Temwa Chawinga, Current beats Spirit 3-0; Trinity Rodman injured

In a total team effort, three different players scored goals for the Kansas City Current as they defeated the visiting Washington Spirit 3-0 on Friday night in Kansas City, Missouri.

Goals for the Current (12-3-6, 42 points) came from Nichelle Prince, Lo’eau LaBonta and Temwa Chawinga, the latter scoring her 16th goal to extend her lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race. For the Spirit (14-5-2, 44 points), the result is the first clear loss since a June 29 loss to the North Carolina Courage, which ended a five-game unbeaten streak.

In the NWSL table, the Spirit are still two points ahead of the Current, with five games still to be played in the regular season.

Perhaps more notable than the result was that Spirit defender and U.S. women’s international Trinity Rodman was carried off the field in a wheelchair in the 78th minute, apparently due to an injury.

Prince scored the Current’s first goal of the night in the fourth minute. After dancing with a Washington defender on the right side of the box, Michelle Cooper fired the ball across the box, where Prince flicked it into the box with a light tap of her left foot. It was Prince’s first goal in a Kansas City uniform.

LaBonta increased the score in the 31st minute, and in the 69th minute, Chawinga took the ball forward, drew two defenders and then laid it off to a teammate. The ball landed at the feet of Brazilian midfielder Debinha, who was chased by two defenders and Washington’s goalkeeper into the right corner. With the box wide open, Debinha passed the ball back to Chawinga, who fired it in from close range.

The Spirit had more shots (14-8) and shots on goal (4-3) than the Current, but could not get a ball past Kansas City goalkeeper Almuth Schult, who blocked four shots.

–Field level media