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Red Stars triumph in 1-0 victory, will play Thorns in Semifinal
The Chicago Red Stars, behind a second-half goal thanks to link up play between Sarah Woldmoe and Mal Pugh, defeated Gotham FC 1-0 and advanced to the NWSL Semifinal next week vs Portland.
KEY MOMENTS
55’ – A flurry of Gotham attacks came down the middle of the box, but were ultimately cleared away by Tierna Davidson.
56’ – Gotham FC threatens with an attack down the left flank, but Sarah Gorden thwarts the attempt and brings the ball towards the middle of the pitch to start a counter-attack.
61’ – Sarah Woldmoe forces a turnover from Gotham, then leads Mal Pugh with a pass inside the box. Mal curls the shot to the back post, breaking the deadlock and giving Chicago the lead.
GAME NOTES
Mal Pugh’s performance today was one of many that played a pivotal role in the Red Stars advancing to the NWSL semi-finals, and one that added to her MVP case. Pugh scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 61st minute while also finishing the day with three total shots, 50 touches, 24 passes, nine crosses (a team-high), and a tackle.
Sarah Gorden put in another performance that bolstered her league Defender of the Year campaign. She won back possession seven times (tied for team lead) and would finish the game with a tackle, clearance, 26 touches, and 20 passes as she assisted the Red Stars backline in keeping a playoff clean sheet performance.
Sarah Woldmoe’s return to the starting lineup proved to be a significant one, playing a direct role in the outcome of Sunday’s contest. She registered the tackle that would lead to her eventual assist on Mal Pugh’s goal while also tallying 37 touches, 26 passes with an accuracy percentage of 76.9%, two tackles and two interceptions.
Morgan Gautrat once again unlocked the midfield and played a crucial part in keeping the midfield intact. Gautrat finished the game with the team lead in passes (45), touches (66), tackles (7), and clearances (2).
Next Game
The Red Stars will travel to Portland to take on the Thorns in an NWSL Semifinal match on Sunday, November 14th at 4:30 pm CT.
Chicago Red Stars vs NJ/NY Gotham FC
November 7, 2021
SeatGeek Stadium (Bridgeview, IL)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Chicago Red Stars 0 1 1
Gotham FC 0 0 0
Attendance: 7,027
Scoring Summary:
CHI: Pugh 61’ (Woldmoe)
Disciplinary Report
CHI: Woldmoe 50’ (yellow), DiBernardo 79’ (yellow)
NJNY: Freeman 67’ (yellow), Lloyd 71’ (yellow), Johnson 89’ (yellow)
Lineup
NJNY: GK Sheridan, D Dydasco, D Dorsey (Eddy 76’), D Johnson, D Lewandowski (Freeman 67’), M Long, M Zerboni (Thiney 81’), M Kawasumi (Monaghan 68’), F Lloyd, F Purce, F Onumonu (Viens 81’)
CHI: GK Miller, D Milazzo, D Gorden, D Davidson, D Wright, M Woldmoe, M Gautrat, F DiBernardo, F Pugh (Johnson 86’), F Hill (Mautz 84’), F Watt
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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