The Pride began the game with a quick kickoff, initiating an attack. Angelina swiftly passed to Banda, who was making a run behind Chicago’s defense. However, Banda’s attempt at scoring went wide. Soon after, Banda passed to Watt on the right side, who managed to get past Taylor Malham but missed the shot.
The Pride had a chance to score in the fifth minute when Yates made a run towards the center of the field, but Angelina’s shot from outside the box missed the target.
In the 10th minute, Marta and Angelina connected to deliver a pass to Banda, who instead decided to pass to Yates, resulting in the ball being cleared by Bea Franklin.
The 19th minute brought another opportunity when McCutcheon passed to Watt on the right side, but Malham blocked the subsequent shot, leading to a corner kick that did not result in a goal.
The Pride finally scored in the 26th minute through a set piece play. The game took a turn in the 34th minute when Summer Yates got injured and had to leave the field, being replaced by Adriana later.
In the 38th minute, right after the substitution, the Pride extended their lead with a goal by Banda. Banda’s speed proved to be too much for the Red Stars defense to handle. Banda almost scored again in the 44th minute but missed the target.
In stoppage time of the first half, Banda secured her second goal, expanding her team’s lead.
In the 49th minute, Marta made an attempt to score but hit the crossbar. A minute later, she assisted Doyle, who passed to Banda but missed the shot.
A penalty was awarded to the Pride after a VAR check, which Marta successfully converted.
The only goal for the Red Stars came from an error in the 60th minute by Moorhouse. In the 72nd minute, the Red Stars had a chance from a corner kick but Sams cleared the danger.
The Pride managed to counterattack, but Adriana’s shot was saved by Naeher. Abello created an opportunity in the 78th minute, leading to a save by Naeher.
The 81st minute saw a shot from Gautrat saved by Naeher, while the Red Stars failed to capitalize on a corner. In the 84th minute, Moorhouse saved a shot from Bike.
Seb Hines made two substitutions in the 87th minute, bringing in Pickett and Villacorta for Banda and Marta. Adriana made an effort to take a shot in the 88th minute, but her defender managed to stop her. In the middle of the box, she sent the ball to Angelina, but Naeher managed to save Angelina’s shot.
The final chance in the game came during added time when Bike received a pass from Swanson and attempted a shot that Moorhouse stopped. Anderson and Ally Cook both tried to head the ball during the subsequent corner kick, but Joseph ended up missing with a shot that went over the crossbar.
The Pride dominated in possession, shots, shots on target, crosses, corner kicks, and passing accuracy compared to their opponent in the match. Making it to the NWSL semifinals for the first time, the Pride have the opportunity to advance to the NWSL Championship by defeating the winner of the Kansas City Current and North Carolina Courage match at Inter&Co Stadium next weekend.
Simply, HISTORIC. Vamos Pride!
