By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
On the same night the Chicago Cubs were eliminated from MLB playoff contention, the Chicago Red Stars were staying alive in the race for the final NWSL postseason berth.
The Stars entered action last weekend in 12th and last place, but with three games remaining still had a chance to finish in the top six and qualify for the playoffs.
They kept those slim hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over Louisville on Sept. 30 in front of an announced crowd of 4,104 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Bianca St-Georges scored the lone goal in the 33rd minute with an assist from Julia Bianchi. Goalie Alyssa Naeher recorded the shutout for the Stars (7-10-3).
“It feels so good to win,” St-Georges said. “I’m a competitor so winning is the best feeling. We needed that and we knew that.”
The Stars moved up to 11th place with the win. Their 24 points is four behind the sixth and final playoff slot with two games to go for a possible six points.
They Stars visit current last-place team Kansas City (7-12-1, 22 points) at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 and finished the regular season at home at 4 p.m. on Oct. 14 against OL Reign (8-8-4, 28 points)
The Red Stars are playing some of their best soccer at the end of the year and have gone 2-0-2 in their last four matches.
“It was a great team performance,” Naeher said of the Louisville effort. “Everyone was locked in for 98 minutes. I’m proud of the fight and proud of the resiliency. Right now, all we can control is our outcomes.”
Milazzo honored
Red Stars defender Tatumn Milazzo, an Orland Park native, was honored after the game for reaching her 50th regular-season NWSL appearances, which she did Sept. 2 in a game against Washington.
Naeher has been impressed with Milazzo, who broke into the league in 2021.
“We like our hometown kids and she’s really grown into the position over the last few years,” Naeher said. “Obviously, she stepped into a much bigger role last year and she just continues to get better.
“It’s nice to see her get to 50 caps. Fifty caps for one team is special. In this league, people kind of bump around a little bit. It’s no small feat and we’re proud of her.”
Fire II eliminated
The Chicago Fire II dropped a 4-1 decision to the New York Red Bulls II in the opening round of the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs Oct. 1 in Mountclair, New Jersey.
Luka Prpa scored the lone goal of the match for the Fire in the 56th minute to cut the deficit to two but that was all the scoring Chicago could muster.
This is the second season for the Fire II and the MLS NEXT Pro league and the first time Chicago qualified for the playoffs.
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