Debinha scored in the 52nd minute and the host Kansas City Current remained unbeaten with a 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage on Sunday.
Kansas City (6-0-3, 21 points), which improved to 4-0-0 at home, broke a scoreless tie on Debinha’s first goal of the season. Alone at the right side of the net, she tapped in a rebound of a Temwa Chawinga shot saved by Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy.
The Current are tied for first place with the Orlando Pride.
The Courage (4-5-0, 12 points) controlled possession 55 percent of the time but managed only seven shots to the Current’s 21. The Current also put 18 shots on goal to just four for the Courage.
Murphy made seven saves for North Carolina, while Kansas City keeper Adrianna Franch only needed to stop two shots to earn the victory.
Red Stars 3, Royals 1
Jenna Bike and Mallory Swanson scored within a six-minute span in the first half as Chicago defeated Utah in Bridgeview, Ill.
Penelope Hocking scored in second-half stoppage time to seal the win after Utah’s Cameron Tucker cut the Royals’ deficit to 2-1 late in the second half. The Red Stars improved to 5-3-1, and they have 16 points.
In the 23rd minute, Swanson delivered a cross to Bike, who headed the ball into the bottom right corner of the net for a 1-0 edge. Swanson padded the lead in the 29th minute, converting a penalty kick after Utah’s Lauren Flynn committed a foul in the penalty area. Tucker got Utah (1-7-1, four points) back in the match in the 81st minute.
Dash 1, Angel City FC 0
Paige Nielsen scored in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time as Houston managed to avoid a draw with Angel City in Los Angeles.
Nielsen’s left-footed strike spoiled an otherwise strong performance from Angel City FC goalkeeper DiDi Haracic, who was only forced into making two saves.
The Dash (2-4-3, nine points) snapped a five-match winless streak (0-3-2) while sending Angel City (3-4-1, 10 points) to its second setback in five matches. Like Haracic, Houston keeper Jane Campbell finished with a pair of saves.
Wave 1, Gotham 1
Hanna Lundkvist pulled San Diego even in the 64th minute, and the Wave failed to find a go-ahead goal in a tie with visiting NJ/NY.
Ella Stevens scored in the 25th minute for the Gotham (3-2-3, 12 points), and that lead held until Lundkvist put a header past Ann-Katrin Berger.
The last shot on target from either team came in the 84th minute, when Kyra Carusa had a chance to put the Wave (3-3-2, 11 points) in front. However, Berger came up with the save.
–Field Level Media
