
Temwa Chawinga made her third rebound attempt count, as the Malawian striker netted the only goal in the Kansas City Current’s 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage Saturday, Nov. 9 in the NWSL Quarterfinals at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.
The league’s Golden Boot winner took a rebound off Vanessa DiBernardo’s shot on goal, then stayed on the ball as Courage keeper Casey Murphy made another save, then bounced the ball off a Courage defender before finally sinking her shot into the back of the net in the seventh minute. That turned out to be the only goal, as despite dominating time of possession, the Courage were unable to pull in the equalizer. Keeper Almuth Schult maintained a clean sheet, including a close call in the 31st minute which saw her stop a shot just inches from the goal line, only for the Courage to attempt to kick it from underneath her. Referee Brad Jensen blew the play dead and disallowed the goal.
The Current will travel to Orlando to face the top-seeded Pride next weekend. A win will bring them back to Kansas City for the NWSL finals, which are set to take place at CPKC Stadium on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.