CHICAGO — Three goals seal Chicago’s third consecutive win following a 3-0 defeat of Sky Blue FC on Sunday. Morgan Brian, Sam Kerr, and Yuki Nagasato all got on the scoresheet for the Red Stars while Alyssa Naeher made six saves to earn her sixth clean sheet of the season. 

Sunday’s win was Chicago’s third over a seven-day span and the league-high seventh road win of the season. They are tied with an NWSL-best 12 wins and currently sit second in the league standings with 38 points. 

Key Moments

29’ Sky Blue gets a great chance to open the scoring with Carli Lloyd left one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Naeher steps up and stops the shot at point-blank range to keep the game scoreless. 

31’ Brian dishes a great ball to Kerr in the 18-yard box and she returns the favor to Brian with a great pass that Brian hits into the back of the net for her first-ever NWSL goal. 

33’ Minutes later it was Kerr’s turn to get on the scoresheet. The international connection strikes as Nagasato threads the ball perfectly to Kerr who nutmegs the goalkeeper for Chicago’s second goal of the game. 

62’ Lloyd again finds herself with only the goalkeeper to beat, but Naeher again turns into a brick wall and stands her ground to make the stop and keep the clean sheet alive. 

80’ Zoey Goralski makes a terrific 40-yard run while brushing off defenders and finds Nagasato, who is making a perfect run. She’s left with only the goalkeeper standing in her way and fires a well-struck shot into the back of the net for Chicago’s third goal of the night.

Game Notes

• Yuki Nagasato celebrated her 50th NWSL cap with a Player of the Match Performance. Her assist to Sam Kerr was her league-leading seventh on the season and tallied her seventh goal of the year later in the match. 
• Sam Kerr’s 16th goal of the year continues to expand her lead in the NWSL Golden Boot Race and matches her goal total from last season. 
• It was a game of firsts for Chicago. Morgan Brian scored the first goal of her NWSL career to open the scoring and Zoey Goralski earned her first career assists on Chicago’s final goal of the game. 
• Alyssa Naeher earned her third-consecutive clean sheet and the fifth of her season. Her 30 career clean sheets put her at second on the all-time list. 
• Sam Kerr’s assisted her fourth goal of the season. Her 23 career assists are the second most of any NWSL player. 

Next Game

Chicago returns home for their final two games of the regular season, starting with a matchup against the Washington Spirit on Saturday, September 21. Kickoff from SeatGeek Stadium is scheduled for 7pm CT. 

Sky Blue FC vs Chicago Red Stars 

September 15, 2019

Yurcak Field (Piscataway, NJ)

Goals by Half                        1 2 F

Sky Blue FC                           0 0 0

Chicago Red Stars                 2 1 0

Scoring Summary:

CHI: Morgan Brian (Sam Kerr) 31’

CHI: Sam Kerr (Yuki Nagasato) 33’ 

CHI: Yuki Nagasato (Zoey Goralski) 80’

 Misconduct Summary

NJ: Raquel Rodriguez (Yellow Card) 76’

Lineups

CHI: GK Naeher, D Short, D Davidson, D Ertz ©, D Gorden, M Nagasato, M Colaprico, M Brian (Naughton 85’), M Elby (Goralski 76’), F McCaskill (Stanton 74’), F Kerr  

NJ: GK Sheridan, D Dorsey, D Johnson, D Lewandowski, D Skroski, M Dydasco (Hoy 63’), M Killion, M Eddy (Kawasumi 69’), M Rodriguez, F Lloyd, F Monaghan (Pierre-Louis 87’)

 All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.