CHICAGO – Four goals from four different goalscorers propelled the Chicago Red Stars to a 4-0 over Reign FC. Arin Wright, Vanessa DiBernardo, Yuki Nagasato, and Sam Kerr all got on the scoresheet for the Red Stars while Alyssa Naeher’s two saves helped Chicago get their third clean sheet of the season. 

 Key Moments

4’ Chicago wasted no time getting on the scoresheet. Yuki Nagasato curls a shot that is saved by Murphy, but the deflection lands right at the feet of Wright who buries the ball into the open net for the first goal of the game. 

6’ Reign FC try to equalize, but Naeher is up to the task. The hosts get their head on the ball first following a corner kick and a shot is fired right in front of goal, but Naher had the ball read the whole way and was in the perfect position to block the shot. 

14’ The Red Stars double the lead courtesy of DiBernardo. She receives the ball after a great run by Kerr and shoots the ball on the midfielder’s shoots it first-time to the far post and left Murphy with no chance of making the save. 

46’ DiBernardo nearly gets her second goal right after halftime. The midfielder makes a great run and got the shot off in space, but the ball is just wide of the goal. 

51’ Chicago get their third goal of the game. Casey Shorts fakes out a defender to give herself plenty of time to fire a cross to Yuki Nagasato, who is able to separate herself from the defender and time her shot perfectly for the goal. 

81’ Sam Kerr seals the game with a goal of her own. She linked up with Katie Johnson on a lovely give-and-go to get free of the defense and slots the ball into the net for Chicago’s fourth of the afternoon. 

Game Notes

• Arin Wright scored her first-ever NWSL goal. She now has one goal and 11 assists in 98 league appearances.
• Vanessa DiBernardo reached the double-digit mark in NWSL career goals Sunday, as she scored her 10th all-time and second of 2019. 
• Sunday was the seventh time this season Chicago scored in the opening 15 minutes of a game and the second time this season they scored two goals in that timeframe (May 19 at Houston) 
• Chicago’s four goals tied the season-high for the 2019 campaign. 
• For the second consecutive week, Katie Johnson assisted a Sam Kerr goal. Johnson now has two assists this season while Kerr continues to grow the lead at the top of the NWSL Golden Boot race with her 11th goal of 2019. 
• The Red Stars handed Reign FC their first home loss of the season, it was also the first time all season the hosts were shutout at Cheney Stadium. 
• Morgan Brian had another stellar game in the Chicago midfield. She led the team in touches (84) and total passes (71), including a team-high 48 passes in the Reign FC half of the field. 
• Alyssa Neher earned her second clean sheet of the season. Her other cam against Reign FC back in April. 

Next Game

Chicago returns home to take on the Utah Royals on Saturday, August 3rd. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm C.T. 

Tickets

Reign FC v Chicago Red Stars 

July 28, 2019

Cheney Stadium (Tacoma, WA)

Goals by Half                1 2 F

Reign FC                       0 0 0

Chicago Red Stars        2 2 4

Scoring Summary:

CHI: Arin Wright (unassisted) 4’

CHI: Vanessa DiBernardo (Sam Kerr) 14’

CHI: Yuki Nagasato (Casey Short) 51’

CHI: Sam Kerr (Katie Johnson) 81’

Misconduct Summary:

RFC: Yellow Card, Lauren Barnes (34’)

Lineups

CHI: GK Naeher, D Short, D Naughton, D Gorden, D Davidson (Johnson 67’), M Ertz ©, M Brian, M DiBernardo (McCaskill 81’), F Wright, F Nagasato, F Kerr (Stanton 84’)

RFC: GK Murphy, D Catley, D Barnes, D Oyster, D Theresa (Groom 80’), M Andrews (White 61’), M Yanez, M Long, F Onumonu, F Balcer, F Taylor (Steiner 61’)

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.