KC Current’s Temwa Chawinga sets NWSL record for most goals in a season at Bay FC

Temwa Chawinga’s first season with the Kansas City Current has been one for the record books.

The 26-year-old forward from Malawi added to her haul of broken records with maybe the biggest one yet during the first half of Saturday night’s match against Bay FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Chawinga scored for KC for the 19th time this year, breaking the National Women’s Soccer League record for most goals in a single season. The mark was previously held by Sam Kerr, who had 18 for the Chicago Red Stars in 2019.

Chawinga’s 35th-minute goal was the only one of Saturday night’s game as the Current won 1-0.

“Obviously it’s an important goal for Temwa (and) it’s an important goal for this league,” Current coach Vlatko Andonovski said.

Chawinga scored her historic goal after winning a 50/50 challenge around midfield. She took a couple of touches before unleashing a powerful strike from outside the box.

The ball flew past Bay FC goalkeeper Kaitlyn Rowland and settled into the net.

The shutout was the Current’s fifth in its last six games, enabling KC to jump up to third in the league standings with 14 wins, seven draws and three losses. The Current has also clinched a top-four finish, ensuring at least one home playoff game at CPKC Stadium.

Recalling the fateful sequence that led to her historic goal, Chawinga said she was torn between shooting or refraining because of how far away she was from the net.

“I tried my best to put more power through the ball,” Chawinga said. “I scored the goal, so I’m very happy to help my team.”

Andonovski was especially proud (his shocked reaction went viral). After seeing how teams had begun to mark Chawinga, he worked with her on a key adjustment: shooting from distance.

“We know teams are trying to close her down and close her space down, and the area where she gets most of her chances,” Andonovski said. “So we spent a little time working on getting shots from distances and getting shots from outside the box. And she went out and hit a bomb, so it was cool.”

The single-season goals record is one of many that Chawinga has set this season. She previously reset the mark for consecutive NWSL games with a goal (eight) and has scored 13 goals at CPKC Stadium, the most in the league by a player at home.

Chawinga now has 19 goals and six assists for a total of 25 goal contributions in 2024.

When she came to the Current, she believed she could achieve great things — and even break records — because of the players she’d have around her. On Saturday night, she credited teammates Lo LaBonta and Vanessa DiBernardo with helping her in training.

“I trust my teammates and the coach,” Chawinga said. “I was very confident that if I come here and work hard, I could break a record.”

Andonovski has coached in the NWSL for quite some time and has seen his share of top goal-scorers. He believes it’s Chawinga’s all-around game that sets her apart.

“She’s not just ‘run, get the ball and score,’” Andonovski said. “She’ll assist on a goal, she starts the attack for us, she’ll bring the team into the attack, she amazing defensively. She’s a superb defender. She’s just a great player.

The Current return to action next Saturday, playing host to San Diego FC at CPKC Stadium.

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

This story was originally published October 12, 2024 at 10:18 PM.