March 30, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release
KANSAS CITY – Angel City fell 2-4 today on the road against the Kansas City Current. Midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo, midfielder Alexa Spaanstra, forward Temwa Chawinga, and forward Bia Zaneratto scored for the Current, while Sydney Leroux and Madison Curry found the back of the net for Angel City.
The home team opened the scoring in the seventh minute when forward Bia Zaneratto forced a turnover on the left wing and found Chawinga with a square pass into the box. Chawinga held up the ball before tapping it to an onrushing DiBernardo, who sent it inside the far post to put her team up 1-0.
Most of the remainder of the half was fairly uneventful, with neither team finding much success moving the ball into the final third. Angel City defender Paige Nielsen came up with a big stop in the 27th minute when Bia beat her mark and sent in a ball from the left that defender Ellie Wheeler headed on frame; Nielsen headed the shot off the goal line to keep it out of the net.
In first-half stoppage time, DiBernardo sent a cross in behind the back line that forward Alexa Spaanstra sprinted onto and headed into the back of the net from point-blank range. The play was initially flagged offside, but following a review, center official Danielle Chesky overruled the call on the field and allowed the goal to stand.
Angel City pulled one back in the 50th minute when forward Claire Emslie sent an early cross from the left to the edge of the six-yard box, which forward Sydney Leroux cleanly headed past goalkeeper AD Franch and into the back of the net.
It wasn’t long, though, before the Current added to their lead; in the 51st minute, KC forward Claire Lavogez sent a sideways pass to Bia in the center of the pitch, who broke through pressure to send the ball onward to Chawinga on the right. The Malawian sprinted a few steps into the 18, drawing ACFC keeper Angelina Anderson off her line, and sent her shot into the net.
The visitors narrowed the lead again in the 78th minute when a corner kick by Emslie fell to midfielder Rocky Rodríguez. She headed the ball down to defender Ali Riley at the top of the six, who then tapped it a few feet to rookie defender Madison Curry, who sent an emphatic shot past Franch. The goal was Curry’s first as a professional, and came in her first start for Angel City.
Rodríguez put the ball in the back of the net a few minutes later off another corner kick, but her goal was…