Sanchez scores late winner in Courage's 3-2 comeback win over Current
Ashley Sanchez scored in the third minute of stoppage time and the North Carolina Courage beat the Kansas City Current 3-2 in the National Women's Soccer League on Saturday night.
Elsewhere in the NWSL, Gotham FC cruised past East Coast rivals the Washington Spirit 3-0, the San Diego Wave beat the Chicago Stars 3-0, and Bay FC edged the Seattle Reign 1-0.
Advertisement
Before the match on the road against the Courage, the Current had five wins in five games to start the season. The Courage were the last remaining winless team in the league.
Haley Hopkins scored the opening goal for the Current in the 39th minute. The strike was Hopkins' first for Kansas City since she joined the club from the Courage in February.
Reigning NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga was subbed off by the Current before the start of the second half due to an unspecified injury.
The Courage briefly tied the score with a goal from Ryan Williams in the 52nd minute, but Bia Zaneratto quickly restored the lead and made it 2-1 for the Current in the 57th.
Advertisement
With hope for a win fading heading into the final moments, Courage defender Kaleigh Kurtz scored the equalizer in the 90th minute. Then, Sanchez fired the ball into the corner for the game-winner in the 93rd.
The win was the first of the season for the Courage (1-3-2), and was enough to move them off the bottom of the standings and into 11th. Despite the loss, Kansas City (5-1-0) remained in first.
Gonzalez scores twice for Gotham
Esther Gonzalez scored two goals in seven first half minutes in Gotham's road win over the Spirit.
Almost from the kickoff Gotham took charge. Rookie Sarah Schupansky slotted home her first NWSL goal to make it 1-0 in the third minute.
Advertisement
Gonzalez's first goal was a converted penalty kick to make it 2-0 in the 32nd minute. The Spaniard then got Gotham's third when she headed in a corner kick from Gabi Portilho.
The 32-year-old forward now leads the NWSL in goals with seven. All seven goals have come in Gotham's last four matches.
The Spirit welcomed back Croix Bethune, who came off the bench in the second half to make her first appearance since injuring her meniscus last August.
Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez was shown a red card in the dying moments of the match for encroaching on Gotham's coaching technical area.
Teenager Ascanio scores for Wave
Advertisement
Seventeen-year-old Kimmi Ascanio scored her first professional goal in stoppage team for the Wave's win on the road.
With the game seemingly over, Ascanio produced an instinctive finish from inside the box to punctuate the win in the third minute of stoppage time.
Hanna Lundkvist rifled a shot into the net from 12 yards out in the 31st minute. Chicago defender Sam Staab turned the ball into her own net to make it 2-0 for San Diego in the 81st.
Although Chicago (1-5-0) outshot the guests 12-9, the Wave (3-1-2) did take one more shot on target (5) than the Stars (4).
Kundananji and Huitema score in draw
Advertisement
Racheal Kundananji found the breakthrough for Bay (2-2-2) in the 32nd minute. The Zambian latched onto a through ball from Caroline Conti, sprinted past Jordyn Bugg, and hooked the ball off the post and in. It was her first goal of the season.
Playing on the road, the Reign (2-2-2) equalized when Jordyn Huitema scored a header in the 50th minute. The goal came via a well-rehearsed short corner routine from Seattle, which culminated in Sam Meza crossing the ball for Huitema to flick into the net from close range.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pep Guardiola to lose three key Man City coaches in major revamp
Pep Guardiola is losing three key members of his Manchester City backroom staff, including assistant manager Juanma Lillo, to leave the Spaniard in pursuit of a coaching team. Lillo, Inigo Dominguez and Carlos Vicens are all leaving City and will not go to the Club World Cup, with Guardiola yet to confirm who will join him in the dugout in the United States. Advertisement Vicens, who has been at City for seven years, is going to take up his first managerial job at Portuguese club Braga, where he will replace the former Sheffield Wednesday head coach Carlos Carvalhal. Lillo, whose contract ends this summer, has spent two spells alongside Guardiola but said he wanted to return to his native Spain, rather than extending his stay in England. The 59-year-old was such a major influence on Guardiola that the Catalan joined Mexican club Dorados Sinaloa to play for him. (Getty Images) And Guardiola brought Lillo to City in 2020. After two years, he left to manage Al Sadd in Qatar before returning to the Etihad Stadium a year later. Dominguez, another Spaniard, has worked with Lillo at Al Sadd and Qingdao Huanghai before joining City. Watch every Fifa Club World Cup game free on DAZN. Sign up here now.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rahm warns to expect 'a lot of unfortunate things' at US Open
Two-time major winner Jon Rahm of Spain speaks before a practice round ahead of the 125th US Open at Oakmont (Andrew Redington) Two-time major winner Jon Rahm, who unleashed choice curse words after poor shots at last week's LIV Golf event, says his mental game is ready to be tested at this week's US Open. The 30-year-old Spaniard won his first major title at the 2021 US Open at Torrey Pines and added the Masters crown in 2023, but he has not won since last September's LIV Golf Chicago event. Advertisement While he is confident in his game, Rahm also knows formidable Oakmont's thick rough and fast greens will test his shotmaking and mental game. "It's going to be a challenge. A lot of unfortunate things are going to happen," Rahm said Tuesday. "It's hard fairways to hit, bad lies, difficult bunkers, difficult greens. It's going to be a difficult test." Rahm said his mental approach has improved despite outbursts picked up by television cameras on Sunday at the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Virginia. "It has gotten a lot better," Rahm said. "I think my main issue is always with accepting the mistakes. I'm fully aware that I can make mistakes, but accepting that I've done it, it's my fault and move on. Advertisement "A lot of times I'm very vocal about blaming something on the outside even though when I'm saying it, I'm fully aware it was my fault. So the quicker I accept that it's me and I move on is going to help. "If there's any part of your game that will be tested on a week like this, it will be your mental game, that's for sure." Rahm likes the state of his game after a share of eighth in last month's PGA Championship, his 14th top-10 major result in eight years. "I know I've been playing good, and it has been consistently good. I've done well in majors in the past, I've done well in majors recently, and week in and week out I've been playing good golf," Rahm said. Advertisement - 'Need to have it all' - Driving, Rahm said, will be at a premium to avoid punitive rough. "It's nearly impossible to win a tournament here if you're not hitting it well off the tee because, if you keep putting yourself off the fairway, for lack of a better term, you're going to get 'Oakmont' very often," Rahm said. "It's just a tough course. If it doesn't rain, most likely over par will win again. It's something that none of us are used to, but it's a challenge you need to embrace. "You need to have it all. You need to be playing really good golf." Advertisement Rahm notes treacherous bunkers and undulating greens in addition to Oakmont's other problems. "In a non-US Open year, the biggest challenge off the tee will be those fairway bunkers. They're usually very penal," Rahm said. "They're very often just deep enough to where you don't have a chance to get to the green due to the length. "But if there's just one thing, it's the greens. It's very complicated and intricate greens that, if you were to make them flat, this golf course would be very different." Rahm says once the challenge of Oakmont begins for players, the intimidating aura of the iconic layout will fade. Advertisement "You embrace it. You know how great it is," Rahm said. "Once you start the tournament, all of those things kind of go away. It's business at that point. It's time to post a score." js/nr
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Barcelona design special fitness plan for key duo to help stay injury-free
Barcelona are not only focused on signing reinforcements this summer to build a competitive squad under Hansi Flick – they are also working on optimising the physical condition of players already at the club. Last year, the coaching staff worked out a specific plan to improve the fitness of key midfielder Pedri, who had shown signs of being injury-prone. Advertisement The idea worked a treat as the Spaniard did not suffer from any injuries and showcased that he is the best in the business when fit and playing regularly. Fitness plans for Dani Olmo and Ronald Araujo As such, Mundo Deportivo now reports that Barcelona duo Ronald Araujo and Dani Olmo will follow specially designed summer programmes aimed at helping them leave last season's injury troubles behind. Following the successful work done with Pedri, Flick's coaching staff has now turned its attention to Olmo and Araujo. The objective is for both players to enjoy a strong, injury-free campaign. Fitness coach Julio Tous, in coordination with the medical staff and with full cooperation from the players, conducted an in-depth muscle analysis to understand their muscle fibre structure. Dani Olmo endured an injury-riddled season. (Photo by) This will allow for personalised training routines designed to prevent injuries and enhance performance. This will be applied to both Araujo and Olmo. Advertisement Having returned to Barcelona last summer, Olmo endured a turbulent season, affected by registration issues and multiple injuries. Despite occasional flashes of top form, he was never able to maintain consistent fitness. The Spaniard underwent a thorough physical evaluation that analysed various muscular and physiological parameters, which in turn allowed the staff to tailor his training. This summer, he will continue following a detailed plan including physical sessions, rest periods, and nutrition guidelines. Araujo will follow the same path after having spent the entire first half of the season out due to an injury that needed surgery and then missing a few matches here and there due to continued fitness issues. Advertisement The plan was confirmed by sporting director Deco during an interview in Brazil. 'We have Marc Bernal who was injured at the beginning of the season, as well as Ronald Araujo and Dani Olmo, and we are working to ensure that they do not get injured again,' he said.
