Stars FC beat Angel City in season finale

A 2-1 victory over Angel City FC on Sunday closed the season for Chicago Stars FC.

After Chicago found itself down at the half, Jameese Joseph found the equalizer in the 49th minute, burying the ball in the upper left corner. In the eighth minute of stoppage time, Chicago’s Ally Schlegel smashed a shot that deflected off Angel City’s keeper before going in the net for the go-ahead goal.

Neither team is advancing to the NWSL playoffs, but both sides came out aggressive. Early on, Chicago was pinned to its defensive third, having trouble moving the ball over the center circle while maintaining possession. Angel City had two shots from inside the 18-yard box 15 minutes into the half. That tenacity by L.A. paid off in the 23rd minute when Nealy Martin sent a cross from the right side of the 18-yard box to the back post and found Miyabi Moriya for a shot. While Alyssa Naeher got her gloves on the ball, the shot was deflected into the goal to give Angel City the lead.