Match Preview: San Diego vs Chicago
October 14, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Chicago Red Stars News Release
The Chicago Red Stars (9-7-6, 33 points) meet San Diego Wave FC (10-6-6, 36 points) for the first time in post-season history in the Red Stars’ seventh consecutive post-season campaign Sunday, October 16, at 9:00 P.M. CT at Snapdragon Stadium.
Where to Watch
Stream: CBS Sports Network, Twitch (International)
Previous Result:
CHI: The Red Stars ended their regular season victoriously, winning 2-0 against Angel City FC at home to clinch their spot in postseason play.
SD: The Wave and North Carolina Courage ended scoreless in San Diego with a 0-0 draw.
Storylines
Third Time’s the Charm?: This will be the third time in club history, and the first time in postseason history, that Chicago and San Diego meet on the pitch. In their two previous matches, the Red Stars have a 0-2 record against the Wave, losing 2-1 in San Diego (May 15), and recording a 1-0 loss at home (July 30). The July 30 match was the Red Stars’ first-ever game at Chicago’s historic Soldier field, marked the largest attendance ever recorded for a Red Stars match (23,951) and was part of a double header event, following Chicago Fire FC’s match at Soldier Field earlier that day. With the rest of the post season on the line for both teams, the match is sure to be high energy and a hard-fought game.
It’s the Rookie’s World, We’re Just Living in It: The Red Stars’ rookies played a huge part in the team’s regular-season success, stepping up in the absence of many veteran players throughout the season. Defenders Tierna Davidson, Casey Krueger, Kayla Sharples and Arin Wright, midfielders Morgan Gautrat and Sarah Woldmoe, and forward Kealia Watt have all missed either all or a significant part of the season due to injuries or maternity leave. This gave rookies Jill Aguilera, Ava Cook, Chelsie Dawber, Sam Fisher, Channing Foster, Sarah Griffith, Amanda Kowalski and Mikenna McManus the opportunity to show off their plentiful talent. The rookies will no doubt continue proving themselves in the post-season due to continuing injuries of some players and the absence of Bianca St-Georges in the match against San Diego due to red card suspension.
Red Stars’ Rewarding Season: Both league and club statistics show proof of the Red Stars’ bountiful Red Stars season. Mallory Pugh tied for fourth in the league for overall goals (11) with North Carolina’s Diana Ordóñez, tied for first with North Carolina’s Carson Pickett for total assists (6) and second in the league for total shots (49) and shots on goal (32). Pugh is the first NWSL player since Marta in 2017 to have more than 10 goals and five assists in a season. Defender Tatumn Milazzo played the most minutes of any Red Star this season (1951), and was one of three Red Stars, along with midfielders Danielle Colaprico and Vanessa DiBernardo, who played every regular-season match. Rookie Ava Cook was second overall for total Red Stars’ shots (26) and shots on goal (12) behind Pugh’s 49 and 32, respectively. In addition, this season, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher broke the NWSL record for all-time regular season appearances (142) for a goalkeeper, Rachel Hill made her 100th NWSL appearance, Vanessa DiBernardo marked 150 regular-season appearances, the first Red Star to do so, and Danielle Colaprico logged 10,000 regular-season minutes in the NWSL, all with the Red Stars.
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