In a total team effort, three players scored for the Kansas City Current as they beat the visiting Washington Spirit 3-0 on Friday night in Kansas City, Missouri.
Netting goals for the Current (12-3-6, 42 points) were Nichelle Prince, Lo’eau LaBonta and Temwa Chawinga, the latter of whom scored her 16th goal to increase her lead in the NWSL’s golden boot race. The Spirit (14-5-2, 44 points) suffered their first defeat since a 29 June loss to the North Carolina Courage, snapping a five-match unbeaten streak.
The Spirit are still two points ahead of the Current with five matches to play in the regular season.
Perhaps more noteworthy than the score was that Spirit defender and US women’s national team player Trinity Rodman was taken off the field in a wheelchair with an apparent injury in the 78th minute.
Prince scored the first goal of the night for the Current in the fourth minute. After Michelle Cooper danced with a Washington defender on the right side of the box, she sliced the ball across the penalty area that Prince redirected into the box with a slight knock of her left boot. It marked the first goal for Prince in a Kansas City uniform.
LaBonta added to the scoring total in the 31st minute, and then, in the 69th minute, Chawinga took the ball up the field and drew two defenders before laying the ball off to a teammate. It wound up at the feet of Brazilian midfielder Debinha, who made two defenders and Washington’s goalkeeper chase her into the right corner. With the penalty area wide open, Debinha chipped the ball back to Chawinga, who knocked it in from close range.
The Spirit had more shots (14-8) and shots on goal (4-3) than the Current, but couldn’t get a ball past Kansas City keeper Almuth Schult, who made four saves.
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