NWSL Week 17
Chicago Red Stars vs. Seattle Reign FC Recap
(Photo courtesy of the NWSL)
Picturesque Toyota
Park was the site for a pivotal NWSL week 17 matchup between the host Chicago
Red Stars and the visiting back-to-back NWSL Shield Winners, Seattle Reign FC. It
was the final meeting between Chicago and Seattle this season and the first
ever meeting between the two teams at Toyota Park.
The game ended in a
2-2 draw when Chicago Red Stars and USWNT forward Christen Press tied the game after
Chicago was awarded a penalty kick in the 79th minute. Merritt Mathias fouled
Casey Short in the box to give the Red Stars the penalty kick. With the tie, the Chicago Red Stars (8–4–5, 29
pts) move up to third place in the NWSL standings, with 29 points on the
season. The Red Stars are also still the only team in the NWSL to remain
undefeated at home during the 2016 season. Seattle Reign FC (6–5–6, 24 pts) now
has 24 points this season and with Sky Blue FC losing to FC Kansas City, they remain in fifth place in the NWSL.
Seattle started
fast, scoring two goals in the first ten minutes of the game. The first goal of
the match came in the 5th minute from forward Manon Melis. Four minutes later, defender Lauren Barnes (who
I recently interviewed on my podcast “Really Random with Radich”. Click the
link right here if you want to listen: https://youtu.be/wRCPWw1Kua8) scored
off a free kick to put the Reign up 2–0. But in the 27th minute Chicago cut
Seattle’s lead in half when Vanessa DiBernardo’s corner kick found
the head of teammate Sofia Huerta, who put the ball in the back of the net with
a textbook header to make the score 2–1 going into halftime. The goal for Huerta makes
it five goals for her and six assists for DiBernardo this season.
During halftime,
Chicago honored former Red Stars player Julianne Sitch (2010 in WPS, 2012 in
WPSL-E and 2013-14 in NWSL). Sitch, a Red Stars fan favorite, played midfielder
and defender during her three separate stints with the club. Sitch played her
college soccer at DePaul University from 2002-2005. After her record setting
college career ended, Stich took her game to the professional level by playing
for teams in the United States and abroad. As a professional soccer player, Sitch was
drafted by Sky Blue FC of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2009. The
team went on to win the WPS Championship in that inaugural season.
Domestically, she played professionally for the Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue FC,
Western New York Flash and Atlanta Beat. Sitch played internationally for
Melbourne Victory in Australia, as well as Hammarby IF and Balinge IF in
Sweden. Upon her retirement. Sitch decided to get into coaching so she could
teach the sport to the next generation of players. The Illinois native is currently in her
second season as an assistant coach for the University of Chicago women's soccer
team.
Throughout the
game, Red Stars and USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher proved why she is
one of the best keepers in the world. Naeher made big save after big save and had
a pair of save of the week nominees. Naeher denied Seattle’s Beverly Yanez of a
goal not once but twice. First, in the 42nd minute Naeher made an
amazing double-save to keep her team within one before halftime. And then again
in the 55th minute, Naeher stopped a diving header from Yanez. Some people thought her save in the 42nd
minute was her best of the night, some people thought her save in the 55th
minute was her best but everyone was in agreement that Naeher was the MVP of
this action-packed match.
In the absence
of Hope Solo, Haley Kopmeyer got
the start at goalkeeper for Seattle. Kopmeyer will be the team’s starter the
rest of the way due to her solid play this season and because Solo has taken an
indefinite leave from the Reign following the announcement of her suspension
from U.S. Soccer. In the 64th
minute Kopmeyer had an impressive save of her own with a diving swat to keep
Christen Press from tying the game.
In a game
that featured an average amount of fouls, Reign FC midfielder Jessica Fishlock received the games lone yellow card in the 80th minute.
Up next, the
Chicago Red Stars will look to extend their current five-game unbeaten streak when
they take on defending NWSL champions FC Kansas City this Wednesday at Toyota Park. The match
will be the first NWSL game to air on Fox Sports 1 in 2016. The game starts at
8pmET/7pmCT. And next for Seattle Reign
FC, they head to Washington for
the first of two back to back games against the Spirit. That game is also on
Wednesday and airs on YouTube at 7pmET/4pmPT.
