The Chicago Red Stars were off to the races against the Houston Dash at Seat Geek Stadium. In the 13th minute, Mallory Pugh found Bianca St. Georges for a shot but the ball bounced over the bar.
In the 32nd minute, Pugh was given the ball in between two defenders. She took a few touches to the right and forced a powerful shot past Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell. Campbell got a deflection on the ball but it wasn’t enough to stop the shot. It put Chicago up 1-0.
The best chance of the first half for Houston came in the 29th minute from forward Nichelle Prince. the Dash were moving the ball up the pitch and Prince took the final shot but it went over the crossbar.
The Red Stars started the second half on fire with chances in the opening minutes. Shortly after the start, Chicago forced Campbell to make a jumping save to deny an opening half goal. A minute later, what looked to be another goal, this time from Stevens, but it was called back for a handball.
In the 74th minute, Dash midfielder Shea Groom had the ball in a 1 on 1 situation but rookie Amanda Kowalski ran stride for stride with her and made a sliding save to tap the ball back to Naeher so she could clear it.
Just as quickly as Houston could have been on the board, the momentum shifted back towards Chicago. St. Georges gave the ball to Pugh on the outside who shot the ball past Campbell in similar fashion to her first goal. That put the Red Stars up 2-0 and seal the deal on the night.
The April international window will begin and the Challenge Cup will take a short break. The Red Stars, who now sit atop the Central division, will return to action on Saturday April 16th at 6:30 PM CT (7:30 PM ET) against Racing Louisville.