For the second time over the weekend, the Red Stars found themselves down an early goal and had to take advantage of a strong second half effort to secure a 4-1 win on the road. This time it was against the Philly Fever, whom the Red Stars were meeting for the first time this season. Julianne Sitch would score a double with first and second half goals, and she would be joined by scores from Alyssa Mautz and Lori Chalupny.
After a 3rd minute Fever goal on a breakaway by Brittany Ratcliffe, the Red Stars would put much pressure on the Philly defense and get off several shots and earned corners before midfielder Chalupny fired a shot that deflected off the hands of Fever goalkeeper Michelle Dalton. Red Stars midfielder Sitch made a curling run to connect with the deflection on a volley and put the Red Stars back into the match in the 38th minute.
The score would remain 1-all until the 2nd half, when just as they did on Friday, the Red Stars came out firing and put another tally on the board in the 51st. Chalupny earned a corner kick and placed it onto the head of Red Stars’ defender Ashlee Elliott, who was able to nod it down towards goal, where Mautz was waiting to flick it into the net. The Red Stars would continue to put heavy pressure on Philly and finally break- through in the 72nd minute when Chalupny, once again, raced towards the end-line and put in a cross that met the head of a charging Sitch, who’d earn her second tally of the night.
Just before closing time, Chalupny would find herself in the right place at the right moment when she picked off an errant clearance from the Philly defense in the 87th minute and sent it right back into the net, ending the night at 4-1, and giving the Red Stars’ captain a role in all four of the teams goals.
The Red Stars remain in first place in the WPSL Elite league with an 8-1-0 record, while Philly drops to 0-6-2. Chicago’s next match is at Boston Breakers on Saturday with a 5pm CT kickoff. Boston is currently in 2nd place and 3 points behind Chicago, so this matchup will be a major determinant of where the Red Stars stand on the WPSL Elite charts heading into the final home-stretch in July.
The final two home games of the season are on July 7th at 6pm in Evanston vs Philly Fever and July 14th at 7pm in Lisle vs WNY Flash. Individual tickets on sale now at www.chicagoredstars.com: $15 Preferred and $10 General Admission. Discounted group tickets available by emailing info@chicagoredstars.com.
