Shut out the Houston Dash 1-0
Alyssa Naeher wanted another clean sheet. She got two in a row.
“Team defending starts from the top down” said Naeher after the match. She was quick to praise her teammates on the backline for their efforts. “I think our backline cleared balls, blocked balls, headed balls out… they fully committed to it.”
The Red Stars got their goal just before halftime. Leilanni Nesbeth intercepted a wayward pass from Houston’s midfield, and tapped the ball into space for a streaking Mallory Swanson. Swanson carried the ball just outside the 18m box, and sent a shot to the top corner of the net by a diving Jane Campbell.
Alyssa Naeher made 6 saves to complete the clean sheet, her third of the season. Her most dramatic save of the night came in the 86th minute, when a quick through pass hit Diana Ordoñez. The Houston forward had a point-blank opportunity, but Naeher came up with the save.
This is the Red Stars’ first instance of multiple wins in a row since they opened the season 3-0. “Any time you can keep a couple of clean slates, it’s very good” said head coach Lorne Donaldson after the match. “Hopefully, going forward, offensively we can add a little bit more.”
The Chicago Red Stars go into the NWSL mid-season break on a two-game win streak, good enough for sixth place on the league table (as of 7/7) with 23 points. They trail 5th place Portland by only 4 points.
A league-wide break was implemented in the 2022 NWSL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The players will have a full week off, before returning to action for the Summer Cup—a new competition between the NWSL, and LigaMX clubs.
The NWSL will return to league action after the Olympics, on the weekend of August 23rd.