Kansas City Current improves to 2-0-0 after comeback win against the San Diego Wave

Despite falling behind early, the Kansas City Current came from behind and secured a 2-1 road victory against the San Diego Wave.

The Wave scored just 17 minutes into the game. AD Franch made a spectacular save, but Sofia Jakobsson put away the rebound to give the home team an early 1-0 lead.

Current coach Vlatko Andonovski said he was proud of the team and the character it showed after going down a goal.

“That was one thing we talked a lot about in this past week,” Andonovski said, “showing character, being true to who we are and build the identity that we want to be.

Just before halftime, Izzy Rodriguez scored her first goal of the season to tie the score at 1-1. She admitted the shot took a bit of a deflection, but she’s certainly no stranger to hitting a spectacular strike off her left foot.

Rodriguez was a regular starter last season but didn’t play in KC’s first match. After Hailie Mace sustained a hip injury during the week and did not travel, Rodriguez stepped up and made her mark.

“I give her so much credit because she is one of the players that every team wants to have,” Andonovski said. ‘She’s a warrior, a trooper, a complete team player.”

Moving into the second half, the Current weathered the storm from San Diego, which looked to find Alex Morgan at every opportunity. And in the 67th minute, the Current earned a golden chance.

Although it took a video review, Bia Zaneratto was brought down inside the box, which gave the Current a penalty kick. Lo LaBonta calmly placed her shot down the middle while Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan dove to her right-hand side. The Current took a 2-1 lead.

LaBonta had made a habit of smashing her penalty kicks hard and to the corners in the past. With only two misses in her career, she noted after the match that one of them had come against Sheridan last season.

“I ripped it across and she dove that way as well,” LaBonta said. “So I was thinking, ‘Place it the other way.’”

After conceding several goals late last week, the Current’s back line held strong throughout the match, which included more than 10 minutes of stoppage time.

Both Rodriguez and LaBonta said the team worked heavily on game-closing scenarios this week. In the season opener at CPKC Stadium, the Current led 5-1 before surrendering three goals and having to grind out a 5-4 victory.

“I think everybody immediately bought in and more,” LaBonta said. “(The players) put all their grit into it.”

“Everyone did their job,” Rodriguez added. “I think especially people coming in off the bench, providing those fresh legs to get some pressure on the ball was really helpful.”

The Current improved to 2-0-0. Also of note, the Current scored seven goals through the first two matches of 2024, which is a club record for that stretch.

All seven goals have been scored by different players.

Up next: The Current return home to CPKC Stadium on Saturday, facing Angel City FC at 2:30 p.m.

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.

This story was originally published March 23, 2024 at 11:32 PM.