Red Stars Sidebar: Young Players Step Up in Extra Time

Bridgeview, IL-It was getting late, and it appeared Chicago was going to lose for the first time at home this season down by a couple of goals. The Red Stars needed a bit of an offensive spark or just some type of momentum.

Chicago found the energy and extra steps in extra time for a couple of goals which led the Red Stars back to a 2-2 draw against visiting North Carolina Courage at SeatGeek Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

“Anytime you’re down two goals, the other team will sit back a little bit, and you will push forward,” Chicago Red Stars head coach Chris Petrucelli said. “It’s pretty typical and we pushed forward. Once we got one, and obviously a good goal by Amanda (Kowalski). Two rookies and its fantastic!”

The attitude and push within the Red Stars team on the field made the difference in extra time. Which they didn’t give up and not only got one but two goals in a span of a few minutes.

“It certainly speaks volumes of what’s there,” Petrucelli said. “It’s what they want to accomplish and that they are a little bit on it. It could’ve been easy to quit.”

The first one came off the leg of Sarah Griffith with a chip over North Carolina keeper Katelyn Rowland that was assisted by Vanessa Dibernardo in the opening minute of extra time.

“Sarah (Griffith) has had a very good season so far,” Petrucelli said. “She had a horrible game (against NY/NJ Gotham FC) last week, and her response this week was fantastic. She was great in training, she put her head down and went to work. She trusted in her talent, and we saw the result.”

Then, in the waning seconds off a corner kick from Danielle Colaprico, Kowalski put a head on the ball, and it found the back of the net that brought the match back to an even level. But how Kowalski got there was the amazing and exciting part.

“I really didn’t see it,” Kowalski said. “I just closed my eyes and prayed to the man upstairs. I kind of noticed that I was heavily marked the entire game. It almost felt like in the last corner, (North Carolina) was pushing everybody in and weren’t worried about man-marking. So, I was more confident running into the box and seeing the flight of the ball. Once it got into my sight, I just kind of prayed that it would go in.”

Chicago continues to thrive on its home field staying unbeaten and being near the top of the NWSL standings with its young players and depth on its team.