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WPS Chicago Stars FC

Injuries Mount as Chicago Red Stars Fall to Washington, 2-0

August 19, 2010 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Chicago Stars FC News Release


With injuries mounting and international absences to battle through, the Chicago Red Stars fell to the Washington Freedom, 2-0, on Thursday in Women's Professional Soccer action at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md.

Chicago capped off the road portion of its regular season and starts up a three-game homestand, starting with a 5 p.m. match on Sunday against FC Gold Pride at Toyota Park in Bridgeview. The match is televised live on Fox Soccer Channel.

The postseason race is in full swing as the Freedom (6-8-7, 25 points) currently holds the fourth playoff position if the season ended today. Sky Blue FC is in fifth (6-9-4, 22 points) and the Red Stars in sixth with a 5-10-6 record and 21 points.

The Red Stars' injury bug continued Thursday as they already were entering the match without Kate Markgraf (concussion).

Red Stars forward Jessica McDonald made her first WPS start, but her day ended early when she was taken off the field in a stretcher in the 12th minute. Red Stars Head Athletic Trainer Laura Behr said that McDonald tore her patellar tendon and is out for the remainder of the season. Chicago had to burn one of its substitutions early when Nikki Washington officially entered the match in the 16th minute.

In the second half, Red Stars midfielder Formiga sprained her ankle and was replaced by Lydia Vandenbergh in the 63rd minute.

Along with the injuries, Chicago had to play Thursday without England international midfielders Karen Carney and Katie Chapman, who are overseas preparing for a World Cup qualifier against Austria on Saturday.

Developmental midfielder and 2010 WPS draft selection Sophie Reiser made her WPS debut when she replaced Washington in the 68th minute, leaving Chicago with a roughly 25-minute span with no remaining substitutions.

Developmental defender and recent signing Christie Shaner made her Red Stars debut, helping Chicago in the central defense with Markgraf out.

Despite all of the setbacks, the Red Stars held the attacking lead in the first half, with a 6-2 shots advantage and 4-1 shots-on-goal difference over Washington. Chicago made a heavy push in the final minutes of the first half.

Just before first-half stoppage time, Megan Rapinoe played the ball from the right side and crossed it into the center of the pitch. Ella Masar played a dummy and let the ball go through to Brazilian forward Cristiane on the left. Cristiane then dished the ball back into the center of the box, where Masar and Freedom goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris met simultaneously. But Harris was the one who secured the ball as Chicago just missed on a well-developed sequence.

The Freedom offense finally broke through early in the second half when Abby Wambach tallied the match's first goal in the 49th minute. Cat Whitehill followed with a goal off of a corner kick in the 55th minute to take a 2-0 lead.

Harris made five saves for the shutout. Red Stars goalkeeper Jillian Loyden made two saves.

Chicago sits in sixth place, but with three home matches remaining, a postseason berth is not out of the picture, depending on the outcome of several matchups among the bottom half of the standings. The Red Stars host Gold Pride on Sunday, followed by the Philadelphia Independence on Sept. 1 and the regular-season finale against Washington on Sept. 5.

Chicago Red Stars (5-10-6) at Washington Freedom (6-8-7) August 19, 2010 -- Boyds, Md., Maryland SoccerPlex Freedom 2, Red Stars 0 Red Stars 0 0 - 0 Freedom 0 2 - 2 SCORING SUMMARY 1. WASH - Wambach (unassisted), 49; 2. WASH - Whitehill (unassisted), 55.

Red Stars: Loyden (GK), Dalmy, Engen, Shaner, Spilger, Formiga (Vandenbergh, 63), Rapinoe, Nogueira, Masar, McDonald (Washington, 16; Reiser in for Washington, 68), Cristiane.

Freedom: Harris (GK), Asante, Sauerbrunn, Whitehill, Marshall, Sawa (Bock, 46), Huffman, Wambach, Mykjaland (Goebel, 70), Long, Moros.

STATISTICS: Shots: Red Stars 8, Freedom 8 Shots on goal: Red Stars 5, Freedom 4 Saves: Red Stars 2, Freedom 5 Corner kicks: Red Stars 7, Freedom 3 Offsides: Red Stars 0, Freedom 3 Fouls: Red Stars 4, Freedom 11 Cautions and ejections: None Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero Assistant referees: Michael Donovan, Dean Fairweather Fourth official: Charles Carson Attendance: 2,511

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