Angel City Football Club Scores Game-Winning Goal in Stoppage Time to Sweep Chicago Red Stars on the Season

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NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Scores Game-Winning Goal in Stoppage Time to Sweep Chicago Red Stars on the Season

September 1, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) beat the Chicago Red Stars 2-1 at home today following goals by forwards Alyssa Thompson and Sydney Leroux. Midfielder Bea Franklin scored Chicago's goal.

Angel City opened the scoring in the sixth minute when midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard sent a curling shot to the far post, which Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher dove to block. The ball fell into the run of Thompson, who tapped it into the back of the net with Naeher out of position.

With the exception of a pair of goals that were waved offside- one for each team- the remainder of the half saw relatively few chances after the goal. Defender Madison Curry had a clutch play in the 30th minute, blocking a close-range shot by defender Camryn Biegalski that was set up by forward Mallory Swanson.

The Red Stars equalized in the 55th minute, when Swanson sent a free kick on the ground to defender Natalia Kuikka, who had made a late-arriving run to the edge of the penalty area. Kuikka sent a looping pass to midfielder Bea Franklin inside the box, who placed her shot inside the near post and into the back of the net.

The hosts came out swinging in the second half, with forward Sydney Leroux finding a chance in the 52nd minute. Forward Claire Emslie played out of pressure to send a through pass in behind Chicago's defense, which Leroux received just before Naeher went to ground to claim the ball.

Less than a minute later, Red Stars forward Jenna Bike beat her defender to send a through ball to forward Jameese Joseph, who put a shot on target that goalkeeper DiDi Haračić blocked. Bike picked up the rebounded ball and took a crack of her own, which sailed high.

Angel City continued to dominate possession over the next 20 minutes- 66% to Chicago's 34% over the course of the half- and earned a flurry of chances as the final whistle neared.

In the 61st minute, Emslie had a look, receiving a pass from defender Jasmyne Spencer before cutting inside and beating her mark- but Naeher saved her right-footed shot.

Defender Megan Reid put a close-range header on target off a corner kick in the 63rd minute, which Naeher saved.

In the 67th minute, Spencer dribbled into the 18 yard box and sent the ball across the face of goal, where Thompson was making a late run. Thompson took a touch and shot, which Naeher again saved. Midfielder Katie Zelem had a look in the 69th minute following a pass back inside the box by Thompson- resulting in another save by Naeher.

Angel City finally found the back of the net again in stoppage time, after defender M.A. Vignola sprinted up the left wing to pick up a long pass by midfielder Rocky Rodríguez, controlled the ball inside the 18, and fired off a low cross. Leroux was making a central run and connected, making a one-time finish to regain the lead in the 91st minute.

Angel City are at home again this Friday, September 6, against Seattle Reign at 7:00 p.m broadcast live on Prime Video.

ACFC Milestones

Forward Alyssa Thompson earned her seventh career NWSL regular season goal in the 6', making it the earliest regular season goal in club history, since Savannah McCaskill scored in the 2nd minute on July 1, 2022 against POR.

Forward Sydney Leroux earned her 46th career NWSL regular season goal in the 90+1' of the match, making it the fourth latest goal in the club history and ninth latest in NWSL scoring history.

Defender M.A. Vignola earned her second career NWSL assist in the 90+1', to help forward Sydney Leroux nail the game winning goal.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

ACFC Forward Christen Press

On emotions appearing in her first official home match after returning from injury:

"It's so special to be back here for my first official home match. It's been quite the journey from the last time I remember suiting up and playing in a game here. I must have been here for a couple dozen matches watching from the stands. There's no place like this."

"These are the most amazing fans in the [ women's soccer]community, and so to be back playing for everybody again has been a joy. You can probably see it on my face when I'm playing. I'm smiling from ear-to-ear because I'm just able to slow down a bit, feel it, and smell it."

On the journey to get fit now that she is fully back.:

"Through the course of my recovery it was, I'm getting stronger, great. Now you have to get fit, okay great. Now you have to get some technique back and so there's always a yearning for improvement."

"I definitely feel like I have young legs, like a young Bambi, where I'm out there and I'm playing these games in my mind of what it feels like to be at this level and to play at this speed. I think often just with my personality and how I am, I feel I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and exactly who I am."

"I know what kind of player I am. I never missed a beat in terms of how I like to receive the ball, how I know I can score goals. It didn't take long for me to feel strong and confident in that. The big things for me now are getting fit so I can get clear for more minutes and game experience, so that I can feel more confident and stronger on the field."

ACFC Forward Sydney Leroux

On what was going through her mind when she scored the game winning goal:

"I know exactly what M.A [Vignola] is going to do. She's going to drive and bully her way. She's going to put in a beautiful cross and I have to be there. I was there and it was a good goal. Overall, I'm really proud of us for getting the three points."

On what it's been like to have young strikers on the club:

"They're good kids and it's really fun. Just like Press said, it's like we are growing with them too because we're learning things from them. So they keep us young."

ACFC Head Coach Becki Tweed

Overall thoughts on the match:

"You saw a great example of depth off of the bench. This game was wild. I'm not really sure if we have enough time to break the whole game down. We knew we needed to get to half time because I think we knew we needed to regroup, make some changes, and get the football piece of the game back."

"It became really scrappy and once 17 minutes went up [of stoppage to end the first half], it was a little crazy for like 20 minutes of not really a lot of football. Those are the moments that we have to learn to deal with."

"I said it last week, if we can ride those moments, these games become two or three to zero, they don't become 2-1. They don't become so close and we don't have to leave the match until the last minute."

"I give credit to all the subs that came on, they were all brilliant. They all impacted the game so positively. Syd [Leroux] doing what Syd does, right? Coming up with that game winner and M.A.'s service across the box was brilliant. We've been waiting for her to get back healthy, fit, and ready. We've been building her back in again. You saw the player that she is, coming off the bench. It was great."

On what the club needs to do to continue momentum to make the playoffs:

"It takes everybody. You can't win or play games in this league with 11 players. You need to have people that are impactful off of the bench. You need to have people that are impactful every single day in our environment and set out to make this team the best version of itself. That's something that we have to continue to take into the second half of the season."

"One game doesn't make or break your season. You have to continue to get results and when things don't go your way, you have to pick yourself up again quickly, and move forward. It's just staying really focused on us and that's the most important part."

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