Angel City Football Club Falls 0-2 in Final Match of Inaugural Season
October 2, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Angel City FC News Release
CHICAGO – Angel City lost 0-2 on the road to the Chicago Red Stars in the final game of the season, following goals by forwards Mallory Pugh and Yuki Nagasato.
Chicago had the first quality chance of the game in the 12th minute, when Nagasato sent a sideways pass to midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo along the edge of the 18. She was one-on-one with keeper Almuth Schult, but Schult came off her line to claim the ball before she could shoot.
Angel City had a near miss in the 27th minute. Midfielder Savannah McCaskill combined with forward Simone Charley to set up a shot from the left-hand corner of the penalty box; her shot looked promising but narrowly missed, hitting the side netting.
Two minutes later, the visitors had another look, when defender Jasmyne Spencer dribbled up the right wing and crossed the ball into the six-yard box. McCaskill was making a well-timed run and hit the ball with her torso, but keeper Alyssa Naeher dove to block the shot.
Chicago notched the first goal of the match in stoppage time. Forward Sarah Luebbert played a through pass to Pugh, who was making a diagonal run into the six-yard box. Pugh one-timed the ball to the far post and into the net to put the Red Stars up 1-0.
Early in the second half, Chicago had another chance when DiBernardo played a ball through for Nagasato. Schuld blocked Nagasato’s shot, but didn’t catch it, and DiBernardo shot the rebounded ball, which went wide.
In the 57th minute, Charley drew a penalty for LA when defender Tatumn Milazzo fouled her inside the box. McCaskill stepped up to take the penalty and sent the ball to the right; her shot hit the post and rolled out over the endline.
ACFC forward Jun Endo had a miss in the 62nd minute. She played a one-two pass to midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan at the top of the 18 to open up space and took a hard, curving shot with her left foot, but it sailed just wide.
The home team closed the scoring out in the 77th minute. Nagasato dribbled across the edge of the 18, found space between defenders Megan Reid and Paige Nielsen, and sent a hard left-footed shot to the near post, where it beat Schult to land in the back of the net.
The match was the first appearance for Schult, who arrived in LA in August. Reid’s 90 minutes in this match made her the only Angel City player to play every minute of the NWSL season.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
ACFC Defender Megan Reid
On thoughts of tonight’s match:
“It’s a rough one. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to play the style that we really wanted to play tonight. We had some rough conditions that made it harder for us to play. We were still able to do well for the majority of the time. We just didn’t play our best game of soccer tonight, and that happens. Unfortunately, it just happened to be our last game.”
On being an Ironwoman in the NWSL and advice to others:
“When you put yourself in a space where you’re passionate about the game, and you want to have fun, a little bit of luck does fall your way. It puts you in a good spot, because the more you love it, and the more you just play for the passion of the game, the more it comes through a lot clearer. You play more freely and there’s no expectation of yourself, so you’re just able to do what you can do.”
“That allowed me to grow so much as a player throughout the year, without being as hard on myself as maybe someone that hasn’t learned that there’s other things to life yet. So for me, it’s just about having fun and keeping my passion for the game.”
On highlight of the season:
“Playing wise, I can’t give an exact moment. For me personally, the exciting thing was seeing small bits of growth throughout the year. A lot of people don’t necessarily see that within themselves.”
“As far as community wise, specifically for the NWSL, witnessing record breaking fans coming in and supporting women’s soccer in the U.S. is extremely exciting. It’s a highlight for me, because we’re starting to value the game a lot more, which helps bring better players and create a better environment for the players that are currently here as well.”
ACFC Head Coach Freya Coombe
On the season and her most major reflections:
“I’m proud to bring a group of women together that have grown while being able to reflect the core values of the organization. We’ve developed our performances over the course of the season, and I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished. I look forward to the capacity for us to deliver more next season in 2023.”
On Megan Reid’s Ironwoman Performance this season:
“Megan does an amazing job of being able to come in and be consistent. She is excellent defending with the ball behind and defending the space behind, also aerially. She has been stepping in to win tackles, we’ve also seen her increase and be better on the ball as the season has gone along with her distribution.”
“You always know what you will get from Megan, and that is consistent which is really important for a center back to have and for her to be steady in that back line.”
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