STAR POWER
Despite missing players, Red Stars advance to title game after upsetting top-seeded Portland in semifinal
PORTLAND, Ore. — Katie Johnson and Sarah Woldmoe scored and the Chicago Red Stars advanced to the National Women’s Soccer League championship game with a 2-0 semifinal victory over the Portland Thorns on Sunday.
The Red Stars will play the Washington Spirit for the title Saturday in Louisville, Ky. (11 a.m., CBS-2). The Spirit beat OL Reign 2-1 earlier Sunday.
The Thorns won the NWSL Shield this season for best regular-season record. They have won the NWSL championship twice, in the league’s inaugural season in 2013 and again in 2017.
Both teams were missing key players. The Red Stars were without forward Mallory Pugh because of COVID-19 protocols, and the Thorns were without midfielder Lindsey Horan because of an eye injury. Horan released a statement just before the game that said she took a knock in practice Saturday and lost vision for a few hours.
The Thorns were also without midfielder Crystal Dunn, who announced this week that she is pregnant and due in the spring.
The Red Stars also lost attacker Kealia Watt in the 23rd minute when she injured her right knee and had to leave the game.
Watt’s replacement, Johnson, scored in the 37th minute to give the Red Stars the lead. Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby leaped but couldn’t deflect the shot from distance to the near post.
The Red Stars doubled the lead in the 59th minute on Woldmoe’s goal.
Red Stars goalkeeper Cassie Miller made six saves.
Bixby collapsed to the field after the loss in tears and was helped off by her teammates. The game was the last for Thorns coach Mark Parsons, who is leaving to coach the Netherlands women’s national team full time.
After the game, Bixby revealed on Twitter that she lost her father earlier in the week.
“I don’t feel like I owe anyone an explanation, but I do feel like I’m ready to say it,” she tweeted. “My father died this week by suicide. And I’ve surprised myself by how strong I’ve been, but I couldn’t hold it anymore. My playing for this city meant so much to him.
“I think regardless of the outcome tonight, I would’ve broke down — you can only hold it in for so long. Thank you, rose city, for the unconditional support this year. It was a good one.”
In the earlier semifinal in Tacoma, Wash., Ashley Sanchez scored the game-winner in the 68th minute for the Spirit against host OL Reign. The Spirit, in the postseason for the first time since 2016, are unbeaten in their last eight matches.
After Eugenie Le Sommer gave the Reign an early lead with a goal in the third minute, the Spirit pulled even on Trinity Rodman’s goal in the 12th.
It was the seventh goal of the season for Rodman, a Rookie of the Year finalist and the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman. At 19, she is the youngest player ever to score in the playoffs.
Sanchez gave the Spirit the lead with a goal from a seemingly impossible angle off a corner kick.
The Spirit are in the final at the end of a turbulent season. They dismissed coach Richie Burke in September for violating the league’s anti-harassment policy, and they had to forfeit two regular-season games because of COVID-19 protocols.