**BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.** – The Chicago Red Stars and the Kansas City Current played to a scoreless draw in Saturday night’s Challenge Cup action, with Chicago goalkeeper Emily Boyd making a crucial penalty save in the first half to help her side their first point of the competition. The result leaves Chicago bottom of the Central Division with a point from five games, but Kansas City is able to remain in 2 ^nd with 10 points from their five games played.
The opening minutes came about as the two teams continued to try and figure the other out, but momentum took a major swing in Kansas City’s favor in the 22 ^nd minute when the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. Forward Mimmi Larsson was in possession for the Current in the left side of the penalty area when she decided to deliver a low cross to the middle of the area, only for Chicago defender Taylor Malham to make a sliding challenge to block the ball. However, in her slide, Sharples’s arm was judged to have made illegal contact with the ball which resulted in the penalty kick decision.
In the 24 ^th minute, up stepped midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta, who is the Current’s primary penalty taker. LaBonta took a strong penalty in stride that was sent to the left side of the goal, but Chicago goalkeeper Emily Boyd’s leap to her right in time allowed her to push the shot off the post and back into play. From there, the Kansas City defense got the ball cleared and then blocked LaBonta’s follow up via a cross to see the ball out.
The hosts then had their first big chance of the night in the 32 ^nd minute as they looked to break forward on the counter. Defender Bianca St-Georges was bolting forward when she played a cut back pass to forward Ava Cook just high of the penalty spot. Cook then fired on goal only to have her shot blocked by a defender, but midfielder Julia Bianchi was there to collect the rebound. Picking up her head, Bianchi then attempted to clip a shot to the far post and over Franch, but her effort missed wide.
Kansas City would earn one more big chance in front of goal before the halftime interval, this time through forward Kristen Hamilton. Hamilton had received a ball played in by Larsson from the right side, and she snapped a shot at the first time of asking looking to catch Boyd at her near post. However, the goalkeeper again demonstrated her shot stopping ability as she got down low in time to parry the ball away again to preserve her clean sheet.
After halftime, Chicago came back out looking to spring an attack on the Current early on. A move forward in the 51 ^st minute first saw a chance fall for Casey Krueger from the left side of the penalty area, but Kansas City goalkeeper AD Franch kept the ball out with a good save. Her parry, however, fell to the feet of Chicago midfielder Cari Roccaro, but a collapsing Current defense would block her shot and eventually see the ball away.
A second half of relatively few chances for both teams, the closest either side came again to scoring was in the 68 ^th minute when Franch pulled another great save out of her bag to deny Chicago forward Sarah Griffith. A beautiful ball was played over the top and in between defenders near the center of the field as Griffith latched onto and broke in behind. Taking a touch to her left to settle the ball, Griffith then fired on goal only for Boyd to make another big save and kick the ball away.
Beyond that, neither side were able to push past the other and find an ultimate breakthrough, meaning the sides would have to settle for a point in the end.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights