Red Star Sophia Huerta battles for possession to put a header past Seattle’s Hayley Kopmeyer. Photo by Don Mac Gregor.
BRIDGEVIEW, IL–Making a push for the NWSL playoffs, the Chicago Red Stars had to take on a different approach. A two-goal rally, which came off the head of Sofia Huerta, a Christen Press penalty kick, and several spectacular saves from goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
The result a good one for the Chicago Red Stars settling for a 2-2 draw with the visiting Seattle Reign FC Sunday night at Toyota Park.
The Red Stars (8-5-4, 28 points) still find themselves in third place in the standings with three matches left on their schedule. They are one point ahead of Western New York Flash, while trailing league leading Washington (36) and Portland (32).
“I think the first 20-minutes, Seattle got behind us, around us, over us, under us,” Chicago head coach Rory Dames said. “We were fortunate to come out 2-0 down. I think that Seattle’s quality and they have the best players in the league. No matter what their record is, the internationals they have and the quality they have. I think we were a little disappointed on how we started.
“We viewed this as a big test for us to see from the growing up in the playoff test last year with Portland here and we’re unfortunately seeing the same movie. But, we clipped the script a bit and found our way back in.”
Seattle (6-6-5, 24 points) caught the host Red Stars off guard early, two goals in a four-minute span in the opening nine minutes. Manon Melis scored the first one five minutes in off a pass from Beverly Yanez. Then Lauren Barnes added another four minutes later with a 20 yard free kick that found the back of the net.
“I thought we were the better team in the first half and we couldn’t get the third goal,” Seatlle FC coach Laura Harvey said. “In the second half, the game became more stretched. (Chicago) had a bit more possession. I thought (keeper) Alyssa (Naeher) came up big when it mattered. If we would scored the third goal in the first half the result would’ve been different.”
Red Stars’ keeper Naeher made the key stop with a breakaway save of Melis in the 15th minute keeping the score at 2-0.
But Chicago carried the momentum back in their favor and cut the lead in half in the 27th minute. That’s when Huerta scored on a header near the back post off Vanessa DiBernardo’s corner kick.
Naeher was on the top of her game in the goal area again in the 41st minute with two-stops in one play. She stopped an initial shot by Yanez. On the rebound, she went back to the line and one-handed it away from going into the goal.
She was tested again in the second half, off a header from Yanez, Naeher was in the right spot making the save.
“To be honest, it was over a little bit of anger letting up those first two goals,” Naeher said. “It wasn’t the way I wanted to start the game for sure. Proud of the team for fighting back to get those two goals back over the course of 80 minutes.”
The Red Stars got some help for the tying goal in the 78th minute when Casey Short was tripped up in the penalty area. Press stepped up for the kick and easily netted the goal. It was the first PK for her since the disappointing one missed in Rio last month.
“I told her last week before the Sky Blue game, ‘if you get one take it don’t think twice about it,” Dames said. “She’s our kicker!”
The Red Stars will have a short week to prepare for their next opponent hosting FC Kansas City Wednesday at 7pm at Toyota Park.
SCORING SUMMARY:
SEA-Manon Melis (Yanez) 5
SEA-Lauren Barnes (unassisted) 9
CHI-Sophia Huerta (DiBernardo) 27
CHI-Christen Press (penalty kick) 79
BOOKING SUMMARY:
SEA-Merritt Mathias (caution, reckless foul) 78
CHICAGO RED STARS (4-4-2): #1-Alyssa Naeher; #3-Arin Gilliand, #8-Julie Johnston, #16-Samantha Johnson, #6-Casey Short; #24-Danielle Colaprico, #10-Vanessa DiBernardo, #11-Sophia Huerta (#4-Alyssa Mautz 91+), #12-Cara Walls (#13-Amanda DaCosta 59); #23-Christen Press, #9-Stephanie McCaffrey (#5-Katie Naughton 91+)
Subs not used: #18-Michele Dalton, #7-Taylor Comeau, #14-Sarah Gorden, #15-Courtney Raetzman, #34-Mary Luba
SEATTLE REIGN FC (4-2-3-1): #28-Haley Kopmeyer; #20-Rumi Utsugi, #3-Lauren Barnes, #13-Kendall Fletcher, #9-Merritt Mathias; #8-Kim Little, #10-Jessica Fishlock, #11-Keelin Winters; #36-Nahomi Kawasumi, #14-Manon Melis (#15-Megan Rapinoe 69), #17-Beverly Yanez (#16-Carson Pickett 84)
Subs not used: #24-Andi Tostanowski, #6-Lindsay Elson, #7-Elli Reed, #19-Havana Solaun, #25-Kiersten Dallstream
TOTAL SHOTS: CHI 10-11 SEA
SHOTS ON GOAL: CHI 6-6 SEA
FOULS: CHI 5-8 SEA
OFFSIDES: CHI 4-1 SEA
CORNER KICKS: CHI 2-2 SEA
SAVES: CHI 4-4 SEA
Referee: Christina Unkel
Referee’s Assistants: Cory Richardson, Brooke Mayo
Fourth Official: Alex Beehler
Attendance: 3,355
Woman of the Match: Alyssa Naeher (CHI)
Chicago Red Stars
NWSL
