Stars hopes for home win dashed

Chicago Stars FC 1-2 Houston Dash

BRIDGEVIEW, IL—Last week, Chicago Stars FC fell to the defending championships. On Sunday, the Stars fell at home to last year’s wooden spoonists in Houston, 2-1, on a rainy day at SeatGeek Stadium. It is the 11th loss in the last 15 home games for the Stars dating back to the end of the 2023 season (4-11-0).

Ludmilla was back from suspension for the Stars and Sam Staab was back in the starting lineup for the first time since her Achilles’ injury last July. However, Mallory Swanson was still out due to personal issues.

Things started brightly enough for the Stars in the 17th minute. Bea Franklin sent a long ball that Dash defender Paige Nielsen did not deal with effectively and Jameese Joseph would finish effectively to put the hosts ahead. It was the first goal and first lead of the season for the Stars.

However, that lead would last just three minutes as off a corner kick. The Stars could not clear and Nielsen would equalize for the visitors making up for her earlier miscue.

The match turned shortly after a triple substitution by the Dash that saw Evelina Duljan, Delanie Sheehan, and Maggie Graham enter the match. All three would contribute to the eventual match winner after the Stars appeared to stop playing claiming a foul was committed in the buildup.

Photo: Len Cederholm

Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson saw something else on the goal.

“Honestly, our defense broke down,” said Donaldson. “I mean we had, I think we had two players on the ground thinking it was a foul. So I mean that’s on us. We can’t just [stop]because something happened and we were screaming for foul while they’re walking it in. So you can say, yeah they have tripped us and it works, but I just say that one wasn’t us.”

Donaldson also said the team has be be tougher and that the mentality needs to be better.

“I think our mentality has to be right and we have to understand that we can win pretty or we can win ugly. I thought tonight it was gonna be one of those night when it starts raining or whatever, it’s gonna end ugly. And I didn’t think we, we were ugly enough to get it done, especially with people slipping and sliding. So we have to find a way to win in different situations and we have to get the winning mentality back into us. I think we have lost a little bit of our bite and we have to get that back.

“I mean, it’s an attitude. We have to get that back, that grit, that bite, that determination and that self believe that, okay, we can, we can get it done. I don’t think we believe in ourselves right now. We have to be better, including the coaches. All of us gotta be better.”

The Stars stay at home next Sunday to take on Racing Louisville. Kickoff is at 3pm CT on CBS Sports Network and WFLD-TV. The Dash host Gotham FC on Friday at 7pm CT on NWSL+.

For more of Len Cederholm’s photos, please click on the link to his gallery.

SCORING SUMMARY
CHI-Jamesse Joseph (Franklin) 17
HOU-Paige Nielsen (Bright) 20
HOU-Maggie Graham (Sheehan) 64

BOOKING SUMMARY
HOU-Danielle Colaprico (caution, reckless foul) 31
CHI-Ally Schlegel (caution, dissent) 40
CHI-Taylor Malham (caution, tactical foul) 57

CHICAGO STARS (4-2-3-1): #1-Alyssa Naeher; #32-Taylor Malham, #3-Sam Staab (#41-Hannah Anderson 46), #20-Bea Franklin, #30-Camryn Biegalski; #21-Julia Grosso (#11-Chardonnay Curran 70), #4-Cari Roccaro; #10-Shea Groom (#23-Micayla Johnson 70), #34-Ally Schlegel (#16-Manaka Hayashi 75), #14-Ludmilla (#77-Maitane 75); #8-Jameese Joseph

Subs not used: #19-Mackenzie Wood, #18-Justina Gaynor, #25-Catherine Barry, #26-Nadia Gomes

HOUSTON DASH (3-4-3): #1-Jayne Campbell; #14-Paige Nielsen, #25-Katie Lind, #4-Natalie Jacobs; #15-Avery Patterson, #24-Danielle Colaprico, #13-Sophie Schmidt (#23-Maggie Graham 63), #21-Ryan Gareis (#22-Michelle Alozie 79); #6-Messiah Bright (#8-Delanie Sheehan 63), #10-Barbara Olivieri (#7-Evelina Duljan 63), #11-Yazmeen Ryan,

Subs not used: #35-Abby Smith, #2-Allysha Chapman, #9-Diana Ordonez, #17-Sarah Puntigam, #20-Christen Westphal

TOTAL SHOTS: CHI 11-15 HOU
SHOTS ON GOAL: CHI 6-4 HOU
FOULS: CHI 10-11 HOU
OFFSIDES: CHI 1-1 HOU
CORNER KICKS: CHI 5-5 HOU
SAVES: CHI 2-5 HOU

Referee: Iryna Petrunok
Assistant Referees: Ethan Buege, Christian Little
4th Official: Alex Beehler
VAR: Alexandra Billeter
AVAR: Matthew Rodman
Weather: Rain and 47º
Attendance: 3,376
Woman of the Match: Meghan Graham (HOU)