The Chicago Red Stars (8-10-2, 26 pts) kickoff a two-match homestand hosting San Diego Wave FC (4-9-7, 19 pts) Saturday, September 21, at 8:30 p.m. CT at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. Safely inside playoff contention for the week, the Red Stars look to secure a season sweep against the struggling Wave and climb higher in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) standings before the postseason arrives.
The first 950 fans entering the stadium when gates open September 21 at 7:30 p.m. CT will receive an exclusive poster honoring midfielder Cari Roccaro’s Lauren Holiday Impact Award nomination for her work with National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Chicago. During halftime, Nationwide Insurance will present NAMI Chicago with a $5,000 donation to help the organization continue their vital work in Chicago’s communities.
Chicago Red Stars rookie, Hannah Anderson, and Brazilian International, Ludmila, connected tonight to score the only goal of the match against San Diego Wave FC and secured a 1-0 win for the Red Stars. With the season sweep against San Diego secured, the Red Stars put some space between themselves and the playoff cutoff line as the team continues to push to make the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs.
KEY MOMENTS:
9’ Playing on the right side of the attacking third, Natalia Kuikka, Jameese Joseph and Julia Grosso pass the ball back and forth before sending a through ball to Ludmila who finds it on the goal line and takes a shot that San Diego’s keeper wraps up
12’ Hannah Anderson recoups the ball on the left side of the attacking third, passes it backwards, but gets it right back to deliver a laser cross to the back post that finds Ludmila and the Brazilian international gets their first goal in the NWSL and puts Chicago on top, 1-0
14’ San Diego, trying to answer back, send a cross of their own into Chicago’s box. The left-to-right cross goes back post, but Chicago’s Taylor Malham gets her head on it and clears the danger
25’ San Diego deliver another cross into Chicago’s 18-yard box, this time low on the ground. The ball finds their attacker, but with their back toward net, their shot gets deflected to another Wave player who takes a shot that is again deflected and San Diego gets one more shot, this time from further outside the box before Chicago’s back line clears the ball for good, 1-0 Chicago
29’ San Diego still attempting to attack from the left side, gets an attacker into the 18-yard box, they take a strong shot, but it hits off the crossbar keeping Chicago ahead
33’ Goal kick from Naeher finds Schlegel who sacrifices her body to get the ball to Ludmila. The forward runs past the last defender and takes a shot that is deflected for a Red Stars corner kick
41’ The Red Stars send a long ball from the back to a galloping Mallory Swanson who takes one touch, gets in the 18-yard box and takes a shot that is well covered by San Diego’s Kailen Sheridan
57’ doing it herself, Chicago’s Jameese Joseph receives the ball past midfield and dribbles half the pitch to get into the box and takes a shot that just goes over the net
67’ Ally Schlegel, the constant burst of energy for the Red Stars, wins possession at midfield, before dumping the ball off to a wide-open Swanson. Swanson takes it the rest of the way before taking a shot that’s deflected and goes out for another Red Stars corner kick
68’ Swanson takes the corner kick for the Red Stars, finds Ludmila at the first post and the forward flicks the ball along with her head to find a wide-open Bea Franklin, but the midfielder’s follow up header goes wide of the net, 1-0 Chicago Red Stars
