BRIDGEVIEW, IL—It looked for all the while that North Carolina would get their first win at SeatGeek Stadium and get off the bottom of the NWSL. However, two goals in stoppage time by the Chicago Red Stars turned a certain home loss into a 2-2 draw and extend their unbeaten streak to nine. The Courage remain rooted to the bottom of the table, though they have matches in hand against the rest of the league.
Carson Pickett opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after whiffing initially on two other chances shortly beforehand. The Red Stars pressed for an equalizer, but were either denied by the post or by Katelyn Rowland.
Four minutes into the second half, Merritt Mathias found an unmarked Brittany Ratcliffe in the box as she got between two defenders and put in a tap-in to double the Courage’s lead.
Again, the Red Stars looked to get back in the match, but again either the post or Rowland got in the way. Three minutes of stoppage time went up on the fourth official’s board, but the Red Stars needed just one to pull one back as Vanessa DiBernardo sent Sarah Griffith on her way and chipped Rowland who was well off her line.
The Courage nearly sealed it as Jordan Baucom had a shot after it appeared she was taken down in the area. Baucom got back up and play continued, but shot it wide.
The Red Stars got a late corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time and Amanda Kowalski would head it in to snatch a point for the Red Stars.
“I kind of closed my eyes and prayed to the man upstairs,” said Kowalski of the goal. “I noticed I was heavily marked me the entire game and on that last corner, they were just pushing everybody in and weren’t really worried about man-marking, so I felt more confident running into the box and seeing into the flight of the ball. Once it got into my eyesight, I prayed that it would go in.”
Admittedly, apart from those last five minutes, the Red Stars were not at their best on this day.
“I thought we struggled until we went down two goals,” said Red Stars head coach Chris Petrucelli. “We didn’t play well. We were very sloppy in possession and passing wasn’t goal. Our intensity to regain the ball wasn’t like it usually is. We made some changes in the second half. Anytime you’re down two goals, the other team is going to sit back and you’re going to push forward. Once we got one, we’re pushing forward and obviously a great goal from Amanda. But our overall quality of play was not up to our standard. I don’t think it’s as good as it been throughout the year.”
As the Red Stars enter the halfway point in second place at 5-1-5, one point behind San Diego, Petrucelli feels the team is in a good spot.
“If you look at [the big picture], we’ve been good. We’re starting to get the concepts of keeping the ball and passing the ball and moving the ball. A total change of style and change of system. I think we’re staring to understand those things. No one in the league is going to go undefeated. People are going to tie and people are going to lose, and the games are close every week. To be sitting where we are right now, I feel pretty good about it.
The Red Stars start the second half of the season next Saturday when they travel to face the Houston Dash. Kickoff is at 7:30pm CT on Twitch.
SCORING SUMMARY:
NC-Carson Pickett (Speck) 23
NC-Brittany Ratcliffe (Mathias) 49
CHI-Sarah Griffith (DiBernardo) 90+1
CHI-Amanda Kowalski (Colaprico) 90+5
BOOKING SUMMARY:
NC-Jaelene Daniels (caution, tactical foul) 65
NC-Brittany Ratcliffe (caution, tactical foul) 70
NC-Jorian Baucom (caution, reckless foul) 79
CHICAGO RED STARS (3-4-3): #21-Emily Boyd; #31-Amanda Kowalski, #20-Zoe Morse, #23-Tatumn Milazzo; #11-Sarah Luebbert (#3-Arin Wright 56), #10-Vanessa DiBernardo, #24-Danielle Colaprico, #5-Rachel Hill; #7-Yuki Nagasato, #8-Ella Stevens (#25-Ava Cook 56), #18-Sarah Fisher (#15-Sarah Griffith 57)
Subs not used: #35-Bridgette Skiba, #14-Jill Aguilera, #19-Channing Foster, #29-Emily Garnier, #4-Alyssa Mautz, #26-Mikenna McManus
NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE (4-4-2): #99-Katelyn Rowland; #11-Merritt Mathias, #3-Kaleigh Kurtz, #6-Abby Erceg, #15-Jaelene Daniels (#14-Kate Bowen 90+3); #5-Brianna Pinto (#13-Ryan Williams 78), #7-Malia Berkely (#23-Kiki Pickett 66), #4-Carson Pickett, #25-Meredith Speck; #27-Brittany Ratcliffe (#33-Jorian Baucom 78), #24-Frankie Tagliaferri (#29-Rylee Baisden 66)
Subs not used: #44-Marisa Bova, #28-Theresa Boade, #14-Kate Bowen, #26-Valerie Gauvin, #16-Emily Gray
TOTAL SHOTS: CHI 19-9 NC
SHOTS ON GOAL: CHI 7-3 NC
FOULS: CHI 10-13 NC
OFFSIDES: CHI 2-2 NC
CORNER KICKS: CHI 10-2 NC
SAVES: CHI 1-5 NC
Referee: Alyssa Nichols
Assistant Referees: Art Arustamyan, Ethan Buege
4th Official: Rebecca Pagan
Weather: Sunny and 87º
Attendance: 4,098
Woman of the Match: Katelyn Rowland (NC)
Chicago Red Stars
North Carolina Courage
