History made & a wild game: KC Current electrify CPKC Stadium in season-opening win
Regardless of the result, Saturday’s opener at CPKC Stadium was going to be a victory for the Kansas City Current — and women’s sports as a whole.
The Current made sure it was a victory on the scoreboard, too, winning 5-4 in an electric atmosphere in Kansas City.
“I’m happy for the three points,” KC Current manager Vlatko Andonovski said. “But I can say I’m much more excited about the stadium, about the atmosphere, about this moment. Because this moment is something that will change the world of women’s soccer.”
About those three points...
The train horn that sounds for Current goals at CPKC Stadium sounded early — and often — as the Current scored three in the first half and led 5-1 into the second. The Thorns made it interesting, pulling within a goal in stoppage time, but the Current held on to secure its first victory at CPKC Stadium.
Vanessa DiBernardo scored the first goal in CPKC Stadium history, tapping home a rebound into an empty net.
Current star Debinha had dispossessed the Thorns goalkeeper and tried to put the shot between the her legs, but the ball clipped off the inside of the goalkeeper’s heel and rolled into the path of DiBernardo, who scored.
After the match, the 10-year vet called that inaugural goal a special moment.
“Where we started with this league and where we are now, it just shows the growth and how much players have put in and really pushed the standard,” DiBernardo said, “and how much we’ve had to fight for ourselves.”
And then the goals just kept coming.
Next up was rookie defender Ellie Wheeler. The Current’s second-round draft pick blasted home a loose ball in the box to make it 2-0.
“It was a surreal moment when I saw the ball bounce in the box and I realized I was gonna get there,” Wheeler said. “My brain was going crazy, but at the same time, I’m telling myself to be calm and just put it in the back of the net.”
New offseason signing Beatriz (known as Bia) quickly made it 3-0.
A strike from Sophia Smith provided a warning shot before the Current raced out further ahead in the second half.
Kristen Hamilton and 16-year-old Alex Pfeiffer scored goals in the second half, thanks to Temwa Chawinga’s work to create chances.
Pfeiffer, at 16 years, 3 months, 19 days old, became the youngest goalscorer in NWSL history. She was brought on at halftime for Bia, and Andonovski gave her some words of encouragement beforehand.
“Alex, you’re in the best situation that a soccer player can find yourself in today,” Andonovski recalled telling her. “You can’t do anything wrong today. Just go out there, enjoy it. ... Just be yourself. You can do literally whatever you want, and it will be good.”
Her historic goal proved to be the winning one, after the Thorns then scored three unanswered. Two from Janine Beckie and another from Smith made it 5-4 before the final whistle blew.
Debinha had to leave the game in the first half after a hamstring injury. The severity is unknown, and the club anticipates having an update on her status in the coming days. In addition, the Current pulled DiBernardo and Bia to make sure they weren’t pushed past their limits.
Andonovski felt those substitutions took away from KC’s control of the game’s tempo.
“I’m just happy that we found a way to score a couple of quick ones (in the second half) to get the three points,” Andonovski said.
The Current will hit the road for their next match, facing last year’s NWSL Shield winners (best regular-season record), the San Diego Wave. That match will kick off at 9 p.m. on Saturday night.
KC returns home to CPKC Stadium on March 30 against Angel City FC.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published March 16, 2024 at 2:14 PM.