Julia Grosso's Late Winner Lifts Chicago Stars FC Past Racing Louisville in a Five-Goal Thriller

Racing Louisville arrived in Evanston as the hottest team in the building, riding four straight wins. Chicago Stars FC arrived without a goal in three matches. Naturally, the Stars won a five-goal shootout, and Julia Grosso, on the field for all of 18 minutes, had the final word.

Grosso's left-footed finish in the 83rd minute gave Chicago a 3-2 win over Racing on Sunday afternoon at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Jameese Joseph and Mallory Swanson also scored for the Stars, while Taylor Flint and substitute Makenna Morris twice dragged Louisville level. Racing outshot Chicago 22 to 12, which will haunt the visitors on the flight to San Diego.

Racing Knocks, Chicago Answers

The opening half hour belonged to Louisville. Lauren Milliet whipped in cross after cross, Kayla Fischer headed one just wide in the 12th minute and forced Katie Atkinson into a save with another header in the 20th, and Milliet had three shots of her own before the half hour. Atkinson also stopped a Fischer drive in the 28th minute.

Chicago's best moment before the goal was a scare in the other direction: Micayla Johnson, making her first professional start per the club, hit the right post from the middle of the box in the 27th minute. Seven minutes later the Stars made it count. Swanson drove at the defense and found Joseph, who fired a right-footed shot into the top left corner in the 34th minute. According to Racing, it was only Chicago's second shot of the match.

Flint nearly answered from a free kick in the 40th minute, and Swanson and Jenna Bike both missed chances in first-half stoppage time. Chicago led 1-0 at the break despite being second best for long stretches.

Back and Forth, Then Back Again

Racing came out of halftime like it had heard enough. Milliet and Fischer had three looks between them in the opening three minutes of the second half, and in the 49th Milliet swung in another cross from the left that Flint glanced in at the near post with a header. According to Racing, the assist was Milliet's sixth of the season, breaking the club's single-season record.

Chicago went ahead again in the 62nd minute. Michelle Alozie set up Swanson on the right side of the box, and the Stars captain turned and finished with her left foot into the top left corner. The Stars said it was her 35th NWSL regular season goal, making her the 24th player to reach that mark, and her 25th regular season goal for the club. She came off three minutes later, replaced by Grosso.

Louisville's equalizer came almost instantly after its own changes. Morris entered for Ella Hase in the 68th minute, and per Racing, 28 seconds later she was in the right spot when Atkinson punched a ball straight into her path. Her right-footed finish into the bottom left corner was her first goal for Louisville.

"My first goal for the club is awesome," Morris said. "I might have put it in the back of the goal, but it took people fighting in the box for it to bounce to me."

The Turning Point

With the score at 2-2, both teams went hunting for a winner. Morris had a shot blocked in the 72nd minute, and in the 74th Flint, Ellie Jean and substitute Maja Lardner all got shots away in one frantic sequence, with Atkinson saving Lardner's effort. At the other end, Bloomer kept out Joseph in the 78th. Emma Sears then sent a shot just past the top left corner in the 82nd.

Chicago made it count the other way a minute later. Nádia Gomes, who came on in the 66th minute, carried it into the box from the left and picked out Grosso, whose left-footed finish skidded into the bottom right corner. Two Chicago substitutes combined for the winner, which is the kind of thing interim head coach Karina Báez will remember for a while. The club said it was her first win at the helm.

Racing pushed for a third equalizer, with Sarah Weber going close in the 85th minute, but Chicago saw out six minutes of stoppage time.

Star Turns

Mallory Swanson: A goal, an assist and a milestone, all in 65 minutes. The Stars said the assist was her first of the season, and Racing noted the goal was her second of the year and her first since May.

Julia Grosso: One shot, one goal, three points. According to Chicago, it was also her first goal of the season.

Lauren Milliet: Four shots and the assist that broke a club record. Racing's engine room ran through her.

Kayla Fischer: Six shots, two on target, and no goal to show for it. She was the most dangerous player on the field for the first hour.

Katie Atkinson: Four saves for Chicago, enough to survive 22 Louisville attempts.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Louisville 22, Chicago 12.
• Shots on goal: 6 apiece.
• Crosses: Louisville 33, Chicago 10.
• Possession: Chicago 56.5 percent, Louisville 43.5.
• Saves: Atkinson 4, Jordyn Bloomer 3.

What It Means

Chicago moves to 5-1-15 with 16 points. According to Racing, it was the Stars' first win in the series since September 2023, snapping a five-game unbeaten run for Louisville against them. Chicago heads to Denver Summit FC on Saturday, Aug. 29.

Louisville falls to 7-2-12 with 23 points. The club said its record win streak ended at four, and that it sat 13th, five points behind Seattle Reign FC in the final playoff place. The good news is the attack, which Racing said scored multiple goals for the fifth straight fixture. Louisville had beaten Chicago 2-1 at home on Aug. 1.

Racing head coach Bev Yanez refused to let one result erase the run. "Of course we're disappointed," she said. "When you talk about the run of form that we've had coming into this, I still think that that's an incredible accomplishment from the group as a whole." Racing visits San Diego Wave FC on Friday.

Closing Take

Every streak ends eventually, usually when you least expect it and against the team you least expect. Racing did nearly everything right except finish, and Chicago, a team that had forgotten how to score, suddenly remembered three times. Sports remain undefeated at being weird.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by RacingLouFC.com; additional notes from ChicagoStars.com.