CHICAGO – Sometimes you can get a little help from a foe along with a friend. The Chicago Red Stars have known that quite well over the past two weeks.
Against Houston on July 11th, the Red Stars got a pair of goals second half goals thanks to accidental deflections off Dash players. That was enough to give the club a 2-1 win for their second-straight triumph.
Unbelievably, it happened again on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing 1-0 at the half to OL Reign at SeatGeek Stadium, the Red Stars once again benefitted from a pair of own goals to get the lead back with 35 minutes to go.
The four-straight own goals are a rarity at any level of soccer, an incredible stretch that worked in favor of the club in consecutive games. Mallory Pugh broke this unusual streak with a 64th minute goal to finish off a 3-1 victory over OL Reign that extended the winning streak to three games.
For a brief moment early Sunday evening, it put the Red Stars in first place in the NWSL at 17 points, but a win by Portland that night leaves them in second place.
It wasn’t all about goals for the Red Stars on Sunday as Vanessa DiBernardo eclipsed 10,000 minutes of play in the NWSL early in the match, becoming the first in franchise history to reach the mark.
The Red Stars are back on the road next week as they face NJ/NY Gotham FC in Harrison, New Jersey next Sunday.
Their win on Sunday was part of Larry Hawley’s weekend wrap on WGN News Now on Monday afternoon, and you can watch that in the video above.