Ludmilla hat trick rallies Stars to another draw

BRIDGEVIEW, IL–How can you expect Chicago Stars FC twice in a matter of a few days to put together not one, but two comebacks and pull-out exciting draws?

It may not be exactly what the Stars want to see these days because draws only lead to a point when the club needs victories and three points each time out this late in the season. Chicago rallied twice for a 3-3 draw against visiting North Carolina at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday night.

Ludmila scored all three goals for the Stars (1-9-7, 10 points, 13th place) late in the second half that was the fastest three goals in a short span of less than 10 minutes in league history. Also, Ludmila had the first hat trick for Chicago since Sam Kerr was the last to do it on June 30th, 2019.

“We knew that we didn’t have that much time, and we had to be ready for the next one and the next one,” Ludmila said. “The first one was the best one to score.”

Chicago had Ludmila come off the bench and she played the entire second half.

“All the players would like to play the whole game,” Ludmila said. “The first half was tough, and we had to work so much. When I entered the game. I figured I could help the team more and get the team going.”

Ludmila also had one of the three comeback goals in the 3-3 draw on the road against Seattle Reign on Monday night.

“They are taking to the pitch (the club) is good enough,” Chicago Stars Interim coach Ella Masar said. “That’s what we’re pushing to being fit. The final third is one of the hardest things to teach, because its relationships. It’s understanding the movements, understanding the goal and taking the opportunities. The credit goes to them, and it is happening with the success in the final third.”

After a scoreless first half between Chicago and North Carolina (5-6-6, 21 points, 8th place). The second was a completely different look on the pitch as the Courage scored the first two goals.

Manaka Matsukubo got ahead of the Stars defense on a counterattack and chipped a ball over the head of Alyssa Naeher into the back of the net in the 48th minute for a 1-0 advantage.

The second goal had the fortunate kick off the crossbar from Tyler Lussi and it landed behind the goal line for an unassisted goal after the Stars defense couldn’t clear the ball out of the back in the 62nd minute.

The Stars cut the lead in half on a goal from Ludmila after taking a pass from Sam Staab. She fought off a Courage defender and hit the shot into the back of the net in the 75th minute.

Ludmila added her second goal on the run and placed it into the corner of the goal in the 80th minute that tied the match for the Stars at 2-2. But North Carolina’s Jaedyn Shaw got the lead back just a short two minutes later after the ball went through a couple of Chicago defenders. Shaw made a run towards the back post for the 3-2 advantage.

Once again, Ludmila had the knack for another goal and scored her third of the match. It came on a header off a cornerkick from Manaka Hayashi in the 85th minute. It brought the match back to a level 3-3.

The Stars will next travel to play the Washington Spirit on Sunday, August 31st at 3 p.m. while North Carolina will visit the Kansas City Current on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

NC- Matsukubo (unassisted) 48′

NC- Lussi (unassisted) 61′  

CHI-Ludmila (Staab) 76′  

CHI-Ludmila (unassisted) 80′

NC- Shaw (unassisted) 82′

CHI-Ludmila (Hayashi) 85′              

CHI-Lopez (yellow, unsporting behavior) 25′

NC-Matsukubo (yellow, unsporting behavior) 42′

CHI-Nesbeth (yellow, unsporting behavior) 43′

CHI-Franklin (yellow, unsporting behavior) 66′

CHI-Maser (yellow-dissent) 85′

CHICAGO STARS: #1-Naeher, #30-Biegalski, #3-Staab, #6-Hendrich, #32-Malham, #20-Franklin, #77-Lopez (#16-Hayashi 63), #13-Nesbeth (#21-Grosso 46), #34-Schlegel, #8-Joseph (#14-Ludmilla 46), #26-Gomes (#23-Johnson 64).

Subs not used: #19-Wood, #7-Cook, #41-Anderso, #22-Mackiewicz.

NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE: #1-Murphy, #3-Kurtz, #13-Willams, #14-Lussi (#20-Speck 70), #27-Bell, #2-Sanchez, #8-Pinto (#19-Shaw 70), #16-Jackson, #20-Koyama, #34-Matsukubo, #77-Gomes (#7-Berkely 56).

Subs not used: #44-Jordan, #12-Staude, #17-Weatherholt, #22-Vine, #24-Courtnall, #30-Betfort.

TOTAL SHOTS:  CHI 10-12 NC

SHOTS ON GOAL: CHI 6-6 NC
FOULS:  CHI 13-6 NC
OFFSIDES:  CHI 0-3 NC
CORNER KICKS:  CHI 4-7 NC
SAVES:  CHI 3-3 NC

Referee: Luis Arroyo Melissa Beck

Assistant Referees: Christian Cleric and Rachel Smith

Fourth Official: Jared Kuhl

VAR:  Jamie Padilla

AVAR:  Melissa Beck

Weather: Partly Cloudy and 79º

Attendance: 2,473

Women of the Match:  Ludmilla (CHI)

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