Vanessa DiBernardo scored the first goal for Kansas City in its new stadium and the Current held off the Portland Thorns 5-4 on Saturday in the regular-season opener for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Debinha‘s rebound shot deflected off Thorns goalkeeper Shelby Hogan and fell to DiBernardo, who scored in the 22nd minute. Rookie Ellie Wheeler scored moments later and the Current built a 3-1 lead by halftime.
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Bia Zaneratto, Kristen Hamilton and Alex Pfeiffer added goals for the Current. Sophia Smith and Janine Beckie each had a two goals for the Thorns.
Pfeiffer became the youngest goal scorer in league history at 16 years, 4 months.
The Current were hurt in the 32nd minute when Debinha, a finalist for last year’s league MVP award, left the game with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
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It was the first game at CPKC Stadium, which the team says is the first U.S. stadium built expressly for women’s pro soccer. The privately financed $120 million facility sits on the banks of the Missouri River and seats 11,500.
Saturday’s game was a sellout. It also was the first NWSL game broadcast on ABC as part of the…
