Stars losing streak extends to seven

Chicago Stars 0-1 Racing Louisville

BRIDGEVIEW, IL—Chicago Fire fans have been frustrated that winning has not followed as quickly as hoped since Joe Mansueto bought the club in 2019. Chicago Stars fans are going to feel the same about Laura Ricketts and her group with the current form (and attendance at SeatGeek Stadium). 

An Emma Sears goal was all Racing Louisville needed to condemn the Stars to their seventh straight defeat going back to the final four games of the last season. It is also the fifth straight loss at home and 12th in the last 16 including the match at Wrigley Field last June. 

The match was delayed two hours due to thunderstorms in the area. When the match kicked off, the Stars were the aggressors in the first ten minutes of the match, but the shots they did take did not trouble Katie Lund. 

The rain made way for the wind and no matter how it was a factor in the 27th minute, the Stars were more significant factors. A pass was intercepted by Taylor Flint who then passed to Sears. Sears saw Alyssa Naeher a couple yards off her line and the former put her shot out of the latter’s reach for the game’s only score. 

The Red Stars failed to get a shot on target in the second half. The closest they came was early when Cari Roccaro headed a shot off the crossbar. 

In order to break the current losing streak according to midfielder Julia Grosso, the Stars need to show more of what they did the first ten minutes of the match.

“I think it’s just comes down to like heart and hard work and stuff and in the first half, the first 10 minutes we were like really down [Racing’s] throats and then we kind of just backed off a bit,” said Grosso. “I just think this team, when we go for it and just all attack at once and press teams like we’re, we will be unstoppable when we just continue to do that time after time again and utilize our strengths which like we have fast players so we just gotta continue to utilize that.”

Given the players that are not there at the moment (i.e. Mallory Swanson and Natalie Kuikka), head coach Lorne Donaldson is looking for his squad to trust themselves more. 

“I just think we’re gonna just keep believing and just keep knowing that we have some quality and you know, trust ourself,” said Donaldson. “I think with us right now it might be a trust issue but I think we, the way we’re set up, we have to get balls behind their defense. I mean that’s what we have or we got to use it, use it more efficiently. So maybe coaches, players, everybody, we gotta get better trust in it.”

Next week is an international break for the women. The Stars go on the road in two weeks’ time to take on Bay FC. Kickoff on Sunday, April 13th, is 6pm CT on ESPN2 and ESPN+. 

For more of Leslie Smith’s photos, please click on the link to her gallery.

SCORING SUMMARY:
LOU-Emma Sears (Flint) 27

BOOKING SUMMARY:
CHI-Justina Gaynor (caution, tactical foul) 12
CHI-Cari Roccaro (caution, reckless tackle) 41
CHI-Shea Groom (caution, dangerous play) 84

CHICAGO RED STARS (4-2-3-1):  #1-Alyssa Naeher; #32-Taylor Malham, #3-Sam Staab (#77-Maitane 63), #20-Bea Franklin, #41-Hannah Anderson; #21-Julia Grosso, #4-Cari Roccaro (#10-Shea Groom 63); #18-Justina Gaynor (#30-Camryn Biegalski 46), #34-Ally Schlegel (#25-Catherine Barry 79), #14-Ludmilla; #8-Jameese Joseph (#26-Nadia Gomes 79)

Subs not used: #19-Mackenzie Wood, #11-Chardonnay Curran, #13-Leilanni Nesbeth, #16-Manaka Hayashi

RACING LOUISVILLE (4-3-3):  #1-Katie Lund; #6-Ella Hase, #11-Courtney Petersen, #3-Arin Wright, #2-Lauren Milliet; #20-Katie O’Kane (#8-Ary Borges 61), #26-Taylor Flint, #14-Marisa Digrande; #42-Sarah Weber (#16-Janine Sonis 66), #9-Kayla Fischer, #13-Emma Sears

Subs not used:  #24-Jordyn Bloomer, #4-Elli Pikkujamsa, #5-Elizabeth Jean, #12-Allie George, #15-Angela Baron, #19-Jordan Baggett, #32-Avery Kalitta

TOTAL SHOTS:  CHI 11-16 LOU
SHOTS ON GOAL:  CHI 3-4 LOU
FOULS:  CHI 15-13 LOU
OFFSIDES:  CHI 0-4 LOU
CORNER KICKS:  CHI 6-8 LOU
SAVES:  CHI 2-3 LOU

Referee:  Laura Rodriguez
Referee’s Assistants: Matthew Schwartz, Stephen Milhoan
Fourth Official:  Igor Bych
VAR:  Alyssa Nichols
AVAR:  Rhett Hammil
Weather:  Windy and 62º
Attendance:  1,806
Woman of the Match:  Emma Sears (LOU)

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