LOS ANGELES — Alex Straus was put through all of the levels in the wild Angel City Football Club experience in his debut Saturday night.
Straus, who took over June 1, saw Angel City score first, then fall behind on two second-half goals, but the night was eventually saved.
In the 80th minute, M.A. Vignola, who moments earlier avoided having a handball violation called against her, which would have led to a Chicago penalty, scored the equalizer that allowed Angel City (4-4-3, 15 points) to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw in front of 17,538 at BMO Stadium.
“I think going down 2-1, I think there were definitely some high emotions and that’s kind of the point in the game where you can either deal with what’s happening or you can kind of slow down a bit,” Vignola said. “I think we took time to regroup, came in together and we’re like, we’re not backing down.”
Chicago, despite being last in the league, took a 2-1 lead in the second half on a long-distance strike by Aly Schegel that ducked just under the bar in the 66th minute.
The Stars thought they would have had a chance to take a two-goal lead. In the 70th minute, in a scrum to clear the ball from out of the front of their goal, the ball came up and hit Vignola’s hand, but after going to the video monitor, the referee didn’t give the penalty, and gave Angel City some much-needed life.
Vignola joked that she had confidence that the call wouldn’t be given.
After the game was tied, both teams had chances for the winner. Late in stoppage time, Chicago’s Shea Groom hit the post.
Even later in stoppage time, Angel City’s Christen Press forced a save on a difficult-angled shot.
Kennedy Fuller was away earlier in the week in Costa Rica with the U.S. U-20s competing in the CONCACAF Championships. Saturday, she was back home with Angel City FC, in the starting lineup, scoring Angel City’s opening goal in the 29th minute.
It might go down as one of the easier goals that Fuller will score. A failed clearance by a Chicago defender left the ball just outside the 6-yard box, which Fuller tapped in for a 1-0 lead.
The Stars got their equalizer in the 58th minute as Nadia Gomes’ shot was deflected, slightly off of Angel City defender M.A. Vignola’s foot and came down just outside of goalkeeper Angelina Anderson’s outstretched arm and into the net to make it 1-1.
“In the second half, you see how they scored, we can’t let that happen,” Straus said. “After that, we came back.”
Angel City will return back home Saturday against the North Carolina Courage. That will be the final home game before the NWSL break.
The teams will conclude the regular season against each other Nov. 2.
Savy King returns to BMO Stadium
Defender Savy King attended the game, watching from a suite. King, who joined Angel City in an offseason trade with Bay FC, made her first appearance since she collapsed May 9 against the Utah Royals. King underwent heart surgery days after she collapsed. She is out on “medical leave.”
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