Stars drop another 2-0 showing against Portland with signs of life on offense
By Lesley Ryder
Even the Lake Michigan wind couldn’t help the Stars put the ball in the back of the net. Olivia Moultrie broke the deadlock in the 17th minute on the same day she broke the record for the youngest-ever player to reach 100 matches. Reilynn Turner put the game on ice in the 89th minute The Portland Thorns rose to the top of the table after securing 9 points in a week, but first they had to outlast a nascent Stars attack.
An early injury to Tessa Dellarose forced a quick change for the Stars. In the 10th minute the rookie pulled up on a run, holding the back of her leg. She could not continue, and Emma Egizii came on as the Stars shifted around to accommodate the change. Michelle Alozie replaced Dellarose at left back, and Egizii took over for Alozie in the midfield.
After Moultrie’s goal, the Stars got off the deck, and started to hit back. In the 21st minute, Emma Egizii did some nifty dribbling to create space just outside the Portland box. She ripped a shot and forced a diving save by Mackenzie Arnold.
Alyssa Naeher made two big saves of her own early on to keep the Thorns from padding their lead. In the final moments of the first half, Naeher saved a laser from Sophia Wilson with a diving stop.
The Stars came to life in the second half, hitting Portland with the most shots, and best possession they’ve kept all season. The club earned 11 corner kicks on Sunday, after managing only 15 in the first 7 matches. But the Stars couldn’t convert that possession to quality scoring chances. According to @NWSLstat on Bluesky, the majority of the Stars’ shots came on poor chances.
The Stars continued to press for the equalizer, adding more offense with their late substitutions. But even the addition of both Ivonne Chacon, and Micayla Johnson couldn’t bring a late goal. It was the Portland Thorns who struck instead, with Olivia Moultrie sending a pass out wide, and Reilynn Turner beating Naeher in a footrace for the loose ball to seal the result.
Stars FC head coach Martin Sjogren was disappointed the team couldn’t earn a point in the match. “I'm the first one to admit if we do not perform at the level we want to,” said Sjogren. “But today, I think we actually perform the best we have in the season.”
Generally it’d be disappointing to see a team drops six points in a week, but the Stars certainly put on a much better performance in yesterday’s loss, than in last week’s win against Boston. For Sjogren, it’s an optimistic outing for the Stars.
“It's frustrating and also disappointing today that we didn't that we didn't score goals, but I think it shows that we are on the right track at the moment, because now I actually see us getting into some kind of structure where we feel more like we are more compact and defending, we also create more in the way we want to play.”
Michelle Alozie echoed the same sentiment after the match. “It's unfortunate that the game where we probably possess the ball the most and created more chances is is the one that we lose. But I think that's something that we're just building on,” Alozie said. “We're really new team. We're still trying to figure out what works best for all of us, even with all the injuries that we're we're having.”
It’s an inspiring performance for the club. They’ve bounced back against two difficult opponents in Gotham and Portland. But as the Stars already know, the better offensive performance doesn’t guarantee three points on the table. With news of Mal Swanson making her return to full team training, the Stars will be hoping she can soon take the field to help the team’s anemic attack.
Notes from the field
- Per Martin Sjogren, Tessa Dellarose will undergo imaging on Monday to determine the extent of her injury.
- The Stars outshot their opponents for the first time this season.
- At full time, Alyssa Naeher checked in for Uncle duty, holding both Sophia Wilson’s daughter Gigi, and Mal Swanson’s daughter Josie. It was the cutest thing I’ve seen all month.
[Photos courtesy of Gretchen Schneider/Chicago Stars FC]