The Chicago Red Stars entered Sunday’s match fighting for their Challenge Cup playoff hopes. However, as head coach Chris Petrucelli noted, the team is riddled with injuries and have been navigating that since early in the tournament.
The Kansas City Current began on the front foot and made Chicago keeper Alyssa Naeher work early. In the 6th minute, Naeher was forced to stop a direct shot. In the 35th minute, Current player Kristen Hamilton received a pass from the midfield, in space, and took a shot on goal that Naeher saved.
The Red Stars weren’t as lucky to start the second match. In the 50th minute, Elyse Bennett passed the ball to a running Alexis Lorea who struck the ball from distance. Naeher jumped in an attempt to save the shot but Lorea put too much on it for her to have a chance. With the tournament playoff hopes dwindling, Chicago had to react quickly. They did so by two minutes later when Bianca St. Georges tied the game against former Chicago keeper Cassie Miller.
In the 70th minute, the Red Stars were almost able to get another one from a scramble in the box, but the Current were able to clear it away from the net.
With the game going back and forth, Kansas City found their way to the winner through Bennett. She was able to nutmeg defender Tatumn Milazzo and take the ball to the endline for a cross. The cross was perfectly placed to Hamilton who had positioned herself right in front of the net to tap it in to seal the 2-1 Current win.
With the loss, Chicago now has less than a week before the regular season begins. They will open at home against Racing Louisville on Saturday, April 30. The two teams faced off in the Challenge Cup with both games ending in a draw.