BRIDGEVIEW, IL–Chicago has held home advantage all season long, until Portland broke the Red Stars’ run with a couple of early goals leading to a 3-2 victory at Toyota Park on Saturday night. It also broke the Red Stars’ 8-game home unbeaten streak this season.
Because of the victory, Portland (9-4-4, 31 points) has moved past Chicago (8-4-5, 29 points) into second place behind North Carolina. While the Red Stars are now in third place three points ahead of surging Orlando.
“It really was disappointing the way we went down, but we did have a good response to come back,” Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames said. “(The unbeaten streak) it’s not anything that we’ve talked about and we don’t get caught up with it. I think with the way we lost the game, we’re incredibly disappointed. The first ten-minutes was one of the worst defensive displays in five years that I’ve been here.”
Haley Raso got Portland on the board early in the third minute with a run up the middle, after taking a pass from Lindsey Horan. Raso then beat a pair of Red Stars’ defenders and put the ball past keeper Alyssa Naeher for a 1-0 lead in the third minute.
The Thorns added a second early tally when Christine Sinclair took a drop off pass from Dagny Brynjarsdottir in the ninth minute for a 2-0 advantage.
“It’s definitely disappointing, because you don’t want to lose a game at home,” Naeher said. “I have to go back and look at it (first two goals. Everything very quickly. We knew that Portland was going to be a good team. We’ll go back and look at a few things and see what we can do to make at improvements to get better with seven games left.”
Chicago rebounded back cutting the lead in half to 2-1 in the 16th minute. Alyssa Mautz hit an initial shot off the hands of Portland keeper Adrianna French and the crossbar. Christen Press was there on the rebound to head the ball into the goal.
Sophia Huerta added a second Red Stars goal before the break in the 38th minute. Julie Ertz tapped the ball back where Huerta netted the tally.
Portland started the second half by taking over the lead in the 55th minute. Emily Sonnett scored the eventual game-winner on a header off a Emily Klingenberg’s free kick which gave the Thorns a 3-2 lead.
The Red Stars’ Danielle Colaprico injured her left wrist in the middle of the second half on a collision with the Thorns’ Tyler Lussi and left the game a short time later. She’s expected to get her wrist checked out with an X-Ray on Sunday.
Mautz was honored after the game from the club for her 100th game back on July 22nd. She one of the longest active players playing for the Red Stars.
“It’s an honor being the first one and its cool for me,” Mautz said. “I’ve always said ‘It’ always been a great club to be a representive. It’s a great opportunity to play professional soccer. Everyday, I love to be apart of this group. The team and the environment is awesome. I feel like I’ve been involved like a family. It’s been a great opportunity.”
Chicago continues its three-game home stand in eight days with its next match hosting the Seattle Reign back at Toyota Park on Wednesday starting at 7pm.
SCORING SUMMARY:
POR-Hayley Raso (Horan) 3
POR-Christine Sinclair (Brynjarsdottir) 9
CHI-Christen Press (unassisted) 16
CHI-Sofia Huerta (Ertz) 38
POR-Emily Sonnet (Klingenberg) 55
BOOKING SUMMARY:
CHI-Arin Gilliand (caution) 54
CHICAGO RED STARS (4-3-1-2): #1-Alyssa Naeher; #3-Arin Gilliand, #5-Katie Naughton, #16-Samantha Johnson (#13-Morgan Proffitt 85), #6-Casey Short; #24-Danielle Colaprico (#2-Jen Hoy 66), #8-Julie Ertz, #4-Alyssa Mautz (#12-Yugi Nagasato 59); #10-Vanessa DiBernardo; #23-Christen Press, #11-Sofia Huerta
Subs not used: #18-Michelle Dalton, #7-Taylor Comeau, #19-Summer Green, #9-Stephanie McCaffrey
PORTLAND THORNS FC (4-3-3): #24-Adrianna Franch; #2-Katherine Reynolds, #16-Emily Sonnett, #4-Emily Menges, #25-Meghan Klingenberg; #11-Dagny Brynjarsdottir (#34-Tyler Lussi 61), #7-Lindesy Horan, #28-Amandine Henry; #14-Ashleigh Sykes (#26-Mallor Weber 74), #12-Christine Sinclair (C), #21-Hayley Raso (#30-Celeste Boureille 90)
Subs used: #33-Britt Eckerstrom,#27-Meghan Cox, #15-Kendall Johnson, #9-Nadia Nadim,
TOTAL SHOTS: CHI 12-5 POR
SHOTS ON GOAL: CHI 5-3 POR
FOULS: CHI 9-10 POR
OFFSIDES: CHI 2-3 POR
CORNER KICKS: CHI 7-3 POR
SAVES: CHI 0-3 POR
Referee: Greg Dopka
Referee’s Assistants: Cory Richardson, John Krill
Fourth Official: Rebecca Pagan
Weather: Partly Cloudy and 73º
Attendance: 4,934
Woman of the Match: Emily Sonnett (POR)
Chicago Red Stars
