Malawi Women’s National Football Team star Temwa Chawinga has left an indelible mark in the United States after becoming the first player to win the golden boot award in the National Women’s Soccer League with 20 goals from 25 matches.
The Kansas City Current forward was confirmed the accolade’s winner in her debut season on Sunday at the end of the regular season.
“Following a record-breaking first season in the NWSL, Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga has claimed the 2024 NWSL Golden Boot, awarded to the league’s top scorer in the regular season.
“With 20 goals in 25 matches, the new league record holder for goals in a single season is the first player in NWSL history to hit the 20-goal mark,” nwslsoccer.com reported.
Temwa has had a great season at Kansas Current, having joined the team at the start of the season after spending the last four seasons at Wuhan Jianghan University FC in the Chinese Super League.
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The Scorchers hailed teammates for her exploits.
“It was about teamwork. Teammates played a crucial role. My aim was, and will always be, making the team win,” Temwa said.
With 20 goals, Temwa has bettered Sam Kerr’s scoring record of 18 goals in 2019.
On her part, National Women’s Football Association (NWFA) Chairperson Adellaide Migogo hailed Temwa for her exploits.
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“She is on top of her game. She has broken the record. Her hardworking and fighting spirit have produced fruits. It is also a source of motivation to the girl child in Malawi. She is flying our flag higher. We wish her all the best,” Migogo said.
Recently, Football Association of Malawi (Fam) President Fleetwood Haiya praised the Scorchers’ forward for scoring 20 goals.
“We are proud of her achievement. It shows that Malawi has a lot of talent,” Haiya told this paper.
According to nwslsoccer.com, Temwa is the first Malawian to compete in the NWSL and also the first Africa-born player to claim the NWSL’s top scoring honour.
“Chawinga kicked off her scoring tear early in the 2024 campaign, notching four goals, including a brace, in the opening two months of the season.
“After reaching the Olympic break level on goals with Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, Chawinga scored six goals in the first seven games following the NWSL’s return to play, tying Sam Kerr’s scoring record with three games to spare.
“The following week against Bay FC, Chawinga scored against Bay FC to break the record before going on to grab another goal the following week against San Diego Wave FC to become the first player in NWSL history to hit the 20-goal mark,” the site reported.
Additionally, nwslsoccer.com, reported that in that stretch, the Malawi international became the first player to score against every opponent in a single regular season for seasons with 10+ teams in the NWSL.
Chawinga’s remarkable first campaign in the league includes three braces, league-leading 26 goal contributions and three separate multi-game goal streaks.
Before joining Kansas Current, she helped the team to four straight Chinese Women’s Super League Championships and scored 83 goals in 84 matches played with the club.
Prior to that, she scored 55 goals from 2017-19 for Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden.
