**ORLANDO, Fla.** – The Kansas City Current staved off a late comeback push by the Orlando Pride to earn a 2-1 win on Saturday night, with goals from Debinha and Cece Kizer propelling the visitors on the road. Orlando pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 58 ^th minute and created plenty of opportunities through the 11 minutes of second half stoppage time, but in the end they could not produce.
The hosts were off on the attack early on, with forward Marta testing Kansas City goalkeeper Cassie Miller after just five minutes. After the ball head been worked back out to the Brazilian standing near the edge of the box, she took a step to her left and fired on goal only for a deflection to take the sting out of the effort for an easy collection for Miller.
Seven minutes later, Kansas City forward Kristen Hamilton came as close to scoring as anyone can in the 12 ^th minute when a redirected shot at the near post forced Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse into a great reaction save. A low ball was whipped into the center of the area from the right flank, and Hamilton was forced to pounce on it as she lashed her right-footed effort toward goal. However, Moorhouse was in position to make a great save and prevent the game’s opening goal.
Her efforts to preserve the clean sheet would only last so long, though, with Kansas City taking the lead in the 29 ^th minute after a distance chip from midfielder Debinha. The Current were applying pressure in the Orlando half when an interception by Debinha turned possession in the visitor’s favor. However, instead of holding up play, Debinha looked up and saw Moorhouse far off her line, leaving the Brazilian the opportunity to successfully chip the goalkeeper and give her side the lead a third of the way through the match.
The Current then immediately began their press for a second goal with defender Gabrielle Robinson making Moorhouse tip the ball over the crossbar following a strong header from a corner kick in the 34 ^th minute.
Just before the break, however, the Current would double their lead as forward Cece Kizer bundled the ball over the line from close in in the first minute of stoppage time. Kizer was in the middle of the penalty area when she received a pass, with her touch leaving her the chance to spin in position and poke a shot past Moorhouse and into the back of the net.
At the break, it was a deserved lead for Kansas City, who were the more clinical of the two sides to say the least.
Right after the restart, Kansas City nearly found a third goal on the night with another chance falling for Hamilton in front of goal in the 47 ^th minute. Debinha was on the ball in the right side of the box when she slid a ball across the box for Hamilton to run onto. The forward was able to latch on the pass, but her shot was high over the crossbar as the chance went missing.
After a brief chance for forward Adriana in the 52 ^nd minute, the complexion of the match really changed for Orlando in the 56 ^th minute when a shot back into the penalty area was judged to have illegally struck the hand of Kansas City forward Kristen Hamilton, resulting in a penalty kick for the Pride. Stepping up to the spot was Marta, and she produced a lovely chip down the center of the goal to bring her side one goal closer to a comeback.
The Pride then continued their search for an equalizer late on as chances for Ally Watt and Adriana fell within the span of two minutes, with the Current able to see away both in the end. First up, Watt pounced on a short back pass by the defender Robinson toward Miller, but Watt’s left-footed effort could not get around the shotstopper in the 80 ^th minute and the ball was cleared. Then, in the 81 ^st minute, Adriana pulled up from just outside the box with a powerful low drive to the bottom left corner of the goal, but Miller was equal to it and saw it out for a corner kick.
Despite a far better second half, the Pride were unable to come up with the goal needed to salvage a point and the Kansas City Current earned their first road win of the season as they held off Orlando for the points. The win temporarily moves the Current off of the bottom of the table ahead of Chicago’s match later on in the weekend, while Orlando remains in 9 ^th place with 13 points from 13 games played, just one point more than Kansas City.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights