CHICAGO, IL (July 18, 2026) - With a dominant second-half performance, Angel City Football Club (ACFC) beat the Chicago Stars, 2-0, on Saturday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
Midfielder Maiara Niehues and forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir scored as Angel City won three straight matches for the second time this season. The club also set a record with three consecutive clean sheets.
“We managed to build the intensity in the second half, and I think we rolled over them and [got] a very deserved win at the end,” Interim Head Coach Leif Smerud said. “But it was a different kind of challenge, where we had to drive up the tempo in this game perhaps more than in the other two.”
Angel City was awarded a penalty in the 53rd minute when midfielder Ary Borges was tackled in the Stars’ box by midfielder Manaka Hayashi. After a lengthy delay while the video assistant referee (VAR) reviewed the play, Niehues fired a low shot past Chicago goalkeeper Katie Atkinson and into the bottom-left corner of the net to give ACFC the 1-0 lead.
The goal was Niehues’s team-leading sixth of the season. The 21-year-old became the second-youngest player in NWSL history to score in five consecutive matches, and she also extended her own club-record streak.
“Niehues is a goal scorer,” Smerud said, adding, “As soon as the ball is inside the box and she can shoot it or head it, she is really dangerous, and that's invaluable to have in a team. And she's a great penalty taker as well, as she showed.”
Jónsdóttir locked up the win with a late score on a perfectly weighted pass from forward Prisca Chilufya. With Chicago pushing forward, Chilufya led a counterattack into the Stars’ half and drew the attention of two defenders before sending a low pass to a wide-open Jónsdóttir at the right post for an easy finish in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time.
The goal came after a previous connection between Jónsdóttir and Chilufya that seemed to produce a score in the 86th minute was overturned after a video review deemed Chilufya to have been offside.
With the tally, Jónsdóttir moved to five total on the season, second only to Niehues.
“That goal is 100 percent Prisca’s,” Jónsdóttir said, adding, “It was a perfect game for her to come in, and she did so well to play me there, and I'm just super happy that she did.”
After producing only one shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, the Angel City attack generated several chances in the second half, launching sixteen shots.
Jónsdóttir found Niehues on a cross from the left side in the 48th minute, leading to a low header by Niehues towards the far post. But Atkinson reacted quickly to make the save with her left hand.
Forward Claire Emslie threaded a pass to defender Evelyn Shores in the penalty box in the 51st minute. But Shores’s left-footed shot attempt hit the outside of the net.
After Chicago cleared an initial corner attempt by Angel City in the 71st minute, midfielder Ally Sentnor sent a lofted ball to defender Emily Sams at the left post for a clear scoring opportunity. But Atkinson was able to do just enough to push Sams’s shot out for a corner.
Midfielder Carina Lageyre set up Sentnor at the right edge of the six-yard box in the 76th minute. Sentnor turned and fired a low shot towards the near post, but Atkinson saved the attempt to prevent ACFC from extending its lead to two.
Jónsdóttir won a free kick in a dangerous position in the 82nd minute, getting tackled just outside the right edge of the eighteen-yard box. On the resulting set piece, Sentnor hit a curled shot that skimmed off the crossbar.
With the Angel City attack firing on all cylinders, Chicago had much less possession in the second half and was limited to just two shots. Meanwhile, ACFC finished the match with 3.52 expected goals.
“Angel City, the way we have played the last few games, we are aggressive, and we chase and we press,” Smerud said. “In the first half today, we were a bit on the back foot, and we had to figure out why. So I challenged [the players] on it – wanting the ball, trying to play, pressing – and we did that in the second half.”
In the first half, Angel City seemed content to let Chicago possess more of the ball (54%) as long as it was in the Stars’ defensive third. The ACFC press looked for chances to turn the ball over and then attack the Chicago penalty area.
Emslie won a corner for ACFC in the 38th minute. On the ensuing set piece, her curled ball dropped to Thompson, who set up Lageyre for a shot from the top of the penalty box. But Atkinson was able to make the save.
Just moments later, Shores sent a cross from the left side to Niehues at the right edge of the six-yard-box. But Niehues’s one-timed volley sailed over the crossbar.
Jónsdóttir produced another opportunity off of a Stars turnover in the 41st minute, carrying the ball into the eighteen-yard box and dropping it to Sentnor. But the Chicago defense stepped up to prevent a shot on target.
The two teams finished the opening half tied with six shots each.
“The first half was just not good for us. We didn't play the football we wanted,” Jónsdóttir said, adding, “So [at halftime], we spoke about that – to be more calm on the ball because there were opportunities for us to play through the middle and get behind [the Stars].”
Emslie made her first start of the season after returning to the club from maternity leave in May.
“I felt ready,” Emslie said after the match in an on-field interview. “I was happy to do a job for the team. You know we need our depth, and I'm just so happy to be part of the squad and get a win.”
“I love being a mum, and I love playing football,” she added. “And you know, just at this point in life, getting to do both, I'm loving every second. And yeah, it's the best. I've had so much support from Angel City, and I'm so happy to be part of this club.”
Angel City will return home to face Racing Louisville FC at BMO Stadium at 6 p.m. PT on Sunday, July 26. The match will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
