NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Wins at Home against the Chicago Red Stars 1-0

Published on August 15, 2022 under 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 on to Kansas."

On key players:

"We've got many solid players on this team. Dani [Weatherholt] is one of those key players as a midfielder that is able to evaluate a situation and organize what's in front of her. We've got an excellent spine with experienced NWSL players. It is essential for us to keep that spine intact, and be able to have good organization, as well find ways to win."

On the final thoughts of today's game:

"I think for this win, it was a credit to the players with their work rate. They've just been able to grind despite being tired, especially at the end of the game. With that mentality, they knew how important it was for us to get the win. They've worked incredibly hard. I think we've made some mistakes, and we've learned from them."

ACFC Midfielder Savannah McCaskill

On the resilience of the team:

"One of the biggest things that we identified as core values for this group was commitment, heart, and passion. We show that every single game, whether we're winning or losing. This team doesn't stop whether it's the starting 11, the players coming off the bench, or those that are not getting into the squad for game day. Every single person is dedicated to helping this team get wins and get into the playoffs."

On her fifth goal of the season:

"One of my biggest goals for the season is getting myself higher and getting into the box more. I saw the ball went out on the flank and Claire was going to cross the ball in so I came in from the backside. I don't think the defender saw that I was coming in and the ball was set perfectly to the back post and I was able to put it in."

On the importance of winning this match and the team's growth:

"It was a huge one. We needed those three points to continue our playoff push."

"We've talked about being able to close out games all season long. This was the first time that we dominated for the first 65 minutes and then were able to protect that lead in the last 25 minutes of the game. I think that's huge and shows growth. It shows that we've learned those hard lessons throughout the season, and we're really starting to apply what we've learned into the game."

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