Chicago Picks Up Three Points! Katie Naughton First Career Goal!

BRIDGEVIEW, IL–Maybe some changes are a good idea for the Chicago Red Stars down the stretch. After a week of some emotions and seeing some players leave in a three-team trade, the team went back to work going after three points at home.

They found it in a big way with Katie Naughton’s first career goal and Vanessa DiBernado’s first goal of the season. This just after a week that they both returned from injuries. Both players came off the bench to do it in the second half as Chicago got a 2-0 shutout over visiting Utah Royals FC at Toyota Park on Saturday night.

The Red Stars with the victory improved its standing in the NWSL (4-3-7, 19 points) puts them in a three-way tie, third place with Seattle and Portland. While Orlando’s victory has them alone in second place with 22 points behind league-leading North Carolina (33 points).

“I think any points are big at any point of the season,” said Chicago Red Stars head coach Rory Dames with 6 matches left on the schedule. “A tie is one point, a win is three points and a loss in no points. So, we would rather tie than lose and win than tie. But I think this is an important game for the group, because of the week of us throwing in the towel and moving on to next year. We’ve got the US Player of the Year in the locker room, the Australian Player of the Year in the locker room, and a pretty good goalie in the locker room. Some World Cup winners besides them in the locker room. I think they took that to heart. I thought they did a great job last week against Portland with the emotions of here and now. They had a great response.

“(The trade) was a long process to get done. When it was finally through the weekend and done. I think its more thankful it was over for everybody. So everybody could have closure and move on.”

On Saturday night, both teams played a pretty even first half with a chance here and there on either side that resulted seeing the match scoreless at the break..

But in the second half with the addition of Naughton on the field after the break and DiBernardo entering the pitch in the 66th minute, changed the flow and the attack for Chicago.

First, Naughton opened the scoring with a header that found its way into the back of the net in the 62nd minute. It was set up on a set piece free kick off the leg of Danielle Colaprico. On the header, the ball went off the outstretched hand of Royals goalkeeper Abby Smith attempting the save. However, on the play, she also went into the goal post. She managed to get up and resumed playing in the goal.

“Danny (Colaprico) stepped up and played a great ball in, I was able to time it and get it in,” said Naughton, who has scored on a number of headers back in her college days at Notre Dame. “In college I scored on quite a few header goals This was my first NWSL goal. and I’m pretty excited.”

Vanessa DiBernardo scored her first goal of the season and returning from an injury. She scored after taking a cross from Samantha Kerr and kicked the shot from the near the top of the box in the 70th minute.

“It’s great to be back out there,” DiBernardo said. “I’m slowly getting more minutes and getting more involved with the team. It’s just fun. I was calling her name, she luckily heard me and she played a great ball. I just had to take a touch and placed it. The ball was really the hard part.”

Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made three very important saves and earned the clean sheet ss Utah Royals FC with the defeat was left in sixth place with at (4-3-5, 16 points). They were coming off an impressive victory over North Carolina last week.

“I thought the first half we did some good things and the second half we wanted to be a little bit stronger,” Utah Royals FC head coach Laura Harvey said. “I thought we let them get behind us which is very unlike us. We couldn’t get enough pressure on the ball, which played into Chicago’s hands a little bit. I think my perspective as a coach was that we really got it right and we have to go at it on Wednesday.”

The Royals have some pieces that are not all together for its club lately. But have some additions from the recent trade getting Christen Press and Sam Johnson. They are also without standout Kelly O’Hara and won’t be expected back in a couple of weeks to the end of July.

“Both of squads have really revamped, changed with people in and out since I have last played the Red Stars,” Amy Rodriguez said. “The quality there was some good goals and unfortunately we were on the bad end of it. I’m so excited and can’t wait for Press to get here. She just arrived in Utah, hopefully now we can get our feet moving and get that relationship formed. We were pretty sad to lose Brooke Elby, we were sad. But were elated about the trade, Sam (Johnson), Christen (Press) are quality players. They will make a huge impact for our team.”

Utah Royals FC will next host Seattle on Wednesday night at 8pm MT, while Chicago next will host Washington Sunday at 5pm CT