Red Stars down Bay FC 2-1 to snap 2-game slide, Current remain undefeated
Ally Schlegel scored the go-ahead goal in the second half to give the Chicago Red Stars a 2-1 victory over Bay FC on Sunday night in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Penelope Hocking also scored for the Red Stars (4-3-1), who snapped a two-game losing streak at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. Three of Chicago’s wins have come on the road.
Bay FC, which joined the league as an expansion team this season, has lost four straight.
Tess Boade gave Bay (2-6-0) the early lead. Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher attempted to clear the ball but her kick rebounded off Boade’s shoulder and into the goal in the eighth minute. It was Boade’s second goal of the season.
The Red Stars tied it on Hocking’s goal in the 30th minute. Hocking beat two defenders with a blast from distance.
Schlegel’s shot on a rebound off a Bay player tucked into the corner to put the Red Stars in front in the 63rd minute.
Kayla Sharples fouled Hocking in the box but Mallory Swanson’s penalty attempt in the 81st minute was saved by Bay goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland.
Deyna Castellano’s right-footed attempt for Bay early in stoppage time went just inches wide as Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr watched from the stands.
PRIDE 1, RACING LOUISVILLE 0
Barbra Banda scored her fourth goal in four games and the Orlando Pride beat Racing Louisville 1-0 for their fifth win in a row.
Banda, who helped Zambia qualify for the Olympics this summer before joining the Pride on April 14, scored in the 17th minute.
The Pride (5-0-3) are one of just two teams in the NWSL that remain undefeated, along with the Kansas City Current. With the victory against Louisville, Orlando moved to the top of the standings.
The Pride were coming off a 4-1 win Wednesday against the Courage.
“Three points. I’ll take it,” said Pride rookie Ally Lemos, who made her first start. “This team has worked so hard, coming off a midweek game. … We’re super proud of how we played and how we persevered.”
Racing Louisville is 1-1-5.
CURRENT 1, DASH 1
Rookie Amanda West scored in the 71st minute after a lengthy weather delay and the Houston Dash pulled into a 1-1 draw with the league-leading Kansas City Current.
Temwah Chawinga scored in the 24th minute for the Current, who remain undefeated with five wins and two draws to start the season. Kansas City leads the league with 21 total goals. Chawinga, a forward from Malawi, has five.
Lightning over Houston forced the game to be put on hold at halftime and the delay stretched on for more than three hours.
Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell made 12 saves, a record for a regular-season NWSL match.
The Dash (1-3-3) haven’t won a match since March 30 when they beat Bay FC 3-2. They have two losses and two ties since then.
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