Avenge season opener with a 5-2 win
By Lesley Ryder
The Chicago Stars stunned the defending NWSL champions with a 5-2 win in their lakefront debut. Five different players scored for the Stars as the team extended their unbeaten streak to six games.
A season-high 10,127 fans flocked to Martin Field on a crisp late summer afternoon for a sneak peek at next year’s home team.
The opening half saw both teams trade chances. The Stars stuck to their new midfield diamond formation, and early pressing strategy to create turnovers and win the ball from the Pride. Orlando persevered to create their own chances, including a close call shot from Marta.
After a scoreless first half, both teams offered an offensive explosion, scoring a combine 7 goals in MINUTES. Sam Staab opened the gates with a howler of a free kick from outside the penalty area. She became the first Chicago Star to score on a free kick in franchise history. The lead was short-lived. Three minutes later, Carson Pickett floated a shot past Alyssa Naeher to bring the Pride level. A minute later, Jameese Joseph broke the deadlock on a nifty solo effort dribbling in from the right hand side to open the scoring floodgates. Bea Franklin and Julia Grosso added to the effort before Orlando could score a second goal.
The Stars entered the final 15 minutes of the match with a two-goal lead for the first time since June 7th against Seattle Reign. They ultimately drew level on a late Lynn Biyendolo brace. Unlike that match, the Stars continued to push for more goals. The relentless effort produced a late Ludmila goal in the 89th minute to make it 5-2. August’s NWSL Player of the Month became the fourth Stars FC player to score ten goals in a season.
The final score was a stark reversal from the season-opening match. “[We] definitely wanted to change the script around, especially from the first game of the season, losing six-zero. So I'm glad it could have been us scoring five goals” said forward Jameese Joseph after the match.
For Julia Grosso, this win, and offensive effort was a long time coming. “I feel like we all knew we had this in us, but it was just really nice to finally execute it and show the league that we're here.”
Interim head coach Anders Jacobson emphasized that the team’s belief in themselves brought them to Sunday’s result.
“That's probably the most hardest thing for a coach when you come into a team is to make the team believe the small adjustments you want to do, that they believe you and that they do it, but this team did, and that it has been amazing from the first day.”
Jacobson explained the goal-scoring flurry was simply a result of the team putting in the work on the training ground. “Do it in training, getting the positions we want to be in preferably, and then go train on the scoring chance. And then you see them do that. Then you see that we have the quality. So we haven't done anything more than that. The players have been doing the same thing.”
The team’s new digs at Northwestern Stadium at Martin Field got full marks from Grosso. “I feel like it's just a really cool atmosphere. And a lot more people can come now, and it's really good vibes. And I think that the new stadium gave us that win.”
Notes from the field
- The Stars scored 5 goals in a match for the first time since 9/4/2018 against Sky Blue.
- Ludmila’s 10 goals puts her in 3rd place in the Golden Boot race, behind Temwa Chawinga and Esther.
- Alyssa Naeher became the first goalkeeper in NWSL history to reach 60 wins with one team.