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Red Stars play to scoreless tie

The Chicago Red Stars and Washington Freedom battled to a scoreless draw Sunday in Women's Professional Soccer action at the Maryland SoccerPlex.

The Red Stars (3-5-4) wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 1-1-2 mark. The Freedom (4-3-4) stayed 3 points ahead of the Red Stars for fourth place in the WPS standings.

The Red Stars took a season-high 23 total shots and put 11 shots on goal against Freedom keeper Erin McLeod (10 saves).

"Plain and simple, we dominated the game," said Red Stars coach Omid Namazi. "But once again we didn't finish our chances in front of the goal. We had four or five very clear chances to score. And on a day like this, with very hot conditions, our performance was very good and our energy level was good."

Five of Cristiane's 6 shots were on goal. Ella Masar had an opportunity for a close-range header within the 6-yard box. Karen Carney had a couple of scoring chances, and in the closing minutes, Casey Nogueira had a chance with McLeod out of the net, but her shot went wide.

Red Stars goalkeeper Jillian Loyden made 3 saves for her fourth shutout of the season, tying the Red Stars season record set by Caroline Jonsson during the inaugural 2009 WPS campaign.

"Overall, the back line was great," Namazi said. "Our defense was good, and in the midfield our runs were good. It was just that finishing touch that we lacked."

The Red Stars return home for three of their next four matches, starting with a 7:30 p.m. contest Wednesday against the Atlanta Beat at Toyota Park in Bridgeview.