KC Current wins third straight NWSL game; Chawinga and Kundananji score historic goals

By: Susie Rantz, The Associated Press Posted: 12:15 AM CDT Sunday, Mar. 31, 2024

Havana Solaun's goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time spoiled Bay FC’s home opener and gave the Houston Dash a 3-2 comeback victory on Saturday.

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Havana Solaun's goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time spoiled Bay FC’s home opener and gave the Houston Dash a 3-2 comeback victory on Saturday.

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This article was published 31/03/2024 (918 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Havana Solaun’s goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time spoiled Bay FC’s home opener and gave the Houston Dash a 3-2 comeback victory on Saturday.

Deyna Castellanos scored her first NWSL goal for Bay FC (1-2-0) in the first half, but Diana Ordóñez’s pair in the second half put the Dash (1-1-1) in front.

Racheal Kundananji equalized in the 93rd minute before Solaun’s last-minute goal gave Houston its first win of the season.

Houston Dash forward Diana Ordóñez, center, hugs goalkeeper Jane Campbell after the team's victory over Bay FC in an NWSL soccer match Saturday, March 30, 2024, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

In the 19th minute, Asisat Oshoala’s goal was blocked and fell to Castellanos, who slammed her shot into the upper left corner.

Ordóñez scored her first goal in the 66th. She won the ball near half and dribbled it toward the goal. She then found María Sánchez to her left, who took a few touches to create space and sent a cross into the box that Ordóñez headed in.

Ordóñez got her second in the 87th minute. Houston was awarded a penalty due to a handball in the box. Ordóñez stepped up to take the kick, which was initially saved by Lysianne Proulx but fell back to the forward, who made no mistake with her second chance.

In the 93rd minute, Kundananji cut into the box and unleashed a shot into the upper left corner to level the match. She became the first Zambian player to score in an NWSL match. Kundananji, acquired by Bay FC through a record transfer fee, grabbed a Zambian flag on the sideline to celebrate.

Then, in the 100th minute, a Bay FC clearance bounced toward Solaun, whose left-footed shot took a slight deflection and slipped into the left corner to seal the win for the Dash.

CURRENT 4, ANGEL CITY 2

Kansas City remained perfect this season with a 4-2 victory over Angel City on Saturday at the Current’s new CPKC Stadium.

The Current are 3-0-0 and sit atop the National Women’s Soccer League.

Vanessa DiBernardo opened the scoring for the Current in the 7th minute. Teammate Bia Zaneratto won the ball high up the field and crossed it to Temwa Chawinga in the middle, who flicked the ball to her right with the outside of her foot. DiBernado shot it into the upper right corner.

The Current scored again just before halftime when Alexa Spaanstra headed in DiBernardo’s cross on the far post.

Sydney Leroux headed in Claire Emslie’s cross in the 50th minute for Angel City, but the Current responded a minute later. After her teammate won a clearance, Zaneratto collected the ball and passed to Chawinga on her right. The forward sent a powerful shot into the back of the net, becoming the first Malawian player to score in the NWSL.

Angel City (0-2-1) put some pressure on the Current to close out the match. In the 79th minute, Madison Curry pounced on a loose ball from a corner kick, bringing Angel City to within one.

A few minutes later, Rocky Rodriguez scored what looked to be the tying goal on a similar play off a corner, but a video review disallowed the goal for offside.

The Current got an insurance goal late in the match when Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson came far off her line to punch a ball away, but it fell to Zaneratto, who slipped her shot into the upper right corner.

Veteran midfielder Desiree Scott subbed into the match late, marking her return after being sidelined with an injury all of 2023.

THORNS 2, LOUISVILLE 2

Uchenna Kanu scored a pair of goals in the first six minutes for Racing Louisville, but the Portland Thorns came from behind for a 2-2 draw on Saturday.

Portland midfielder Sam Coffey scored the tying goal late in stoppage time after Morgan Weaver’s goal in the 52nd minute.

Kanu, a Nigerian forward who joined Racing Louisville (0-3-0) last season, scored in the third and sixth minutes. It was the fastest brace in league history.

It was Louisville’s third straight draw to open the season.

“It’s frustrating for the girls, we’re not losing (but) drawing all these games won’t win you anything,” Racing defender Abby Erceg said.

The Thorns (0-1-2) remain winless.

COURAGE 1, GOTHAM 0

Brianna Pinto’s first-half goal helped the North Carolina Courage earn a 1-0 home win against reigning NWSL champion Gotham FC .

The Courage improved to 2-1-0 on the season.

Just before halftime, defender Ryan Williams found Bianca St-Georges down the right side, who crossed the ball into the box. Ashley Sanchez centered it to the middle with her head, and Pinto flicked the ball into the left corner.

Gotham (1-1-0) had eight shots in the second half but finished with just one shot on target.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer