Vanessa DiBernardo had a goal and an assist to open the Kansas City Current’s early scoring burst in a 5-4 victory against the Portland Thorns in the season-opening game in the National Women’s Soccer League on Saturday at Kansas City, Mo.
Ellis Wheeler, Bria Zaneratto, Kristen Hamilton and Alex Pfeifer also scored for the Current, who had a commanding 5-1 lead by the 68th minute before closing out the victory.
It was the inaugural game at the Current’s new CPKC Stadium along the banks of the Missouri River.
Sophia Smith and Janine Beckie each scored two goals for Portland, with Beckie’s final score of the game in extra time.
DiBernardo scored in the 22nd minute for the first of three Kansas City goals in a 12-minute stretch. The first goal came after Thorns goalkeeper Shelby Hogan misplayed a ball, allowing the Current to stay on the attack.
DiBernardo assisted on Zaneratto’s goal in the 34th minute for a 3-0 lead.
Smith scored in the last two minutes before halftime, with Jessie Fleming supplying an assist.
Orlando Pride 2, Racing Louisville 2
At Louisville, Ky., Summer Yates scored in the 86th minute and Orlando forged a road tie despite going a player down in the second half.
Elexa Bahr, who fired a shot from just outside the box, and Uchenna Kanu scored goals in the opening 20 minutes to set up the home team. Bahr was in her NWSL debut.
An own goal by Racing Louisville’s Elli Pikkujamsa allowed Orlando to get on the board in the 24th minute.
The Pride’s Kylie Strom exited in the 62nd minute for a red card (two yellows), so that left Orlando a player down. Yates’ goal was assisted by Amanda Allen.
North Carolina Courage 5, Houston Dash 1: At Cary, N.C., Bianca St. Georges scored two goals late in the match in her debut with the Courage to help seal a season-opening victory.
Malia Berkely had the only first-half goal, while Haley Hopkins and Danielle Weatherholt added the other Courage tallies.
Houston’s only score came on an own goal from the Courage’s Kaleigh Kurtz in the 65th minute after North Carolina had built a 2-0 lead. St. Georges, a forward who entered the match in the 74th minute as a substitute, had goals in the 77th and 86th minutes.
Weatherholt, who entered the game at the same time as St. Georges, scored in extra time in her first game with the Courage after coming over from Chicago in the offseason.
Chicago Red Stars 2, Utah Royals 0: At Sandy, Utah, Allyson Schlegel and Ava Cook scored second-half goals to lift Chicago in the season opener.
Schlegel scored in the 50th minute on a header off a delivery from Sam Staab. About 10 minutes later, Schlegel was replaced by Cook.
Cook’s goal came after a shot from Maximiliane Rall went off teammate Allison Cook. Ava Cook didn’t score last season until her 10th game.
–Field Level Media
