March 30, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Kansas City Current News Release
KANSAS CITY – The Kansas City Current (3-0-0, 1st place) win their third straight match for the first time in club history, taking down Angel City (0-2-1, 12th place), 4-2, in the second match hosted at CPKC Stadium, the first stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional team. NWSL veteran midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo scored for a third-consecutive match and newcomer forward Temwa Chawinga became the first player from Malawi to score a goal in the National Women’s Soccer league.
The Current have scored 11 goals over the first three matches of the 2024 season, marking the most ever in a three-game span. Nine different goal scorers for Kansas City is also the most over three-consecutive games in NWSL history.
“I am very thankful for all the work Cami (Ashton, general manager) did in the offseason to secure, not just Bia (Zaneratto) and Temwa (Chawinga), but all the other new players on the roster,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who has now tallied his first 3-0 start in his NWSL career. “She made the coaching staff’s job so much easier so we can construct the team in the way that we did.”
In front of a second-straight sellout crowd at CPKC Stadium, 11,500 fans saw the KC Current start yet another high-scoring affair. In the 6th minute, Bia bodied up a defender and pushed past until reaching the far corner of the box where she found Chawinga inside the arc. Impressive footwork drew in three defenders and opened up a shot for DiBernardo on the nearside of the pitch. All it took was a single touch, a rocket that didn’t stand a chance off the outstretched fingers of the Angel City goalkeeper to give KC the 1-0 lead.
Chawinga attempted five shots against Angel City, the highest total for a Current player this season. She had possibly her best chance of the first half in the 20th minute, getting open and alone at the top of the box, but a straight shot down the middle ended up wrapped up in the hands of the keeper. Another attempt that came close in the first half came in the 27th minute with a great move on the left from Bia to get a cross into defender Ellie Wheeler. Wheeler’s header went past the keeper but was saved off the goal line.
The Current put a second goal on the board two minutes into first half stoppage time. Bia drew several defenders to her just past the center circle then laid off a crisp pass to Wheeler who was cutting in towards goal. As her path was…