of a pass back across goal a few feet outside the penalty area and managed to make solid contact with her shot. However, it rolled just wide in the end and Kansas City could not double their advantage.
In the 35 ^th minute, midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta then had her shot tipped over the bar by Murphy, who got a strong set of hands to the stinging effort from just outside the box. Then, in the 39t ^h minute, Kizer took the ball from one of the field to another following a set piece for North Carolina. Eventually in the opposition box, Kizer slid a pass to the far post for Hamilton, but the goalscorer’s effort this time was held by Murphy.
Despite plenty of attempts, Kansas City could not increase their lead to two but did more than enough to keep North Carolina at bay and held onto that lead through the duration of the first half.
A relatively muted second half in terms of chance creation, Kansas City’s Vanessa DiBernardo provided a spark in the 74 ^th minute when she went for goal with a lifted shot from left to right seeking the far top corner. However, her effort sailed just wide and out of play in the end.
In the 80 ^th minute, North Carolina forward Olivia Wingate then put the ball in the back of the net to send the visiting team into a frenzy. However, after forward Tess Boade’s foray toward goal saw a pair of shots blocked inside the box, the position from which Wingate pushed the ball over the line was an offside one, leading to a disallowed goal.
In the end, it was a solid fight from Kansas City, who pulled themselves at least temporarily off the bottom of the pile with the result. The Current sit now in 11 ^th place with 9 points from 10 games. Just slightly further forward is North Carolina, who thanks to their aforementioned unbeaten run as of late, had moved up to 7 ^th place on 14 points.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights