KC Current returns to win column thanks to (yet another) goal by Temwa Chawinga

Temwa Chawinga scored for the eighth straight match and the Kansas City Current defense kept a clean sheet as KC beat Utah Royals FC 1-0 on Saturday at CPKC Stadium.

The victory halted the Current’s streak of three straight regular-season NWSL games with a loss.

Current coach Vlatko Andonovski said his team needed a gritty performance to get back on track.

“I know we’re going to create chances. I know we’re going to score goals,” Andonovski said. “But I wanted to make sure that we do whatever it takes to protect our goal, to play with a little more urgency, with a little more bite than the previous games.

“That wasn’t the prettiest win; it wasn’t the most exciting win, but it was a very good win for the team.”

The coach is hopeful Saturday’s victory can help the Current return to top form.

“We talked about winning games 1-0,” he said, “because it does build character, builds a little stamina, cohesiveness, mindset, everything.”

The first half signaled the return of KC’s fast and furious intent. But despite having numerous opportunities in the opening 10 minutes, the Current created no clear-cut chances. It took the hosts nearly 40 minutes to register a shot on goal.

On the other end of the field, Current goalkeeper Almuth Schult made an incredible double-save in the 18th minute to keep the match scoreless. That’s where it stood at halftime.

“She proved that she’s a very quality goalkeeper, and that’s why we brought her here: to increase the quality in that position,” Andonovski said. “And I’m glad that she came up big when we needed her.”

Chawinga made her mark early in the second half. After a Utah Royals corner kick in the 47th minute, the ball bounced out to KC’s Lo LaBonta. As LaBonta took a touch forward, it quickly became a 3-on-2 in the Current’s favor.

LaBonta picked out a perfect pass for Chawinga, who ran onto the ball and tucked it into the net. The goal was Chawinga’s 15th of the season and pads her lead in the league’s Golden Boot race. She has 21 total goal contributions in 18 matches this season.

Chawinga is just the fifth player in NWSL history to reach 15 goals in a season. In 19 games, she has tied LaBonta for the most career goals in regular-season history for the Current.

“My job is to score,” Chawinga said after the match.

The Current’s attention now shifts to a very daunting stretch of the 2024 season . The Current (11-3-5) sits in third place in the NWSL standings ... and KC’s next three matches are against fellow top-four clubs.

First up is a road match Friday at the Orlando Pride. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Central Time.

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

This story was originally published September 7, 2024 at 8:49 PM.