July 21, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release
LOS ANGELES – Tonight Angel City Football Club (ACFC) kicked off their first-ever NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup tournament with a 2-1 home win against Club América Femenil at Titan Stadium at CSU Fullerton. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller and forward Sydney Leroux scored for the hosts, with forward Kiana Palacios notching one for América.
Forward Messiah Bright had the first real chance of the night in the 11th minute. The play was a team effort starting with defender Sarah Gorden sending a forward pass to midfielder Kennedy Fuller, who tapped a diagonal ball to midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard, who found Bright as she made a run into the box. The forward shrugged off pressure from two defenders to put a shot on frame, but goalkeeper Sandra Paños came off her line to block the attempt.
América answered with an attempt in the 12th minute when midfielder Nicolette Hernández uncorked an angled shot from a few yards outside the area. Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson dove right and got her hand on the ball to block it out for a corner.
In the 24th minute ACFC had another attempt when defender Sarah Gorden sent a long ball to defender Gisele Thompson as she made a run up the wing. Thompson dribbled into the box and beat her mark to turn and shoot, but her attempt was wide.
Angel City opened the scoring in the 29th minute when defender Merritt Mathias played a short diagonal pass out of pressure to Fuller just inside the penalty arc. Fuller took a touch to control the ball, turned, and unleashed a right-footed effort that curled past Paños and into the back of the net.
Forward Elizabeth Eddy had a look in the 59th minute, getting her head on a cross from forward Sydney Leroux at the corner of the six-yard box, but her shot was high.
América had their first chance since the first half in the 69th minute when an uncleared corner kick bounced around their penalty area, first with defender Karen Luna making a short-range attempt that was blocked; midfielder Noemí Granados’s outside-the-box follow-up flew straight to Anderson.
The visitors kept pushing, with forward Scarlett Camberos sending a low ball across the face of goal in the 75th minute, but none of her teammates were able to connect before ACFC midfielder Lily Nabet blocked the pass out over the endline.
Angel City doubled their lead in the 89th minute when midfielder Madison Hammond poked the ball away from a defender to the feet of Leroux…