In a thrilling matchup, Kansas City Current’s star forward Temwa Chawinga etched her name in the record books by scoring her 18th goal of the season, tying the National Women’s Soccer League’s single-season mark. The Malawian international’s historic tally came just two minutes into Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Racing Louisville, courtesy of a precision through ball from Brazilian ace Debinha.
Chawinga’s remarkable feat sees her join an elite club, matching the record set by Sam Kerr in 2019 while playing for the Chicago Red Stars. The Current’s prolific goal-scorer now boasts a five-goal cushion over the next leading scorer, Barbra Banda of the Orlando Pride.
What’s more, Chawinga has achieved the unprecedented feat of scoring against 12 different opponents this season, surpassing the previous record of nine. Her coach, Vlatko Andonovski, praised her unique abilities, saying, “Temwa’s got a special talent for getting behind defenders and driving towards the goal with aggression. She’s a natural-born goal-scorer, and we’re thrilled to have her on our team.”
This remarkable season marks Chawinga’s debut in the NWSL, having made the switch from the Chinese Women’s Super League in the offseason. Her sister, Tabitha, also made headlines this summer by signing with Lyon. Notably, neither Chawinga nor Kerr relied on penalty kicks to reach their 18-goal milestones, with both players averaging over 0.8 goals per 90 minutes. Kerr remains the NWSL’s all-time leading scorer with an impressive 77 goals across seven seasons.
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