August 15, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Angel City FC News Release
LOS ANGELES – Angel City FC (ACFC) defeated the Chicago Red Stars 1-0 at home to earn their sixth NWSL victory, following a second half goal by ACFC midfielder Savannah McCaskill.
The first half of the match was clean with no yellow or red cards, few fouls, and no goals made. In the 5th minute, Chicago Red Stars’ captain Vanessa DiBernardo took a dangerous shot in the box that just went wide left without causing a threat for ACFC goalkeeper DiDi Haracic.
In the 20th minute, ACFC captain Ali Riley was able to push the ball up the left side of the pitch, presenting the perfect lob to forward Simone Charley who almost scored the opening goal off a header in the box, but fell short. Four minutes later, Chicago forward Yukli Nagasato had a solid chance as well, yet Haracic stepped right in front of the ball for an early save.
At the start of the second half, ACFC came out of the gates with intensity, creating several opportunities that would land them the game sealing goal by midfielder Savannah McCaskill, who bounced the ball off her left leg in the back of the net in the 48th minute from a Claire Emslie serve that landed in front of McCaskill.
With little remaining in the match, Chicago forward Sarah Griffith had the most dangerous opportunity for the Red Stars to equalize in the 85th minute, getting the ball behind defenders from the left side of the pitch that was jumped by Haracic for the save.
ACFC outshot the Red Stars 13 to nine, with three shots on target for both teams. This win bumps ACFC’s record to 6-5-3, earning a total of 21 points which keeps them at seventh place in NWSL standings.
ACFC will travel to Kansas City to face the Kansas City Current on Friday, August 19 at Children’s Mercy Park at 5:00 p.m. PST/7:00 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network and streamed on the iHeart app.
POST MATCH QUOTES
Angel City FC Head Coach Freya Coombe:
On the importance of today’s win:
“I think with some of the results this weekend, the other teams are making that push to the playoffs, and that’s where we want to be. It was essential for us to keep up. It was vital for us to get three points, especially at home with our busy travel schedule coming up.”
“We’ve learned a lot from both wins and losses, so we’re constantly reflecting on what we’ve done, especially in those bad moments. It was critical for us to secure a win at home and then be able to move…