Ludmila recorded a hat trick spanning a 10-minute stretch of the second half, and the Chicago Stars rallied for a 3-3 home draw with the North Carolina Courage on Friday night in Bridgeview, Ill.
Manaka Matsukubo and Tyler Lussi scored within the first 17 minutes of the second half to give the Courage (5-6-6, 21 points) a 2-0 lead. But, Ludmila answered with a screamer amid four North Carolina defenders in the 76th minute, then leveled the match five minutes later, via a left-footed strike.
However, in the 83rd, Jaedyn Shaw got to a Meredith Speck pass and converted an up-close bump for a 3-2 Courage edge. Ludmila, though, was not done and came through while wide open for a header off a corner in the 86th minute to finish off the first Stars hat trick since 2019.
Though second from the bottom in the NWSL standings and winless at home, the Stars (1-9-7, 10 points) have earned a draw in four straight matches. Meanwhile, the Courage, fighting for a playoff spot, are amid an 0-1-3 stretch.
A streaking Matsukubo caught up to Ashley Sanchez pass and chipped the ball over defending Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher in the 49th minute to open the scoring. Then just past the hour mark, Lussi floated a short shot that hit the crossbar then dropped just over the goal line in the right corner to give North Carolina the two-goal advantage.
–Field Level Media
