NFL
By: Zachary Draves
The Chicago Red Stars came ready to play before their crowd of 2,534 at SeatGeek Stadium in their home match-up against the Washington Spirit.
The Red Stars largely commanded the ball for the first half of the game and both they and the Spirit were very much playing at the same pace.
Mallory Pugh got Chicago on the board first with a hustle goal at the near 20-minute mark of the first half continuing a pattern of her coming through in the clutch and playing with such vibrant energy particularly at the last two home games, this one and their 3-1 victory against OL Reign on July 18.
She spoke of how much her playing style this season contributes to that.
“I think for this season I really just wanted to enjoy playing” she said.
“When I am free and enjoying playing with my teammates and stuff I think that is when I am at my best.”
Her coach Rory Daines echoes that sentiment.
“The biggest thing for Mal has been just remembering to be Mal” he said.
The Red Stars weren’t bad on the defensive end either as they limited the Spirits’ shots on goal and attacked most loose balls rendering the Spirit playing with a simmering sense of frustration.
As for Washington, they did manage to put up a good fight and with the help of players such as Trinity Rodman, daughter of Dennis Rodman, they held their own.
The Red Stars gained a commanding 2-0 lead going into the half with a goal by Rachel Hill and with all going pretty well on both ends of the pitch.
The second half was pretty much the same in terms of both teams playing at the same pace but then Trinity put the Spirit back into the game with a breakaway goal at the 71-minute mark.
Then after the Spirit were given a yellow card, Morgan Gautrat of the Red Stars scored on a penalty kick to put the home team up 3-1 at the 80-minute mark and from there it was all said and done.
The highlights are the following:
19’ – Mallory Pugh cuts through the Washington defense and slots in a right-footed shot to give the Red Stars the lead
39’ – Rachel Hill finishes a scramble inside Washington’s box from Chicago’s corner kick to give the Red Stars a two-goal lead
71’ – Washington’s Trinity Rodman gets around Cassie Miller and two Red Stars defenders to score and cut the deficit to one for the Spirit
80’ – Morgan Gautrat converts a penalty kick off a Washington handball to give Chicago a two-goal lead again
GAME NOTES
Tatumn Milazzo had arguably the best game of her young NWSL career so far, having a significant impact defensively. Milazzo led the team with 64 touches, eight aerial duels, five tackles, six clearances, and possessions won with nine. She also had 29 passes, and a shot on target
Cassie Miller provided the Red Stars a security blanket in the net, coming up big numerous times en route to her Budweiser Player of the Match honors at the end of the game. Despite conceding a goal, Miller had four major saves and also registered a catch, proving to be a major last line of defense for the Red Stars
Mallory Pugh knocked it out of the park, in both goal celebration and performance. Pugh’s goal in the 19th minute gave Chicago momentum early on. She would finish the game with three total shots, 49 touches, 17 duels (a team lead), 25 passes and a team lead in crosses with five
Next Game
The Red Stars play host to the Orlando Pride next Sunday, August 8 at 5:00 p.m. CT.
