Chicago nearly reaches season high for shots in a loss to Washington

CHICAGO – The Chicago Red Stars fell to the Washington Spirit 2-0. Captain Vanessa DiBernardo led the team with four shots while Katie Johnson, Casey Short and Yuki Nagasato each contributed three shots each.

Key Moments

7th Minute: Vanessa DiBernardo sends a shot flying into the box that ultimately finds the shoulder of Spirit defender Paige Nielsen to deflect and clear.

9th Minute: A corner kick by Washington deflects off Nagasato for an own goal that puts Washington in the lead.

38th Minute: Katie Johnson gets open and sends a shot sailing just over the crossbar

59th Minute: Casey Short and Maria Sanchez work together to get the ball low in the box while both goalkeeper Audrey Bledsoe and Katie Johnson topple with the force of the save.

63rd Minute: Sarah Gorden sends the ball away from Arielle Ship in a great defensive play, but it isn’t enough as Dorian Bailey recaptures it to send a cross to Spirit forward Ashley Hatch, who notches the second goal for Washington.

Match Notes

• Captain Vanessa DiBernardo was honored after the match for her 100 NWSL appearances, all with the Red Stars. DiBernardo earned her 100th cap with last week’s start against the Houston Dash.
• DiBernardo led the team with four shots, while Casey Short, Yuki Nagasato and Katie Johnson each contributed three shots each. DiBernardo also led the team with 73 touches and five tackles.
• Maria Sanchez made her third consecutive appearance off the bench.
• Jenna Szczesny made her second official appearance for the Red Stars, replacing Michele Vasconcelos in the 75th minute.
• Sarah Gorden made her fifth consecutive start for the Red Stars. The versatile defender has played a full 90 minutes this season in each start.
• This marks Chicago’s first loss against Washington since the end of the 2016 NWSL season. The Red Stars are 4-1-2 against the Spirit since and have outscored the Spirit 11-6.
• The Chicago Red Stars and Washington Spirit will face each other three times this season. Sunday’s match marked the first of the three, with Washington hosting the next match at Maureen Hendricks Field at the Maryland SoccerPlex on August 10.

Next Game

Chicago will take on the Portland Thorns at Providence Park on Sunday, June 2 for the club’s final match before the league-wide break for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT. The game marks the first home game for Portland since adding in additional seating and updating Providence Park.

Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Spirit

May 26, 2019

SeatGeek Stadium (Bridgeview, IL)

Goals by Half                         1 2 F

Chicago Red Stars                0 0 0

Washington Spirit                  1 1 2

Scoring Summary:

WAS: Boyd (Own Goal), 9’

WAS: Hatch (Ship), 63’

Misconduct Summary:

WAS – Yellow Card: Dougherty-Howard (16’)

CHI – Yellow Card: Katie Johnson (90 + 3’)

Lineups

CHI: GK Boyd, D Short, D Naughton (Szczesny, 75’), D Gorden, D Wright, M Stanton, M DiBernardo ©, M Elby (Sanchez, 55’), M Vasconcelos (Goralski, 75’), F Nagasato, F Johnson

WAS: GK Bledsoe, D Huster, D Nielsen, D Staab, D McGrady (Hudson, 77’), M Sullivan © , M Dougherty-Howard, M Farquharson (Bailey, 60’), F DiBiasi, F Hatch, F Ship (Thomas, 74’)

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.