Minnesota Aurora remains undefeated in front of another 5000+ crowd

After a Chicago City foul deep in Aurora’s attacking third, centerback Kelsey Kaufusi stepped up to serve the ball into the 18-yard box. Sangmin Cha connected on a one-time shot, hitting City’s goalkeeper Katie Montgomery and then catching  her own  rebound drilled it in give Minnesota Aurora a 1-0 lead in the first half. 

Chicago City looked hungrier coming out of the halftime break. City’s attack pressed forward, forcing several saves from Fuller, including a full-stretch reach in the 58th minute. The two teams traded yellow cards minutes apart (Aurora’s Cha in the 50th, City’s Kelsey Hamm in the 52nd).

The game became even scrappier when forward Maya Hansen was ripped down in the penalty box and drew a PK. Morgan Stone stepped up to take the kick, and her shot was just enough to beat a diving Montgomery. Stone’s PK is the first in franchise history. 

Although Hansen was denied a goal chance when she was fouled in the box, her time would come. In the 75th minute, Kaufusi launched another perfect pass from the defensive line straight to a sprinting Hansen. Hansen buried the shot for a 3-0 lead. With her second assist of the night, Kaufusi was awarded the Star Tribune Star of the Game. 

Shelby Hopeau (who scored Aurora’s first franchise goal ever) tallied her second goal of the season in the 87th minute to close out the game 4-0. The ball pinged around in the penalty box, and Ari Del Moral had the final touch to earn the assist. 

Minnesota maintains their perfect season and is currently on a four game winning streak. Attendance for the weekend series against Chicago City SC averaged over 5,000 fans per game. Sunday’s official attendance was 5,064, and Friday’s was 5,132. “We’ve been in awe of how much support the team has had. To feel the love from the crowd during the game to give the players that extra push has been really great,” said Head Coach Nicole Lukic. “We’re grateful for everybody that’s been coming out to support us.”

Aurora heads to Chicago to face Chicago City SC for the third match in a row on June 17, and fans can watch via livestream on the Eleven Sports app.