CHICAGO (June 18, 2023) – The Chicago Red Stars used a second-half rally to pressure the Portland Thorns, but fall just short of earning points tonight with a 2-3 result. Ella Stevens got the Red Stars on the board in the second half with a goal from a penalty kick, and rookie Ally Schlegel added to the score with her second goal of the season.   

KEY MOMENTS: 

4’ Sandra Starke’s throw in helps Bianca St-Georges go on a run straight to Portland’s 18-yard box that ends with a shot that goes wide of the goal 

10’ Ella Steven’s cross into Portland’s area gets rattled off two Portland defenders, lands in front of a charging Julia Bianchi at the top of the box, but the midfielder’s shot goes over the crossbar  

13’ Sandra Starke crosses a ball into Portland’s box that finds the head of Arin Wright, but the shot gets deflected over the crossbar by Portland’s keeper 

19’ Portland’s Sophia Smith receives a ball in Chicago territory, faces up Chicago defender, Tierna Davidson, and tries to make a move, but Davidson wins the one-on-one battle, kicking the ball out for a corner kick 

43’ Portland’s Smith escapes and finds enough space to fire off a shot that goes just past the outstretched hand of Chicago’s Alyssa Naeher and into the net, 0-1 Portland 

62’ Portland find their way into Chicago’s penalty area, get shot off and find the back of the net off a deflected ball, 0-2 Portland  

65’ Chicago’s Arin Wright collides with Portland’s keeper, earning Chicago a penalty attempt.  

72’ Ella Stevens takes the penalty attempt and converts for Chicago, 1-2 Portland lead 

75’ Portland’s Christine Sinclair finds the back of the net to extend Portland’s lead by two again, 1-3 Portland 

77’ Midfielder, Cari Roccaro, sends a ball into Portland territory that finds Cheyna Matthews who, in turn, finds St-Georges on a run to goal, but her shot goes just over the crossbar 

81’ Chicago’s Julia Bianchi lofts a corner kick into the box that is headed into the goal by a waiting Ally Schlegel, 2-3 Portland 

84’ Roccaro services a pass to defender, Amanda Kowalski, who sends in a cross from outside the box, but the shot is punched away by Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby 

89’ A through ball by Matthews finds the feet of St-Georges, who launches a shot that ricochets off the post. Jill Aguilera recovers the ball but can’t finish her shot at goal  

GAME NOTES: 

• Bianca St-Georges played an outstanding 90 minutes, making her the Red Star with the most shots (6), most shots on target (2) and most completed passes in the final third (8) tonight. St-Georges also shares the title of Red Star with the most successful dribbles in the match with Ava Cook (3), and only Julia Bianchi attempted more crosses (11) than St-George (2). 

• Ella Stevens recorded the first penalty kick conversion of her professional career in the 72nd minute tonight to put Chicago on the board. The goal is Stevens’ seventh career goal and her third this season, more than any other Red Star in 2023. 

• Tierna Davidson was a force on the back line this evening, shutting down numerous Portland opportunities while completing more passes than any other Red Star (38) and collecting 2 clearances and a block. Davidson had 54 touches on the ball, the second-highest number of touches on the team, after Julia Bianchi’s 66. 

• Chicago’s successful second half powered the team through to the end. The last 45 minutes saw the Red Stars dominate the attack, with 1.29 expected goals compared to Portland’s .79, launching 9 shots compared to the Thorns’ 4 and doubled Portland’s possessions won in the final third (4 and 2, respectively). 

Next Game 

NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Chicago Red Stars June 25, 2023, 4:30 p.m. CT at Red Bull Arena 

Goals by Half  

          1 2 F 

CHI 0 2 2 

POR 1 2 3 

Scoring Summary: 

CHI: 72’ Ella Stevens (PK), 82’ Ally Schlegel (Julia Bianchi)
POR: 43’ Sophia Smith (N. Kuikka), 63’ Hina Sugita (M. Weaver), 75’ Christine Sinclair (C. Dunn) 

Disciplinary Report 

CHI: 58’ Bianca St-Georges (Yellow Card) 

POR: 29’ Hina Sugita (Yellow Card), 64’ Bella Bixby (Yellow Card), 79’ Kelli Hubly (Yellow Card) 

Lineups 

CHI: Alyssa Naeher, Tatumn Milazzo, Kayla Sharples (Ally Schlegel), Tierna Davidson, Cari Roccaro, Ella Stevens, Bianca St-Georges, Arin Wright (Amanda Kowalski), Ava Cook (Jill Aguilera), Julia Bianchi, Sandra Starke (Cheyna Matthews) 

POR: Bella Bixby, Emily Menges, Kelli Hubly, Meghan Klingenberg (Reyna Reyes), Natalia Kuikka, Sam Coffey, Christine Sinclair, Crystal Dunn, Morgan Weaver, Sophia Smith, Hina Sugita