Sophia Smith’s hat trick sinks KC Current in home opener: NWSL recap
In a much-anticipated rematch of the NWSL Championship game, Sophia Smith continued to be a thorn in the side of the KC Current.
The Portland Thorns jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Crystal Dunn and Smith. A strong second-half performance from the Kansas City Current cut the deficit to 2-1 before Smith added two more goals in the second half to complete her hat trick.
The Thorns won by a final score of 4-1.
Smith showed why she’s the reigning MVP, posting her first career hat trick to reach four goals in just two matches this season. Smith has scored five goals in her last four matches against the Current.
Current coach Matt Potter gave her deserved praise postgame but discussed how he felt his team could’ve done better in specific moments.
“Once we have her in a space, how do we keep her in a space and now bring the supporting group to try and help out to win the ball back?” Potter said. “That’s so easy to say, not so easy to do.”
Things got off to a familiar start for the Current when Dunn scored three minutes into Saturday’s match, stunning the record crowd of 11,301 for an NWSL match in Kansas City. Her shot into the top corner of the near post caught goalkeeper Adrianna Franch off guard. The Thorns added their second when Smith’s heels were clipped in the penalty area, giving the USWNT forward an opportunity to convert from the spot.
After a long delay while NWSL’s newly instituted use of VAR (replay review system) checked the call for a possible error, Smith stepped up and converted the penalty into the bottom right corner of the goal.
At halftime it was all Thorns, who had a 10-2 advantage in the shot counter. But the Current came out with much more energy and sharpness in the second half, creating chance after chance and nearly catching up to the Thorns in shot attempts.
“I think that after the last game, Matt (Potter) said, ‘That doesn’t really look like us,’ and I think that was kind of the same in the first half.” Cece Kizer said. “I think that we were just playing a little lethargic and maybe it’s the early kickoff or something, but it just wasn’t us out there.
“I think all of us came into halftime feeling like we had good ... moments and still felt that we were in the game, even though we were two down. I think that we just came out hungry and wanting to fight.”
KC got one back through Kizer, whose header found the back of the net thanks to a pinpoint pass from Alex Loera. It looked like the Current might find another goal — to tie the score — but the Thorns found a foothold in the game and controlled it for the final 20 minutes.
Smith dribbled through the entire Current back line and tapped the ball past a sprawled Franch for her second goal in the 84th minute. Five minutes later, she took the ball coast to coast again, with the Current back line dropping off and giving her space in front of them. She curled a perfect shot past Franch to seal her hat trick.
It’s early, but the Current are winless in their first two matches, and the team is still dealing with an extensive injury list.
Even with Debinha and Vanessa DiBernardo back on the match-day squad, the Current were one short of a full bench. As some of those players join back into the mix over the next few weeks, things will likely start to look different, and because of that, Lo LaBonta says the team is nowhere close to panicking yet.
“It is never panic mode,” LaBonta said. “We build here, and I think that’s the confidence that we’ve shown and have also earned on this team.”
The Current will return to the field on April 15 in Chicago as they travel to take on the Red Stars after the international break. Franch will join the US Women’s National Team during that time off.
This story was originally published April 1, 2023 at 2:01 PM.