Match Report: Kansas City Current Earns Hard-Fought 1-0 Victory Over Utah Royals FC

SANDY, Utah (Aug. 8, 2025) — The Kansas City Current (13-2-0, 39 pts., 1st place) used a late goal from forward Temwa Chawinga to earn a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Utah Royals FC (1-11-3, 6 pts., 14th place) Friday night at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. Chawinga’s game-winner was set up by defender Kayla Sharples, who notched her first career assist on the match-winning strike, and a strong defensive performance proved enough to see Kansas City over the line. In net, goalkeeper Lorena earned her National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)-leading seventh shutout of the 2025 regular season and made five critical saves in the contest.  
 
Chawinga’s goal was her 10th of the 2025 regular season and her 30th career regular season goal. Not only is she the first player in club history to reach the milestone, she is also by far the fastest player in NWSL history to reach the 30-goal mark, having done so in just 40 career regular season appearances – 11 games quicker than the previous record holder (Christen Press, 51 games).

The victory also extended Kansas City’s winning streak to eight consecutive matches, one shy of equaling the longest regular season winning streak in both franchise and NWSL history. The Current own that record of nine, set from October 2024 to April 2025.  
 
Lorena was called into action early in the contest, as the hosts notched the first shot on goal in the seventh minute. Utah forward Aisha Solórzano drove the ball on net from distance, but the Brazilian dove to her left to collect the strike. Friday’s contest marked Lorena’s first game action back for the Current since June 20, as she spent the last six weeks helping her native Brazil to a Copa América Femenina triumph.

Sharples made a critical intervention in the 12th minute by leaping to block a dangerous Utah free kick. The Current then had a few chances on corner kicks, the most threatening one which came in the 25th minute when defender Elizabeth Ball dove to meet fellow defender Izzy Rodriguez’s corner kick at the back post. Ball’s effort evaded Utah goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn but was ultimately cleared off the line.

In the 40th minute, Solórzano had a clean look at goal from the left side of the penalty area, but Lorena stood tall to deny the opportunity. The effort marked the last action of a first half that featured seven combined shots and ended scoreless.  
 
As the second half began, Kansas City made a pair of halftime subs. Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta entered the contest, as did fellow midfielder Ally Sentnor. Sentnor made her club debut on Friday night and played the entirety of the second half. After Chawinga was ultimately denied on a breakaway opportunity in the 47th minute, Sentnor was involved in an attacking foray in the 48th minute and rolled a shot wide from distance.

Sentnor continued to try and unlock the Royals’ back line as the second half progressed with a pair of shots in the 61st and 63rd minutes, respectively, but the Utah defense was firm to deny both chances. In the 65th minute, Utah forward Bianca St-Georges picked up a loose ball in the attacking third and drove at goal, but a perfectly-timed slide from Ball helped break up the play and quell the scoring opportunity.

In the 82nd minute, the Current finally broke through with a moment of brilliance from Chawinga. The move started in the back with Sharples, who fired a diagonal ball from near midfield that Chawinga raced towards. Chawinga burst through Utah’s defense and picked the ball up off the bounce in the penalty area before deftly lobbing the ball over McGlynn and into the center of the goal.

Chawinga, who is now level with Gotham FC forward Esther González in the Golden Boot race with 10 goals, became the 15th player in NWSL history to reach the 30-goal milestone with one club. It also marked Chawinga’s league-leading sixth game-winning goal of the season and 13th career game-winner, the latter which is tied for seventh-most in NWSL history for a single club. Chawinga is also the first player in league history to score in five consecutive regular season road contests.

Sharples’ match-winning assist was her first as a professional across all competitions. The defender is the only Current player to feature in every minute of the regular season thus far.

Kansas City saw the match out from there, including through six minutes of second-half stoppage time, to earn the one-goal victory. The win marked the Current’s 50th all-time NWSL regular season victory in 109 career matches played, tying Seattle (2013) for the third-fastest franchise to reach the milestone. In addition to the club’s eight-match winning streak, Kansas City is also the first to team to win 13 of its first 15 matches of a regular season.

Next weekend, the Current returns to CPKC Stadium for its first NWSL regular season home match in nearly two months as the club faces the Orlando Pride. The match kicks off at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 16, and will nationally broadcast on CBS. Fans in Kansas City can catch the action on 90.9 The Bridge, and fans around the globe can tune in on the KC Current App to hear the match in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

Limited single-match tickets for 2025 regular season home matches are now on sale to the general public. The best way to ensure you won’t miss a second of the action at CPKC Stadium is by joining the Current Club, the Current’s trailblazing fan membership experience. Focused on ensuring fans continue to be able to access exclusive opportunities, members can unlock special benefits like priority access to single match tickets, members-only gifts and discounts, access to live and virtual events, exclusive content and more. 2025 Season Ticket Member Account Holders are already enrolled in Current Club at no additional cost. Click HERE for more information about the Current Club.

NWSL Match Report  
Match: Utah Royals FC vs. Kansas City Current  
Date: August 8, 2025  
Venue: America First Field, Sandy, UT
Kickoff:  8:10 p.m. MT/9:10 p.m. CT 
Weather: 80 degrees, sunny 
Attendance: 6,843

Discipline  
25’ Kansas City – Cooper (Yellow) 
35’ Utah – Dorsey (Yellow)
89’ Utah – Del Fava (Yellow)

Scoring  
82’ Kansas City – Chawinga (Sharples)

Scoring Summary

Utah Royals FC Lineup: McGlynn, Del Fava, Riehl, Rábano, Dorsey (76’ Pogarch), Zornoza, Nagai (63’ Foederer), St. Georges (67’ Lacasse), Monaghan © (46’ Thomsen), Solórzano (63’ Kizer), Tanaka 
Unused Substitutes: Justus, Flynn, Thomsen, Cluff

Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, Wheeler (62’ Mace), Ball, Sharples, I. Rodriguez, R. Rodríguez, Hutton (46’ LaBonta), Debinha © (46’ Sentnor), Cooper (62’ Prince), Zaneratto (62’ Long), Chawinga
Unused Substitutes: Ivory, Steigleder, Hopkins, Feist