FC Kansas City Finds Victory in Final Road Trip of the Season
September 25, 2017 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
FC Kansas City News Release
FC Kansas City Finds Victory in Final Road Trip of the Season
(FC Kansas City)
Seattle, WASHINGTON - FC Kansas City earned three points in their final road trip of the 2017 season, defeating the Seattle Reign 1-0 on Sunday evening in front of nearly 5,000 fans at Memorial Stadium in Seattle, Washington. Shea Groom scored the game's only goal in the 23^rd minute off an assist from Sydney Leroux.
Seattle Reign vs FC Kansas City Game Stats ce&idb7a3cd7385&e538107ee17)
Although the team had been eliminated from playoff contention in it's last match, FC Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski knew his team would continue to play at a high level to finish their season.
Much like the two NWSL Championship games between these two teams, Andonovski started his team in a defensive mindset. Seattle controlled as much as 74% of the possession in the first 20 minutes, however, they only had four shots, with none of them being on target.
The Blues jumped on their first chance of the night. In the 23^rd minute, following a Reign attack, the Blues were able to clear the ball from danger where Leroux was able to jump on it. The veteran forward laid off a perfect pass through the Seattle defense just as Groom ran parallel to their back line. She beat the defense to the pass and only needed one touch to place the ball to the back corner of the net.
The Groom goal gave the Blues a 1-0 lead they would take into the halftime break.
In the second half, The Blues refused to sit in a defensive shell while Seattle tried to preserve their season. They actually outshot the Reign 7-6 in the period. Groom and Leroux would continue to work together to put pressure on the Seattle defense while captain Becky Sauerbrunn was able to clean up any offensive chances the Reign tried to muster.
Brittany Kolmel (nee Taylor) made her first appearance since getting married two weeks ago. She entered the match in the 65^th minute. Rookie Sydney Miramontez, who had started in Kolmel's traditional outside back position, moved to center back and gave veteran Yael Averbuch a much needed rest.
The fresh legs of Kolmel certainly helped to withstand the final Seattle push, but in the end, the Blues were able to hold on to their 1-0 victory.
FC Kansas City (8-9-6, 30pts) will now return home for the final game of the 2017 season. The team will host the Houston Dash at 5:00 p.m. CT on October 1^st at Swope Soccer Village. The team, in cooperation with the Hand in Iand Hurricane Relief Fund, will be helping to raise funds for victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma at the match. A special silent auction will be held, offering game-used merchandise to potential fans.
For tickets or information about the final match, visit FCKansasCity.com.
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National Women's Soccer League Stories from September 25, 2017
- FC Kansas City Finds Victory in Final Road Trip of the Season - FC Kansas City
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