Temwa Chawinga scores again, but KC Current falls to NC Courage on late NWSL goal

Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga set a National Women’s Soccer League record for consecutive games with a goal — a remarkable seven — during Sunday afternoon’s road match against the North Carolina Courage.

But the Courage scored a goal of their own five minutes after Chawinga’s, and — following a roughly hour-long weather delay — found a winner during second-half stoppage time to prevail 2-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

Sunday’s defeat is the second straight for the Current and marks the first time this year that KC has lost back-to-back across all competitions.

Current coach Vlatko Andonovski lamented his team’s lack of ruthlessness.

“I think that we need to learn how to take care of games, or score goals with five opportunities,” Andonovski said. “We don’t need to create 15 (chances) to score more than one goal.

“On the other side, when we go on an away trip and score a goal, that should be enough not to lose the game. That should be enough to win or tie. We cannot give up goals and expect to be successful.”

The Current made some changes for Sunday’s match. Almuth Schult started at goalkeeper over AD Franch — the first time this year anyone other than Franch has appeared in goal for KC in an NWSL match.

Nichelle Prince started for injured forward Michelle Cooper and Bayley Feist started in the midfield (Claire Hutton is with the U-20 Women’s National Team at the U-20 World Cup).

Neither team was able to break through in the first half. The Current took eight shots but just one that required Courage keeper Casey Murphy to make a save. North Carolina nearly scored in the first 30 minutes, but Alanna Cook made a fine clearance off the goal line.

Ironically, the goals didn’t come until Sunday afternoon’s rain arrived. Minutes after a downpour began, Chawinga scored her 14th of the season.

Courage defender Kayleigh Kurtz’s bad touch brought pressure from Chawinga. The latter player picked off Kurtz and took the ball toward the goal, rounding Murphy and finishing into an empty net.

Minutes later, the Courage equalized thanks to winger Cortnee Vine. A flicked header toward the left side of the net seemed to be covered, but both Prince and Hailie Mace bit on her fake shot. That enabled Vine to tuck one into the far side of the net.

The Current seemed likely to score a second goal in the 80th minute when a bolt of lightning and nearby thunderclap sent all of the players scurrying to the locker rooms.

While the Current had the better chances, the Courage controlled play — the home team posted a 61% possession mark for the match and 62% for the second half.

Andonovski said the weather delay came at a good time.

“I don’t think we played good enough before that,” he said.

But then came the fateful moment. After the lengthy delay, and during second-half stoppage time, North Carolina’s Brianna Pinto spun KC’s Lo LaBonta on a throw-in. From there, Pinto able to curl a tight-angled shot past Schult.

Andonovski noted that the Current players are not being as ruthless with their chances as their opponents. That’s been evident in KC’s recent matches. The coach said it comes down to individual execution in critical moments.

“A player turns and shoots or eliminates you on the side, 1v1, and takes a shot and scores,” Andonovski said. “On the other side, we had plenty of those, and they’re able to block every one of them. So we have to be better in those moments.”

With a record of 10-3-5, the Current’s in danger of losing home-field advantage throughout the NWSL postseason: A top-two finish would clinch that.

But much remained unsettled Sunday afternoon. A victory later in the day could vault the Washington Spirit to five points up on KC in second place; a win by Gotham FC could see the Current fall to fourth by the night’s end.

The Current returns to action on Saturday at CPKC Stadium for a matchup against the Utah Royals. That game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 Central Time.

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.

This story was originally published September 1, 2024 at 4:39 PM.