HOUSTON, TX—Trying to find points and consistency are important pieces to what the Chicago Red Stars are after for the second half of the season.
The club is still without a number of its Women’s World Cup Championship players and expect them back for its next match at home hosting the North Carolina Courage at SeatGeek Stadium on Sunday, July 21st at 5pm.
On the road, the Red Stars pulled together with a Katie Johnson early goal and shutout host Houston Dash, 1-0, at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday night.
The match itself was delayed for about 28 minutes before they started and the defense took over allowing a couple of shots and Red Stars goalkeeper Emily Boyd earned her first clean sheet this season.
Johnson’s first-ever Red Stars tally occurred in the seventh minute when Vanessa DiBernado intercepted a bad Houston clearance. DeBernardo led Johnson. Which she fired a shot from up top of the box past the keeper into the corner of the goal.
It was Johnson’s ninth career goal and she was making her first Red Stars start against the Dash, while DiBernardo notched her second assist this season.
Chicago’s victory was a big recovery after a disappointing defeat to Sky Blue last weekend. The Red Stars are now 5-5-2, 17 points leaving them in sixth place. But the race in the National Women’s Soccer League is a battle with the Courage leading the way 6-2-4, 22 points.
Houston lost its third straight with the defeat and dropped its mark to 3-5-4, 13 points and good for eighth place in the standings.
The Dash will next be in Washington to face the Spirit on Saturday, July 20th at 6pm CT.
SCORING SUMMARY
CHI-Johnson (DiBernardo) 7
BOOKING SUMMARY
CHI-Stanton (yellow) 66
HOUS-Hanson (yellow) 77
HOUSTON DASH (4-4-2): #1-Jane Campbell; #2-Arianna Romero Tellez (#24-Jamia Fields 73), #5-Clare Polkinghorne, #22-Amber Brooks, #4-Allysha Chapman (#15-Cecelia Kizer 82); #11-Sofia Huerta, #9-Haley Hanson, #13-Sophie Schmidt, #7-Kealia Ohai (#10-Christine Nairn 66); #19-Kristie Mewis, #17-Kyah Simon
Subs not used: #30-Bianca Henninger, #20-Lindsay Agnew, #25-Ariana Calderon Valdez, #23-Ally Prisock
CHICAGO RED STARS (4-2-3-1): #21-Emily Boyd; #6-Casey Short, #5-Katie Naughton, #14-Sarah Gorden, #3-Arin Wright; #10-Vanessa DiBernardo, #2-Nikki Stanton; #33-Katie Johnson (#28-Kayla Sharples 87), #9-Savannah McCaskill (#23-Brooke Elby 63), #12-Yuki Nagasato; #20-Sam Kerr
Subs not used: #35-Megan Hinz, #24-Danielle Colaprico, #30-Hannah Davison, #32-Zoey Goralski, #31-Jenna Szczesny
TOTAL SHOTS: HOU 9-6 CHI
SHOTS ON GOAL: HOU 2-2 CHI
FOULS: HOU 9-11 CHI
OFFSIDES: HOU 8-3 CHI
CORNER KICKS: HOU 8-2 CHI
SAVES: HOU 1-2 CHI
Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.
Assistant Referees: Kali Smith, Salma Perez
4th Official: Juliana Duncan
Attendance: 5,327
Man of the Match: Katie Johnson (CHI)
