Chicago Red Stars Host WPSL Elite Home Match Saturday vs. Philadelphia Fever

July 7, 2012 - PRLog -- The Chicago Red Stars will begin the final stretch of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) Elite League season Saturday night in Evanston at Northwestern University’s Lakefront Field when they take on the Philadelphia Fever at 6:00 p.m. The Red Stars are tied for first place on points with the Boston Breakers with just four games remaining in the regular season

The last time Philadelphia and Chicago met was on June 24th in Egg Harbor, NJ. Fever came out swinging, scoring a goal in just the third minute of the game. But the Red Stars would settle in and find a rhythm, eventually outlasting their hosts 4-1, with two goals by Julianne Sitch and a goal each by Lori Chalupny and Alyssa Mautz. Philadelphia is coming off a 2-0 win on Thursday night at FC Indiana, their first of the season, while the Red Stars are looking to bounce back from just their second loss of the season, which they suffered in Boston last weekend.

The Breakers caused heartbreak for the Red Stars when they overcame a scoring deadlock in the 89th minute of the match to steal a 1-0 win on a Kyah Simon goal.  The Red Stars would have taken comfortable sole-possession of first place with a win or a tie. Each team’s record now stands at 8-2-0, with Chicago having a mere 1-goal lead on overall goal differential.

This sequence of events has set-up a potentially exciting outcome for the remainder of the season, with each win and each goal carrying extra weight. The top four out of eight teams in the league will take part in the WPSL Elite Championship Series to be played in Rochester, NY, at the home of Western New York Flash. The Red Stars will be looking for redemption on that field, as they suffered a lopsided 0-3 loss there earlier this season.

Semifinal matches between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds and the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds will be played on Wednesday, July 25, at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET. The championship final will take place on Saturday, July 28, at 1:00 p.m. ET. It is anticipated that all matches will be webcast live.

The Red Stars may have an extra advantage with the addition of Forward Ella Masar, who made her long awaited debut in last weekend’s loss to the Breakers.  With her second-half appearance she gave the Red Stars one of their best looks of the night when she put a shot off the top crossbar.

“It’s been long overdue for me to be able to play in front of my home crowd,” she said.  “I will be playing this Saturday for my father, family, and fans. It’s such an honor to have that flag on my shirt and as long as I get to wear it I will play with the pride it represents.”

Tickets for both matches are available online now: $15 for Preferred Seating (only available online in advance of match), $10 General Admission (available online and at the gate) at chicagoredstars.com. Group discounts are available by contacting info@chicagoredstars.com. The match will be on live webcast beginning at 5:50 p.m. A link is available at the Red Stars website. You can join the team’s mailing list at www.chicagoredstars.com for details and follow the team on twitter @chicagoredstars and facebook.com/chicagoredstars.

About the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL):
The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is the largest national Women’s Soccer League in the world. With more than 70-plus women’s soccer teams, the WPSL is the leading amateur soccer league in America. The league is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). The WPSL's mission is to provide opportunities to further the women’s soccer game for the aspiring professional, international-level players and passionate amateurs. The WPSL season brings affordable and quality family entertainment to the community, displays positive role models for our youth and offers the essential connection between youth and pro women’s soccer in America.

About the WPSL Elite League:
With the addition of three former Women's Professional Soccer teams, the WPSL Elite League is now the highest level women's soccer league in America. The leage features eight teams: Former WPS franchises Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and 2011 WPS Champion Western New York Flash; WPSL teams  ASA Chesapeake Charge, FC Indiana, New England Mutiny and New York Fury; and the independant Philadelphia Fever.

For more information please visit http://www.WPSL.info