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July 7, 2010
FRUSTRATED
Red Stars tie Beat 1-1
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Ella Masar scored her third goal in the last three games for the Red Stars.
Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images |
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The shots for the Red Stars are coming in bunches. The goals still are not. The problems that have plagued the team all season continued Wednesday night as they outshot the Atlanta Beat 18-6, but managed only a 1-1 tie at Toyota Park.
"It's frustrating,” said Red Stars head coach Omid Namazi. “I want to say over the last four games we've been playing very well, we've got the majority of the possession, and we've gotten chances. Unfortunately, we haven't turned those chances into goals. That's been the story."
Ella Masar's goal erased a first-half deficit when she headed the ball into the back of the net in the 42nd minute. It was Masar's third goal in three games, following up a two-goal effort during a 2-1 road victory over the Boston Breakers on June 25.
"The important thing, and what we’re going to take away, is that we're dominating teams,” said Masar. “In the game of soccer sometimes it just doesn't go your way. But we have 12 games left, we're putting ourselves closer and closer to the fourth-place seed and we're confident going into this next game on Saturday."
Chicago (3-5-5) has yet to score a direct goal off of a corner kick in the team's history, but the Red Stars capitalized shortly after taking one. Midfielder Karen Carney took the corner kick from the right side in the 42nd minute and found Formiga in the middle of the pitch. Formiga passed the ball to Cristiane on the left side, and Cristiane headed the ball from the left corner of the box toward the far right post. Masar made a run to the far side and finished off the attack with a header to tie the score.
Namazi is pleased with the way Masar has performed. "She's been playing well in practice, getting chances, and now she's been inserted into the starting lineup and has three goals in three games.”
But the Red Stars coach is still looking for more from other players. “We need production from [Casey] Nogueira, Kosa [Kosovare Asllani], and from Cristiane. Those are the players we count on scoring game in and game out."
The Beat (1-6-4) opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Johanna Rasmussen netted her first goal of the season, rebounding off of Red Stars goalkeeper Jillian Loyden's clearance. Loyden came well off her line to make the clearance, and when Rasmussen connected with the ball, the only player standing in the way was Red Stars midfielder Katie Chapman, who could not get a head on the ball before it sailed by her.
This was the third time in five weeks the Red Stars have played Atlanta, an expansion team that was the biggest beneficiary of players from the folded Saint Louis Athletica. The Beat has won one of those three encounters, with the other two finishing in a tie.
“Chicago are one of the best offensive teams in the league,” said Beat coach Gareth O’Sullivan. “They can beat anyone, so to have taken our second point on the road against them is a plus; especially having beaten them at home.”
Loyden made two saves for the Red Stars and Hope Solo made nine for the Beat.
The Red Stars currently are on a three-game unbeaten stretch and have posted a 2-1-4 record over their past seven games.
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