**WASHINGTON, D.C.** – The Chicago Red Stars stunned the Washington Spirit with a 2-0 road victory on Sunday night, disrupting the NWSL standings once again as the season’s push for the playoffs continues. The Red Stars, who had two shots on target all night, were outshot by Washington by a 20-5 margin but saw goals from midfielder Bianca St-Georges and attacker Yuki Nagasato in the 48 ^th and 60 ^th minutes lift them over the Spirit in the end. The result leaves Washington in 6 ^th place with 26 points from 18 games played while Chicago is in 11 ^th place with 20 points from 18 games played.
The Spirit were quick on the attack and wasted no time testing the Chicago defense with forward Trinity Rodman forcing a good save out of Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher in the 4 ^th minute. Rodman had been played in in space down the right side of the field where she took the ball and immediately began to blitz toward goal. Working her way into the box, Rodman fired on goal with her right foot only for Naeher to parry it back into play where Chicago’s defense could eventually get it clear.
Washington would continue to knock on Chicago’s door the duration of the half, with three key moments seeing the Spirit denied in some form or fashion as the Red Stars held it down into the halftime break.
First, attacking midfielder Ouleymata Sarr produced a shot that required Naeher to get low and make a good save in the 8 ^th minute. Sarr had received a pass on the top left edge of the penalty area with no defender rushing to close her down. Picking up her head, she opted to fire on goal and nearly picked out the bottom left corner if not for a solid diving stop by the U.S. Women’s National Team shot stopper Naeher.
Then, in the 21 ^st minute, forward Ashley Hatch was played through on goal into the penalty area where she attempted to latch onto the ball. However, an onrushing Naeher got to it first and ended up cleanly winning the ball and ending the chance, even with the follow up replay suggesting that Hatch could have been offside in the build up.
Finally, right in the final minute of first half stoppage time, Rodman was at the heart of another attacking opportunity as she turned on a dime just outside the box and ripped a swerving left-footed effort toward goal. However, Naeher was also equal to that as she pushed the shot away to her right and away from all danger.
Into the second half, Chicago then flipped the script as midfielder Bianca St-Georges headed home from around six yards out to send the visitors in front just three minutes after the restart. Defender Casey Krueger was in space on the left flank and ended up directing her run toward the endline. From there, Krueger lifted her cross toward the middle of the penalty area where the run of St-Georges was converging. St-Georges did the rest from just to the right of the penalty marker, heading home with aplomb as Chicago struck first.
Continuing to build after the opener, a brilliant team move saw attacker Yuki Nagasato finish off a cross from just a few yards out as a 10-plus pass build-up helped the side double their lead in the 60 ^th minute. Through a succession of passes, the ball was worked from the right side of the field to the left, and eventually down to forward Penelope Hocking who was near the edge of the penalty area and approaching the endline. Hocking then squared a pass for Yuki, who was just a few yards from the near post, and she did well to squeeze her effort past Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury to help provide a bit of cushion with a half-hour to play.
The two sides would continue to trade chances through the remainder of regulation, with Washington having a few solid looks on goal and St-Georges hitting the post with an effort in the 73 ^rd minute, but ultimately neither team would find the game’s third goal in the end. Though Chicago does not move off 11 ^th place with the win, the result still only keeps them six points off a playoff position with just a few games to play.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights