KANSAS CITY (May 10, 2026) — The Kansas City Current (4-4-0, 12 pts., 6th place) notched its second consecutive victory in historic fashion on Mother’s Day at CPKC Stadium, as forward Temwa Chawinga’s hat trick led the team to a 3-0 victory over Chicago Stars FC (2-7-0, 6 pts., 15th place). Chawinga opened the scoring with a goal in the 22nd minute before adding two more in the early stages of the second half to complete the Current’s first hat trick in NWSL regular season play. From there, the Current rode a resolute defensive performance to earn the team’s first shutout of 2026.
With her first three goals of the 2026 campaign, Chawinga, the two-time defending NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner, recorded the third hat trick in club history and the second across all NWSL competitions. It was the first three-goal performance by an NWSL player this regular season.
Kansas City’s shutout victory marked the 15th of goalkeeper Lorena’s NWSL career, as she became the 14th goalkeeper in league history to reach the threshold with one club. With the win, the Current became the third team in NWSL history to go unbeaten in 20 consecutive NWSL regular season home matches.
“The first thing, and probably the most important, is to acknowledge our fans that showed up in big numbers for another sell-out for our club. We don’t exist without fans in this business,” said head coach Chris Armas. “What’s really important to our team today was the shutout victory. We were able to keep a clean sheet, which was really important and meant a lot to our team. So, I’m proud of the team for that and for the victory today.”
Kansas City took an immediate foothold, applying pressure that resulted in a quick flurry of set pieces and scoring opportunities. The Current’s best early chance came in the 12th minute when Chawinga latched onto a through ball down the left wing and drove forward to the endline. She angled a ball across the penalty area for forward Michelle Cooper, and Cooper took a touch forward before driving a low, left-footed strike off the center of the right post.
Ten minutes later, Chawinga opened the scoring with her first goal of the regular season. Her goal came in transition as midfielder Bayley Feist intercepted a forward-bound effort from the Stars near midfield. Feist steered the ball to Cooper on the right wing, who proceeded to curl a pass through multiple defenders to the feet of midfielder Croix Bethune in the penalty area. Bethune cut back on her mark near the box before a defender intervened, but she stuck with the play and got a crucial final touch on the ball, which found an unmarked Chawinga at the back post. Chawinga nudged the ball off the outstretched fingertips of Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and over the goal line.
Bethune, who notched her second assist of the year, has now recorded an assist in back-to-back games. Chawinga’s tally marked the lone goal of the opening frame as Kansas City took its 1-0 lead into halftime.
The Current wasted little time adding to their lead in the second half. Cooper kickstarted the attack on the right wing, evading a Chicago defender and firing a driven, curling cross across the penalty area. Naeher got her fingertips on the ball but pushed it to the feet of a wide-open Chawinga at the back post. Chawinga calmly curled the ball into the center of an empty net to give the Current a 2-0 lead in the 47th minute.
Chawinga completed her hat trick three minutes later, as her goal capped a brilliant offensive sequence in the attacking third. Bethune started the action on the left wing, playing a ball into the box for forward/midfielder Ally Sentnor at the near post. Sentnor circled back to create more space, then rolled a pass back to Feist near the top of the 18-yard box. Feist took an angled touch towards goal and clipped the ball towards the penalty spot for Cooper, who flicked a one-time pass over the Chicago back line for Chawinga to run onto. Chawinga corralled the ball with a deft touch, then fizzed a half-volleyed strike into the back of the net.
The goal gave Kansas City a 3-0 advantage, marking Cooper’s first assist this year and finalizing Chawinga’s hat trick — the first regular season hat trick in franchise history and the first in the NWSL this year. It marked the third hat trick in club history and second in NWSL play; Forward Kristen Hamilton had three goals in an NWSL Challenge Cup match against the Houston Dash on July 22, 2023, and forward Haley Hopkins notched three vs. SE Palmeiras on April 12, 2026, in the Teal Rising Cup.
Additionally, Chawinga’s hat trick came in 50 minutes for the eighth fastest hat trick in league history. It was the 33rd hat trick in NWSL regular season history.
Chawinga’s goals provided more than enough cushion for the Current to see the match out. Multiple key defensive interventions in the late stages of the contest from Lorena and defender Kayla Sharples helped preserve the shutout victory. The Current’s 3-0 win secured a split of the regular season series against the Stars.
Sunday’s win extended the Current’s NWSL regular season home unbeaten streak to 20 matches, the third longest streak in league history. Kansas City trails Seattle (22 straight from 2014-15) and North Carolina (21 straight in 2023-24) in the league record books. It also marked the Current’s 40th match played at CPKC Stadium across all competitions (including Teal Rising Cup). Defender Laney Rouse made her first NWSL home start in Sunday’s match.
Kansas City also extended its unbeaten streak on Mother’s Day, as the Current has yet to lose a Mother’s Day home match at CPKC Stadium. The Current are an unblemished 3-0-0 during Mother’s Day home matches since CPKC Stadium opened in 2024, outscoring its opponents a combined 8-1 across those three contests.
Kansas City continues its Summer Kickoff Series at CPKC Stadium on Friday, May 15, at 7 p.m. CT against the Houston Dash. The club’s first Friday home match of the 2026 regular season will broadcast nationally on Prime Video. Fans in Kansas City can listen to the match over the air on 90.9 The Bridge, and an audio stream of the match will be available in English, Spanish and Portuguese on the KC Current App. The match will serve as the Women’s Cancer Awareness (Pink Out) match, presented by The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and the club will celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Tickets to Friday’s match can be purchased HERE.
NWSL Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Chicago Stars FC
Date: May 10, 2026
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
Kickoff: 11:33 a.m. CT
Weather: 63 degrees, partly sunny
Attendance: 11,500
Discipline
34’ Chicago – Gomes (Yellow)
Scoring
22’ Kansas City – Chawinga (Bethune)
47’ Kansas City – Chawinga
50’ Kansas City – Chawinga (Cooper)
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | F | |
| Kansas City | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Chicago | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, Rodriguez (81’ Bravo-Young), Sharples, Ball, Rouse, Feist (71’ Scott), LaBonta ©, Bethune (71’ Hopkins), Chawinga (77’ White), Cooper (81’ Hocking), Sentnor
Unused Substitutes: Jordan, Robinson, Suliafu, Carusa
Chicago Stars FC Lineup: Naeher ©, Alozie (17’ Pinto), Staab, Hendrich, Bike, Farmer (77’ Lopez), Hayashi (61’ Joseph), Grosso, Gareis, Gomes (77’ Johnson), Huitema (77’ Chacon)
Unused Substitutes: Mackiewicz, Evans, Nesbeth
