Temwa Chawinga salvages draw for KC Current vs. Gotham with 17th goal of season

Don’t be fooled by the scoreline: Saturday’s mid-day battle between the host Kansas City Current and NJ/NY Gotham FC — two of the best teams in the National Women’s Soccer League — was anything but boring.

The final, for the record, was 1-1 thanks to Temwa Chawinga’s point-saving goal for KC in the second half.

A confusing sequence led to a Current own-goal in the first half. Chawinga’s equalizer was her league-leading 17th goal of the season.

Gotham dominated play in the first half, while the Current had more control in the second half.

“I think the game was pretty even overall when we look at the game as a whole,” Current coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “In the first half, they had a little bit more of the game. In the second half, I thought that there was no question (that), if someone wins the game, who that team is going to be.”

Gotham took eight shots in the first half, putting four on target. The Current took six, with only one testing Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. But in the second half, the Current took twice as many shots (eight) as Gotham (four) and put three on target.

The expected goals (xG) calculation for the match ended in favor of the Current, at 2.24 to 1.15.

The most contentious moment of the match came during a sequence that occurred just prior to Gotham grabbing the lead on KC defender Alanna Cook’s own goal.

The ball was a yard away from Michelle Cooper. She seemingly should’ve been able to take it and run upfield, but the referee moved into Cooper’s path and collided with the Current forward, causing the ball to fall to Gotham.

Gotham recycled possession to its right flank and dribbled into the box while KC players exchanged stunned glances over what had just happened. That’s when a cross or shot deflected off Cook and into the Current’s net.

After the match, Cooper called it a “super-unfortunate situation.”

“It is what it is, at the end of the day,” she said. “We probably should have locked in right after that happened, because realistically, the ball didn’t hit her so she’s not going to (stop play).”

Cooper’s assessment was correct, as referee Katja Koroleva later confirmed through the NWSL pool-report process. Koroleva noted that “the Laws of the Game do not stipulate that the game must be stopped for referee vs. player collisions,” and that play is stopped only if a ball hits the referee, or if a serious injury could’ve resulted from the collision.

Andonovski said he hadn’t reviewed the situation fully, so he didn’t want to comment on it. Instead, he found a silver lining: The goal happened on a fluke deflection, and not a complete breakdown of his team’s defense — which has happened at times this season.

“I would be a lot more worried if they cross the ball and had someone wide open and scored a header,” Andonovski said. “I (think) now we defend the box very well. ... The fact that unlucky deflection prevented Almuth (from) literally just catching the ball, it’s something that doesn’t bother me.”

Chawinga would eventually answer for the Current, as she has so often since arriving in Kansas City. After a corner kick, Gotham had numbers pushed high up the field; Debinha took advantage with a ball into space for Chawinga.

Chawinga dribbled the rest of the way, rounding Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger to score. Her goal was her 17th of the year, one away from tying Sam Kerr’s NWSL record of 18 in 2019.

Claire Hutton, who returned from the U-20 World Cup with a bronze medal this past week, had the best chance to win it for the Current. But, with an empty net awaiting as the match entered stoppage time, her shot sailed well over the bar.

The draw wraps up KC’s run of matches against teams the Current trails in the league standings: the Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit and Gotham. The Current emerged from that mini-gauntlet without a loss and having conceded just one goal — the own-goal Saturday.

The bad news? The Current’s point total of 43 (12 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses) means KC remains in fourth place. The Current travels to Racing Louisville next Saturday, Oct. 5, for a 6:30 p.m kickoff.

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

This story was originally published September 28, 2024 at 2:22 PM.