By Amelia Hirtle
After playing a game three days ago, the Red Stars returned to the pitch in a must win the game against the Orlando Pride. At the beginning of Wednesday’s slate of games, Chicago sat in 7th place, just below the playoff line, and with 3 games left, it was important for them to get a win.
The lone goal from the match came from a corner kick in the 6th minute. The backline of Orlando struggled early to clear the ball out of their own half, thus resulting in an early corner. The set piece was taken by Red Stars forward Mallory Pugh. Both a Chicago and Orlando player got their heads on the ball originally and Pride defender Amy Turn was not able to clear it in time. Kealia Watt took a right footed strike and while the keeper attempted a save, it was placed perfectly by Watt to get the goal.
The Red Stars did not let up on their attack. Pugh was able to get down the left side consistently, but Orlando keeper Ashlyn Harris made fantastic saves to keep her team in the game.
In the final minute of regulation, Orlando had a chance that was punched away by keeper Cassie Miller and a Chicago player one timed it to Pugh who was off the races. Harris had gotten close to midfield and immediately started sprinting back toward the goal. Pugh essentially had an empty net in front of her with Harris off her line, but instead of taking the shot from distance, she chose to dribble it up the pitch. Harris then stopped and backpedaled at the top of the box to defend Pugh. Pugh took an extra dribble to get around the goalkeeper, but Harris was able to get a glove on the ball to tap it away. Pugh gathered it quickly, but her shot went wide and did not require another save by Harris. Chicago could have easily run away with the match, but Ashlyn Harris made many remarkable saves to give the Pride a chance.
At the end of the night, the NWSL standings table looked a little different. With a draw in the Cascadia Derby, the first-place seed (along with the NWSL Shield) is still up for grabs. With the win, Chicago moved up to 5th place with 32 points. The Pride sits in 8th with 28 points. Both Racing Louisville and Kansas City, who sit in 9th and 10th place respectively, have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Chicago will play one more game before the international break. They will stay home and play on Saturday at 7:00 pm CT (8:00 pm ET). They will match up against Kansas City who just handily beat the Houston Dash 3-0. The Pride will play Racing Louisville on Saturday at 7:30 pm ET. They will have to win out to have a chance for a spot in the playoffs.
After the weekend matches, the teams will go on an international break. Chicago will send Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, and Mallory Pugh to play for the USWNT. Alyssa Naeher and Julie Ertz will also attend the camp but will not play and continue to rehab from their injuries. When Chicago returns from the break, they will meet the Pride in their final regular season matchup.