Haley Hopkins scored three goals as the Kansas City Current rallied for a 4-1 victory over the Denver Summit on Saturday.
In other National Women’s Soccer League matches, Angel City secured a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit, while the Portland Thorns and Houston Dash played to a 1-1 draw.
Temwa Chawinga added a goal and an assist at CPKC Stadium for the Current (12-9-5), who scored four unanswered goals after Summit captain Lindsey Heaps opened the scoring in the 13th minute.
Kansas City outshot Denver (9-9-8) 22-7, with Chawinga leading the Current with six shots. Summit goalkeeper Abby Smith made six saves, while Kansas City goalkeeper Lorena made two.
Hopkins equalized in the 39th minute, finishing a cross from Michelle Cooper. Less than 10 minutes later, she raced behind Denver’s back line and beat Smith to a through ball to put Kansas City ahead.
Chawinga set up Hopkins’ third goal on a breakaway in the 57th minute.
Chawinga capped the scoring in the 76th minute, finishing a backheel pass from Vanessa DiBernardo.
Maiara Niehues scored in the 88th minute for visiting Angel City (12-8-6) to hand the Washington Spirit a third straight loss.
Carina Lageyre found Niehues at the top of the penalty area with two minutes remaining in regulation.
Both Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver and Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson made just two saves.
The Spirit fell to 14-8-4.
Marie Müller scored an 85th-minute equalizer to lift the Portland Thorns (12-7-7) into a draw against the Dash.
Müller ran into the penalty box and fired a one-touch shot into the net.
Houston’s leading scorer, Kat Rader, gave the Dash (9-9-8) an early lead in the 10th minute when she finished a ball from Kate Faasse.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
FILE - Kansas City Current forward Haley Hopkins (13) looks up field during an NWSL soccer match the Portland Thorns FC in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Aiken,File)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola was hit hard on two days' rest and the Phillies bullpen unraveled in a 12-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night, forcing Philadelphia to try and salvage a final-week collapse and play for an NL wild-card berth on the last day of the season.
Philadelphia had a 6 1/2-game lead over Arizona for the third NL wild card on Sept. 1 before going into a tailspin that now includes four straight losses. The Diamondbacks played at San Diego on Saturday night and entered the game one game back of the Phillies for the final wild card.
The Diamondbacks hold the tiebreaker over the Phillies.
The Phillies are 9-14 in September. Their magic number remained at two headed into Saturday.
Philadelphia will turn to Zack Wheeler on Sunday to try and finally clinch its fifth straight playoff berth and avoid the franchise's worst collapse since 1964.
With the Phillies’ attempt at clinching an NL wild card teetering on an epic meltdown, Nola (7-12) was hit hard on just about every ball in play and left trailing 3-0 after pitching only one inning.
Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Richie Palacios added an RBI double for a 3-0 lead. Caminero’s 42nd homer gave him 101 RBIs for the AL East champion Rays.
Palacios had four RBIs and Victor Mesa Jr. had his first four-hit game.
The Phillies used six relievers. José Alvarado was voraciously booed off the mound after the beleaguered lefty gave up three runs in the fifth inning. José Urquidy allowed three runs in the sixth to make it 10-0 and most Phillies fans — some of whom wore brown paper bags over their heads — fled for the exits on a rainy night.
Rays starter Griffin Jax took a line drive from Philadelphia’s Trea Turner off his lower back and left the game after three innings.
The Phillies had a runner on second and two outs when Turner drilled a 104-mph line drive off Jax. The ball ricocheted to shortstop Taylor Walls, who threw out Turner for the third out of the inning.
Jax was relieved by Steven Matz (6-6), who pitched a scoreless inning.
The Phillies snapped their 21-inning scoreless streak on an unearned run in the seventh.
The Rays finish with RHP Nick Martinez (15-5, 2.94 ERA) on the mound.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Diaz reacts after his double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero hits a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero, left, runs after his two-run home run against Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola, back right, during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Tampa Bay Rays' Richard Palacios hits an RBI double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Tampa Bay Rays' Cedric Mullins, right, follows through on a single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
