Barbra Banda and Marta scored goals as the Orlando Pride remained unbeaten with a 2-1 win over Kansas City on Saturday, handing the Current its first loss of the National Women’s Soccer League season.
Temwa Chawinga scored for the Current (10 wins, 1 loss, 5 ties) in front of a sellout crowd of 11,500 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, which watched the league’s only unbeaten top two teams play each other.
With the win, the league-leading Pride (11 wins, 0 losses, 5 ties) extended their unbeaten streak that began last season to 17 games, tying the league record set by the Current last week. The Pride have not lost a game since March 22.
Banda and Chawinga came into the match tied for the league lead with 11 goals each and delivered in this highly-anticipated match.
Banda scored her 12th goal of the season in the 37th minute when Adriana’s shot was blocked and fell in front of Banda in the penalty area, and Banda smashed the ball in under the arm of goalkeeper Adriana Frank.
Chawinga struck back two minutes later, dribbling into the box and beating several defenders before firing into the right corner.
Carey Lawrence received a second yellow card for a foul on Chawinga in the 42nd minute, meaning the Pride will be without a man for the rest of the match.
Orlando took the lead in the 61st minute after Adriana was fouled in the penalty area, and Marta chipped the goalkeeper from the penalty spot to score her fifth goal of the season.
Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse made seven saves.
Red Stars 1, Dash 0
Mallory Swanson scored just before halftime to give the Chicago Red Stars a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dash at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.
In added time of the first half, Leilani Nesbeth intercepted a pass and sent it to Swanson, who dribbled forward and fired a left-footed shot just outside the box into the top-left corner of the goal for her seventh goal of the season.
Swanson has scored in four straight games with Chicago (7-7-2), tying the Red Stars’ all-time record.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naher made six saves and recorded her third clean sheet of the season.
The Dash (3-8-5) have now failed to score in five straight games.
Gotham 2, Angel City 1
Rose Lavelle scored in the 16th minute as Gotham FC suffered its third straight loss with a 2-1 defeat to Angel City in Los Angeles.
The midfielder, who was selected for the U.S. Olympic team to France, has five goals this season. Delaney Sheehan gave Gotham (9-3-4) a 2-0 lead in the 40th minute.
Claire Emslie scored on a penalty kick in the 69th minute for Angel City (4-9-3), her team-high sixth goal of the season.
Spirit 3, Bay FC 0
Rookie Makenna Morris scored her first NWSL goal in the fourth minute, Trinity Rodman converted a penalty kick in the 21st minute and the Washington Spirit won 3-0 against Bay FC at PayPal Park in San Jose in their first game under new manager Jonathan Giraldes.
The Spirit (11-4-1)’s Ouleimata Sarr scored her seventh goal of the season in the 57th minute.
Freshman team Bay FC (6 wins, 10 losses, 0 draws) had won their past two games.
Giraldes was hired by the Spirit in January and under his guidance Barcelona won three consecutive Spanish league titles and two consecutive Champions League titles.
Giraldes has spent the past two weeks acclimating to his new club under interim coach Adrian Gonzalez, who will now serve as an assistant.
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