Yes, and the miserable 4 minutes of official highlights don't make any justice of that!!! They only show the goals and Portland's final assault, while there were at least 4 other clear cut chances per team (and by "clear cut", I mean: "You just can't figure how on earth they didn't score from that!", no joke), including Portland hitting the crossbar twice and Jodie Taylor finding herself alone in front of the goal twice (just to shoot in GK arms in one circumstance and having her shot saved by a DF on the goal-line in the other one). Of course, both defenses were a complete mess, but the game was exhilarating anyway (or maybe, also because of that). For all of those who didn't have the chance to watch the game live, I strongly suggest watching the full video of it, because I agree that it was probably the best game of this NWSL season to far, so it will be worth even if you already know the final score. Of course, watching it live was different, an actual thriller keeping everyone on their toes for 90', but I am confident that you will find it a really enjoyable show anyway.
I gotta beat the drum that Goal of the Week MUST consider the buildup. Matheson tackle, her feed to ARod, ARod's first touch and turn, ARod sending the through ball like a billiard master while O'Hara is flying in from left field and then first timing the shot was one of the best ever goals. Veterans-Veterans-Veterans!
Suddenly, lots of goals being scored this weekend. I like it! I hope it continues this afternoon with Kerr, Huerta for Chicago and Zerboni, and the Twin Towers of North Carolina.
[NC-CHI] 993192421654695936 is not a valid tweet id All In pic.twitter.com/YuAeFOwkCm— Chicago Red Stars (@chicagoredstars) May 6, 2018 North Carolina: Q Hamilton (on bench) OUT Doniak, Kawamura, King Chicago: Q Ertz (on bench, yaay!) OUT DiBernardo, McCaffrey, Short, White
00'31" 0-0 Chicago takes a shot! Nagasato pounces in box, but offside. 01'05" 0-0 Mathias crosses to Williams at spot, hop-header over! 02'30" 0-0 No shot yet, the game has hit a lull
11' 0-0 Mautz jumps for a header facing away at midfield box left, S.Mewis jumps a tad later and thumps Mautz in the back. Stoppage, Chicago holds breath -- Mautz promptly returns. 14' 0-0 Kerr contested turn-and-shoot in box 16' 0-0 Dunn shoots from arc top, juuuuust high by 1cm 17' 0-0 Zerboni shoots from arc top left toward right side netting high, Naeher dives and double-blocks wide 17' 0-0 NC right ck to 5m right post, stabbed into the right post defender, bounces out to 6-top 1/3 right. Zerboni can't settle, Chicago can't clear, ball pops out to 7m. S.Mewis pokes it into the right post defender('s arm??), no call. Mathias shoots from ~box top mid-right, just high. 20' 0-0 NC gets about 3 more half-chances in box I think NC has pulled its average back up to 1 shot per minute
23' 0-0 Mathias(?) left ck, cleared to 30m. Hinkle chips it back in, but over everybody, bounces to Naeher. 23' 0-0 Naeher punts, and center circle pans into view!
30' 0-0 Hinkle right ck (NC 6-0 in cks), low inswinger to 6-top right post -- just misses Williams(?), continues to S.Mewis's stooping head, nodded across mouth and just over. 30' 0-0 1H hydration break. NC 14(5)-(0)3 shots(sog), 10-3 crosses, 6-7 games played (not including this one). 33' 0-0 Green fouled from behind at arc top right! 34' 0-0 Kaskie fk at arc top right, into wall, she collects rebound but 2nd shot smothered. Nagasato collects, square pass left, cross blocked by Mathias into far touch. Even Chicago's chips toward box are hitting the first defender. 35' 0-0 Mathias cuts inside past 1 to 27m box right, blasts left foot through traffic to right post low, Naeher dives and blocks it wide. Two people have been watching Utsugi's shot from yesterday
37' 0-1 Mautz bends a cross from 35m wide right inswinging to box top mid-right, in the stride of Kerr running center-to-right across Dahlkemper's bow. Dahlkemper gets inside position and levers Kerr aside with a right forearm, ball bounces off both to 8m mid-right. Kerr rides off the challenge, measures the drop, extends right foot knee-high and side-volleys flat across mouth. D'Angelo is caught near-post, dives and misses with right hand, ball bounces into left bottom pipe. Kerr's head and torso never had a clean angle, but her foot did -- with extended leg providing the functionality of a selfie stick .@samkerr1 doing what she does best. @chiredstarsPR with the lead in Cary!#NCvCHI | #NWSL | @go90Sports pic.twitter.com/WJ3LundLSe— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 6, 2018 45' 0-1 Yellow card on S.Mewis. 45+3' (of +3') 0-1 Yellow card on Nagasato.
HT 0-1. NC 23(7)-(1)6 shots(sog), 7-1 corners, 16-7 crosses. Chicago has 1 shot on goal That kind of game.
Kerr finally being Kerr (thus turning even the scrappiest half-chances into legitimate scoring-opportunities) puts Chicago ahead, against the run of play, but I don't like CRS' midfield much: there are at least a pair of players (Stanton, and probably Green) who are sluggish like hell, both in controlling the ball and in decision-making; they always seem to need that one too many touch, thus letting their opponents quite easily catch up with them. Anyway, North Carolina are not actually doing much with their possession-dominance and their occasional forcing. They just had a pair crazy-chaotic scrambles in the box and that's all (the stats says 20+ shots, but just a few of them were really dangerous). Lynn Williams seems to have a knack for mostly going off-side. Did anyone see why Nagasato got a Yellow Card at the end of 1st half? I missed the foul.
49' 0-1 Debinha dribbles fast to 8m mid-right, stops on a dime, pokes a cross between 2 to 7m center. Dunn is unmarked up centerline, taps at open goal -- Naeher comes out to 5m and blocks with shoulders This is how you make Naeher shine: pepper her with shots galore that don't give her any time to think -- 52' 0-1 NC right ck, to 9m 6-left, headed high toward left post, Naeher catches. 54' 0-1 S.Mewis turn-and-shoots from 10m box left low hard, Naeher dives and redirects ball across mouth, at 1m but not goalward. 55' 0-1 Hinkle overlaps to 8m box left, backpass to box top center for Zerboni running on, one-touch shot just high. 56' 0-1 S.Mewis slaloms to 20m right post, shoots left foot toward bottom left, Naeher dives and blocks it wide. Naeher is on her way to 20 saves
46' 0-1 Chicago subs in (1 of 3) #3 Arin Gilliland for #4 Alyssa Mautz. 58' 0-1 Chicago subs in: - (2 of 3) #24 Danielle Colaprico for #13 Lauren Kaskie - (3 of 3) #7 Taylor Comeau for #19 Summer Green. Running out of fumes 59' 0-1 Kerr chips a lob from box top right post! Just wide right
60' 0-1 Chicago chips up centerline, Vasconcelos(!! -- a CB!) is alone through the line at 25m! Hinkle overtakes at arc top right, hard shoulder challenge (into ribs) sends Vasconcelos sprawling into arc top. Vasconcelos stays down, brief stoppage. Resumes -- just got wind knocked out? 62' 0-1 North Carolina subs in (1 of 3) #14 Jess McDonald for #5 Samantha Mewis.
66' 0-1 Mathias crosses to 14m center, O'Sullivan steps to it but loses it in traffic. Ball pops rightward to Dunn, she juggles and swings right roundhouse volley toward back left through traffic -- Naeher dives and single-slaps wide right .@AlyssaNaeher is out here saving the day, y'all. #NCvCHI | #NWSL | @go90Sports pic.twitter.com/Tlp8pm0np6— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 6, 2018
75' 0-1 Chicago get a rare chance to roam past midfield. Nagasato collects at 35m center, curls leftward, diagonal pass finds Huerta cruising past box top wide left. Huerta continues down to 6m wide left, hard cross to 5m 6-right is just over Kerr's head. 75' 0-1 2H hydration break.
78' 0-1 Hinkle chips to arc top mid-left in stride for Debinha outpacing Chicago's high line, to 12m mid-left. S.Johnson recovers with a perfect slide-tackle through Debinha's wicket -- then cleared into far touch? Matheson has raised the bar for the league 79' 0-1 North Carolina subs in (2 of 3) #23 Kristen Hamilton for #8 Denise O'Sullivan.
81' 0-1 NC fk at 15m box left, over mouth to 6-right foot. Hamilton runs on unmarked, volley to right post blocked over by Naeher on knees. 82' 1-1 NC right ck, to 6-top left. Erceg one-touch grasstop volley chip to 5m 1/3 left, Zerboni lifts left foot waist-high side volley and finally beats Naeher, into 1/3 right back low. NC has 41 shots forty-one A @McCaLL2 volley has leveled it! 1-1 with under 10 to play 👀#NCvCHI | #NWSL | @go90Sports pic.twitter.com/UhYZkPi7Mo— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 6, 2018