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By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
Mallory Swanson is Olympics-ready after scoring her fourth goal in four games.
Swanson’s left-footed shot in extra time in the first half was the difference in the Chicago Red Stars’ 1-0 win over Houston on July 6 in an NWSL battle before an announced crowd of 5,566 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Swanson, who is representing the United States in the upcoming Summer Olympic games in Paris, has seven goals on the season. Her four-game goal scoring streak is two shy of the franchise record of six set by Sam Kerr in 2019.
Her difficult shot came off Leilanni Nesbeth’s assist – a pass off her heel. Swanson took it from there.
“That’s Mallory,” Red Stars coach Lorne Donaldson said. “That’s it. That’s Mallory. She does some stuff that makes you go, ‘wow.’ She scored that fantastic goal. She has that mindset and works hard at it.
“I don’t believe in luck; it’s not luck. She’s a freaking good player.”
Fellow Olympian Alyssa Naeher picked up her second straight shutout for the Red Stars (7-7-2), who were at a 64-36% possession disadvantage and were outshot 17-8, including 15-6 with shots on goal.
“A couple of clean slates is very, very good and hopefully offensively we can get a little more,” Donaldson said. “We know we can score a goal or two, but we need to get our possession a little bit higher.
Houston (3-8-5) continued to slump in scoring.
The Dash’s last goal came on May 24 in a 3-0 win over North Carolina.
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Mallory Swanson and the Red Stars crowd react to her goal in a 1-0 victory over Houston on July 6 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Award-winning performances
Naeher and Swanson received NWSL Week 14 honors.
Naeher earns NWSL Save of the Week, presented by Deloitte, while Swanson earns the NWSL Goal of the Week award for their respective performances in Chicago’s 3-0 shutout at San Diego on June 28.
Naeher’s eighth career Save of the Week honor is also her second in 2024, following her Week 1 Save of the Week on March 20. Naeher is the second Red Star to earn two Save of the Week honors in 2024, joining fellow Week 15 Save of the Week nominee Tatumn Milazzo. The Stars defender and Orland Park native won back-to-back Save of the Week awards in Weeks 4 and 5.
Kuikka to play for Finland
Red Stars defender Natalia Kuikka has been named to the Finnish Women’s National Team roster ahead of its upcoming matches against Norway and Italy.
Kuikka has started in all 15 regular-season matches for Chicago accumulating 1,305 minutes. Kuikka entered action on July 6 leading the NWSL with 99 clearances and her team-high 18 blocks rank her second in the league.
Personnel moves
The Red Stars have removed Sami Feller from the season-ending injury list.
Feller joined the Red Stars in 2023 as a non-rostered invitee and earned a contract with the club. The Colorado native played college soccer at the University of Denver, where she started in 88 of the 94 matches she played, scoring 34 goals with 32 assists.
Penelope Hocking was not available against Houston as she served a one-game suspension for accumulating six yellow cards.
Ally Schlegel was back in the starting lineup after missing two games to injury.
Coming up
The NWSL takes some time off during the Olympics, but the Red Stars will play in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
The Red Stars will first host fellow NWSL club, Gotham FC, July 20 at SeatGeek Stadium before hosting Liga MX Femenil side, Chivas de Guadalajara on July 26.
The Stars’ next NWSL game will be Aug. 24 at Louisville.
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Former Red Stars player Yuki Nagasato runs down the field for Houston against her former teammates on June 6. Photo by Jeff Vorva