Janine Sonis scored two goals for the second straight game, and the expansion Denver Summit beat the Orlando Pride 3-1 for the first home victory in franchise…<\/p>\n
Janine Sonis scored two goals for the second straight game, and the expansion Denver Summit beat the Orlando Pride 3-1 on Saturday for the first home victory in franchise history.<\/p>\n
In the other National Women’s Soccer League matchup on Saturday, the North Carolina Courage beat Chicago 4-0, handing the Stars their fourth straight shutout loss.<\/p>\n
In front of a sellout crowd of 16,974 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, Sonis converted a penalty kick to make it 2-0 after Oihane Hernandez fouled Yazmeen Ryan in the box in the 51st minute.<\/p>\n
Orlando’s Barbra Banda scored her league-best ninth goal of the season, getting the Pride within 2-1 in the 76th minute. Sonis responded one minute later with her second of the game and fourth this season.<\/p>\n
Eva Gaetino scored in the 10th minute for Denver (3-3-3).<\/p>\n
Orlando (3-5-2) was down a player for the last 27 minutes after Angelina Alonso Constantino was shown a red card.<\/p>\n
\nSwanson returns as Courage blank Stars <\/p>\n
In Cary, North Carolina, Ashley Sanchez and Evelyn Ijeh each had a goal and an assist in North Carolina’s 4-0 win over Chicago.<\/p>\n
Mallory Swanson entered for the Stars as a substitute in the 76th minute, making her NWSL return after she missed last season while on maternity leave. The U.S. national team stalwart last played for Chicago 559 days earlier.<\/p>\n
Another national team veteran, Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, exited in the 16th minute with an unspecified injury and was replaced by Halle Mackiewicz.<\/p>\n
Ijeh headed in her first goal of the season in the 47th minute off a cross from Sanchez. Ijeh returned the favor in the 61st, assisting on Sanchez’s sixth goal.<\/p>\n
Ally Schlegel, who started her NWSL career in Chicago and signed with North Carolina as a free agent this past offseason, scored in the 65th minute for the Courage. Manaka Matsukubo made it 4-0 in the 86th.<\/p>\n
North Carolina (3-3-3) ended a three-game winless streak. Chicago (2-8-0) is last in the NWSL standings and has not scored since a 2-0 win over Boston on April 25.<\/p>\n