CHICAGO, Ill. (May 26th, 2021) - The Chicago Red Stars, behind second half goals from Kealia Watt and Makenzy Doniak, secure their first victory of 2021 after defeating Kansas City 2-0.
KEY MOMENTS
8’ - Alyssa Naeher saves Amy Rodriguez’s header attempt, with the Red Stars defense cleaning up the follow-up shot attempt from Darian Jenkins.
15’ - Makenzy Doniak’s shot from the left side of the box misses Nicole Barnhart’s outstretched glove but hits the crossbar.
34’ - A scramble of close-range shot attempts from Doniak, Katie Johnson, and Arin Wright can’t find the back of the net.
65’ - Kealia Watt’s left foot shot from Mallory Pugh’s lead pass curls to the far post and into the back of the net to break the scoreless deadlock. 70’ - Doniak receives a pass from the wing from Pugh and scores from the center of the box to put the Red Stars up by two.
GAME NOTES
Coming in the game as a second-half substitution, Mallory Pugh led the Red Stars attack and spearheaded their momentum. Pugh assisted both goals and had 19 touches, 11 total passes, and a passing percentage of 66.7% in the opposing half.
Kealia Watt entered the game at the same time as Pugh, and almost immediately made her impact felt. Watt’s go-ahead goal in the 65th minute was her first official regular season goal as a member of the Chicago Red Stars after scoring in last year’s Challenge Cup and Fall Series. She also totaled 20 touches, a tackle, and won back possession three times after entering the game.
Makenzy Doniak made her first start of the regular season for the Red Stars, consistently finding herself around the net with opportunities to score. Doniak totaled 44 touches, 20 passes, tied the team lead in shots with four and scored her first regular season goal as a Red Star before coming off in the second half for Rachel Hill.
Arin Wright’s inclusion in the starting lineup for Wednesday night’s game saw her play a position that many may not be accustomed to seeing, but she’s no stranger at forward. Wright, who won multiple SEC Offensive Player of the Week awards during her time at the University of Kentucky, had two shots and one key pass while playing in the Red Stars’ front three. She would also tally 38 touches, 25 passes with an accuracy of 72% and added two clearances defensively.
Next Game
The Red Stars travel to Texas to take on the Houston Dash this Saturday, May 29th at 7 p.m. CT.
Kansas City NWSL vs Chicago Red Stars May 26, 2021 Legends Field (Kansas City, KS)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Kansas City 0 0 0
Chicago Red Stars 0 2 2
Scoring Summary
CHI: Watt 67’ (Pugh), Doniak 70’ (Pugh)
Discipline Report KC: Weber 82’ (yellow card) CHI: Johnson 42’ (yellow card), Gautrat 66’ (yellow card), Naeher 89’ (yellow)
Lineup
KC: GK Barnhart, D Maemone, D Corsie, D Leach (Del Fava 45’), D Bowen, M Vincent, M Scott (Listro 76’), M Pickett (Johnson 79’), F Larroquette (Weber 64’), F Rodriguez, F Jenkins (Vasconcelos 64’)
CHI: GK Naeher, D Krueger, D Gorden, D Davidson, D Sharples, M Woldmoe, M Gautrat, M DiBernardo (Stanton 89’), F Wright (Pugh 60’), F Doniak (Hill 80’), F Johnson (Watt 60’)
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