Undefeated no more: How Kansas City Current suffered first NWSL loss of 2025

For the first time in 2025, the Kansas City Current failed to win a game despite leading until the 90th minute.

Two stoppage-time goals from the North Carolina Courage ended the Current’s unbeaten start to 2025 with a 3-2 loss in Cary, North Carolina.

Coincidentally, Saturday’s game marked not only the Current’s first loss of the season, but the Courage’s first win. In fact, the Current’s last regular season loss came in similar fashion, with a stoppage-time goal giving the Courage a 2-1 win on September 1, 2024.

“There was obviously a couple moments there where we were not as focused as we needed to be in the closing minutes of the game,” manager Vlatko Andonovski said. “And they punished us.”

The Current (5-1-0) remain in first in the NWSL but move into a tie on points with the Orlando Pride.

Haley Hopkins opened the scoring in the 40th minute. Her combo play with Temwa Chawinga set her up for a left-footed strike back across the way the goalkeeper was leaning, hitting the inside of the post and spinning into the goal.

Hopkins made her first start for the Current since arriving from the Courage via trade this offseason.

For the first time in a while, the Current faced a bit of adversity. And before the start of the second half, the club subbed off Temwa Chawinga — for what Andonovski described as an abundance of caution — and brought on Debinha.

“For us, we didn’t want to risk anything,” Andonovski said, noting Chawinga felt some kind of an injury. “We felt like it was the best thing for her in the moment and in the long term ... to get her out as soon as possible.”

When asked what that knock was, Andonovski wouldn’t specify, saying he didn’t know if he was allowed to share.

The Current started that second half on the back foot, and the Courage found a foothold.

Ryan Williams equalized in the 52nd minute for the Courage. The goal ended the Current’s shutout streak at 453 minutes. But KC responded quickly, earning a couple of corners and pushing to retake the lead.

It didn’t take long — five minutes to be exact.

Bia Zaneratto picked the ball up inside the penalty area and played a nifty combination with Claire Hutton, whose dribbling and passing in tight spaces was impressive. Zaneratto got the ball back and fired it past the North Carolina goalkeeper to make it 2-1.

It was Zaneratto’s first goal in 316 days.

As the clock struck 90 minutes, the home team got an equalizer. A Courage cross was not cleared effectively, and the recycled cross back in fell to Kaleigh Kurtz, who had time and space to pick her corner from near the penalty spot.

While the Current pushed for a winner, the Courage ended up landing the quick counterpunch. Ashley Sanchez’s shot found its way through multiple Current defenders and past Lorena in the 92nd minute to give the Courage a 3-2 lead and all three points.

When asked if there was any regret in not settling for a draw late, Andonovski said it’s hard to get the players to pull back in moments like that.

“It’s easy to say now that’s what we should have done,” Andonovski said. “But this group has been trained to attack, to try and score the next goal to win the game, and its hard to draw them back at times if we believe we have a chance to win it.”

Up next: The Current will travel out to the Pacific Northwest on Friday, May 2, for a late game against the Seattle Reign. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. Central.

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

This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 8:31 PM.