Temwa Chawinga’s two goals were enough for the Kansas City Current to extend their unbeaten streak with a 2-0 victory over the visiting Houston Dash on Friday night in Kansas City, Mo.
The Current (10-0-5, 35 points) set a NWSL record with 17 straight unbeaten regular-season matches, dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, the Dash (3-7-5, 14 points) are winless in their past four matches (0-2-2).
After sending a decent look way over the bar in the 26th minute — a ball that sailed over the stands and landed in the Missouri River behind the stadium — Chawinga found the back of the net for her first goal of the night in the 77th minute.
She tracked down a long pass and outraced two defenders to get a touch on it inside the box. When Houston keeper Jane Campbell slid off her line, she knocked the ball away from Chawinga, but the 25-year-old striker from Malawi backtracked, recovered the ball and sliced a shot past a defender.
Chawinga scored again unassisted just three minutes later when she raced past two defenders and danced around Campbell to slot in another score.
With 11 goals on the season, Chawinga is the NWSL’s goal-scoring leader, one ahead of Barbra Banda of the Orlando Pride and Sophia Smith of the Portland Thorns.
The bad news for Kansas City was that Alex Pfeiffer, 16, exited the game with an apparent right knee injury in the 84th minute.
Houston put just three shots on frame compared to the Current’s 18.
Campbell finished with seven saves.
–Field Level Media