**Chicago, Illinois** – San Diego Wave FC earned a remarkable 1-0 win at Solider Field in Chicago over the Red Stars thanks to a 27 ^th minute strike from 17-year-old Jaedyn Shaw, who helped the Wave to get back to winning ways while pulling the season double on Chicago. This, all while Wave FC played down a player for the final 30-plus minutes of the second half.
The opening first 20 minutes went almost all the way of Chicago, with the best chance for the Red Stars falling to forward Mallory Pugh’s feet. After testing the waters in attack early on, Pugh took matters into her own feet as she burst through the San Diego defense and fired a powerful low drive toward San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan’s goal. However, though Pugh forced Sheridan to go low in attempts to keep the ball out, the shot ended up falling just wide of the goalmouth as is. This, just minutes after Chicago forward Sarah Luebbert won a free kick just inches outside the 18-yard box in an incident that very nearly resulted in a penalty kick.
Turning the tide on the match, though, San Diego debutant Jaedyn Shaw would end up putting the visitors ahead from close range in the 27 ^th minute after a brilliant quick move resulted in the 17-year-old in possession just a few feet out from goal. Taking down a long ball from over the top, attacker Katie Johnson found herself in the penalty area facing onrushing Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Picking her head up though, Johnson was able to spot the open Shaw a couple of yards to her right. Then taking the pass from Johnson, Shaw faked a defender out before rolling the ball past Naeher in the back of the net for her first-ever NWSL goal.
At the break, though Chicago at seemed to earn the lion’s share of the first half’s chances, it was San Diego who held onto a slender lead thanks to Shaw’s strike in the 27 ^th minute.
In the 47 ^th minute, San Diego was right back on the attack with the league’s leading goalscorer Alex Morgan igniting a move forward that forced Naeher into a great save. Shaw nearly turned from scorer to provider as she slipped in Morgan down the left side of the penalty area where the forward push a powerful effort low and toward goal, though Naeher was ultimately able to keep the attempt out.
Chances for Chicago in the 51 ^st and 52 ^nd minutes via Ava Cook and Pugh both fell short, with Cook’s effort saved by Sheridan and Pugh’s shot landing wide of goal. However, Alex Morgan was unable to convert from close in in the 58 ^th minute to help the Red Stars keep their chances of an equalizer alive. Helped in this quest is the fact that, just a minute later, San Diego defender Abby Dahlkemper picked up a second yellow for a challenge on Pugh leaving her side down a player for the final half hour.
Chicago’s best chance without a doubt came in the 82 ^nd minute when a penalty kick was awarded to the Red Stars as Ella Stevens was judged to have been fouled by San Diego defender Naomi Girma. However, stepping up to the spot, Pugh’s effort to the right side of goal was well met by Sheridan as the shotstopper kept the penalty attempt out of the back of net as Chicago’s agonizing search for a goal continued.
With the Red Stars unable to convert another opportunity before the fulltime whistle, San Diego earned the impressive 1-0 win on the road despite playing down a player for the final 32 minutes. The result also means back-to-back losses for Chicago, who had previously been on a nine-game unbeaten run that spanned all the way back to the last time these two teams met, a 2-1 win for San Diego on May 15.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights