FC Kansas City Drops First Home Game of the Season
KANSAS CITY (July 2, 2024) - FC Kansas City (3-5-4, 13 points) saw their seven-game unbeaten streak at Swope Soccer Village come to an end Sunday night when they fell 2-1 to the Houston Dash (4-7-1, 13 pts). Forward Shea Groom put FCKC ahead in the dying minutes of the first half with her first goal of the season. Unfortunately for the Blues, the Dash added two in the second-half to grab the three points.
The first chance for the Blues came early in the third minute when defender Brittany Taylor snagged the ball from the midfield and sent it wide right to Groom who cut the ball back to forward Brittany Ratcliffe, but Ratcliffe’s shot was sent wide of goal.
The Dash had some chances that began with an attack led by Houston forward Rachel Daly who sent the ball out to Janine Beckie in the eighth minute, but goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart corralled the shot. Another chance came in the 21st minute when forward Carli Lloyd hit a shot over the bar then Barnhart saved a Daly shot a few minutes later.
The Blues also created a few chances as well. Brittany Taylor crossed the ball into forward Sydney Leroux whose shot went over in the ninth minute. The next chance for Kansas City came off a short corner when midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta hit a rocket in the 18th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar.
After the first hydration break, the Blues kept up the attack. In the 35th minute, Groom sent a ball to Taylor off a missed free kick, but Taylor’s shot was over the goal. Shortly after, LaBonta was carded for a tackle on Dash midfielder Andressinha. In the 43rd minute, the Dash had a few chances in the box, but the defense stepped up to block each of them.
Groom found the back of the net for the first time this season in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. Defender Christina Gibbons sent in a cross that found its way to Groom’s feet and she turned and put it in the lower left corner out of Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell’s reach.
The second half started out very similarly to the first with both teams trading chances. On one end, in the 54th minute, defender Becky Sauerbrunn took the ball off the foot of Houston’s Nichelle Prince and cleared it out of danger. On the other end, Campbell grabbed a cross out of the air that was intended for Ratcliffe from Groom.
Houston evened up the match in the 55th minute when Lloyd slid a perfectly weighted pass to Daly who hit a shot that Barnhart initially blocked, but Daly found the rebound and put it in the back of the net for her third goal of the season.
The Blues were dealt a bad hand when LaBonta was sent off after receiving her second yellow of the game after a controversial foul on Andressinha. This set up a free kick for the Dash that defender Amber Brooks took. It landed at the feet of Prince who put it in the back of the net for her second of the season.
There were saves on both ends when in the 69th minute, Ratcliffe let off a shot from outside the box, but Campbell was able to get a fingertip save and put it off the crossbar. On the other end in the 70th minute, Daly sent a back-heel pass to Lloyd who let off her own shot from outside the box, but Barnhart got her hands to it for the save.
Despite being down a player, Kansas City looked for a late equalizer with their three midfield substitutes Caroline Flynn, Katie Bowen and Maegan Kelly bringing some fresh legs and energy, but ultimately unable to find a goal.
The Blues best chance late happened when Sauerbrunn was fouled by Lloyd near the midfield circle, but the Dash’s defense held up to keep the score 2-1.
Kansas City will travel to New Jersey Saturday, July 8th to take on Sky Blue FC in their second matchup of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT and can be streamed live on go90.com and the go90 app which is available at the app store for iOS and Android.
NWSL Match Report
Match: FC Kansas City vs. Houston Dash
Date: July 2, 2024
Venue: Swope Soccer Village
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CT
Attendance: 1,703
Weather: 88, Sunny
Discipline
36’ FCKC: LaBonta (Yellow Card- Foul)
52’ FCKC: Gibbons (Yellow Card- Foul)
52’ HOU: Lloyd (Yellow Card- Foul)
62’ FCKC: LaBonta (2nd Yellow/Red Card- Foul)
Scoring
45’+ FCKC: Groom (Gibbons)
55’ HOU: Daly
64’ HOU: Prince (Brooks)
Scoring Summary
Goals 1 2 F
FC Kansas City (3-5-4) 1 0 1
Houston Dash (4-7-1) 0 2 2
Lineups:
FC Kansas City: Barnhart, Taylor, Averbuch, Sauerbrunn©, Gibbons, Scott, Moros (Flynn, 72’) Groom (Bowen, 77’), Ratcliffe (Kelly, 78’), LaBonta, Leroux
Substitutes Not Used: Tymrak, Newfield, Parkhill
Houston Dash: Campbell, Poliana, Brooks, Van Wyk, Levin, Andressinha (Benites, 76’), Privett, Beckie (Heap, 46’), Daly, Lloyd©, Prince (O’Sullivan, 88’)
Substitutes Not Used: Hagen, Rocarro, Brian, Williams
FC Kansas City single game tickets are available to purchase here.