The sense of urgency is starting to creep in for Angel City.
With eight leagues games to go, including an upcoming stretch of four straight road matches and also a friendly match against the Mexico women’s national team on Labor Day sprinkled in between, Angel City knew the time was now to start making a push for the playoffs, and Sunday’s match against the Chicago Red Stars, whom Angel City was five points behind for the sixth and final playoff spot going into the match, was the perfect place to start.
Angel City got the result it needed on Sunday, as Savannah McCaskill’s goal combined with some key defensive plays finally enabled Angel City to close out a match, and thus gain some ground on Chicago the 1-0 win at Banc of California Stadium.
“One of the biggest things that we identified as core values for this group was commitment, heart, and passion. We show that every single game, whether we’re winning or losing,” McCaskill said. “This team doesn’t stop whether it’s the starting 11, the players coming off the bench, or those that are not getting into the squad for game day. Every single person is dedicated to helping this team get wins and get into the playoffs.”
Angel City edged ahead just three minutes into the second half. Claire Emslie crossed into the penalty area, Chicago’s Zoe Morse got her right foot on the ball, but not nearly enough to prevent the ball from going into the six-yard box and McCaskill touched a ball past keeper Alyssa Naeher to the back post.
Taking the lead has not been a problem, its keeping the lead that has been an issue. In its last four games, Angel City has allowed its opponents to come back with equalizing goals, a span in which it has gone 1-1-2. Sure enough, Chicago applied pressure late in the match looking to salvage points in the match, and its best chance came when Vanessa DiBernardo played Rachel Hill into the penalty area, Hill took a shot on goal, the shot was blocked, but the ball went to the feet of Sarah Griffith, who immediately looked to capitalize on a scrambling Angel City defense, but the Angel City backline held its ground, recovering just in time to deny Griffith’s chance. The Red Stars’ last best shot at salvaging points in the match came as the match headed into stoppage time, as Gfiffith beat Tyler Lussi to a 50-50 ball and dribbled for the penalty area, Griffith got inside the box, Angel City’s Megan Reid closed some space in, keeper Did Haracic left her line, Griffith took the shot, but Haracic made the save and took a hit from Griffith.
“We’ve talked about being able to close out games all season long,” McCaskill said. “This was the first time that we dominated for the first 65 minutes and then were able to protect that lead in the last 25 minutes of the game. I think that’s huge and shows growth. It shows that we’ve learned those hard lessons throughout the season, and we’re really starting to apply what we’ve learned into the game.”
Despite no goals being scored, the first half was up and down for both teams, as Angel City and Chicago saw their fair share of scoring chances. The Red Stars had the game’s first chance six minutes in, as DiBernardo dribbled towards the penalty area and fired a shot for the far post, but missed by inches. Angel City’s best chance in the first half was the best chance by either side to find the back net inside the first 45 minutes, as Ali Riley crossed into the penalty area, Moss sent the cross back, but sent the ball back to Riley, who again sent a cross in, this time just outside the six-yard box, and an open Simone Charley sent a header for the back post, but Naeher dived to her left and managed to parry the ball away from goal and the ball was cleared out by Tatum Milazzo.
“We’ve learned a lot from both wins and losses, so we’re constantly reflecting on what we’ve done, especially in those bad moments,” Angel City head coach Freya Coombe said. “It was critical for us to secure a win at home and then be able to move on to Kansas.”
Angel City’s first game of the upcoming road trip will be a doozy, as they face the Kansas City Current, currently the hottest team in NWSL, at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday.
