After another defeat Saturday — 1-0 to Philadelphia — Red Stars coach Emma Hayes was asked if she was frustrated at how the season has gone so far.
After all, the Red Stars (1-4-1) lost to the Independence in a fashion that’s becoming the norm.
Fall behind early, panic and struggle to score afterward. They still have only one goal all season.
Hayes isn’t pleased but she won’t quit on her team.
“I’m also their leader and by that, I can sit here and scratch my head and be disappointed by it, but take a look at their faces,” she said. “It’s not from a lack of wanting to do it.”
For the second consecutive match, the Red Stars failed to score.
“You can fight all you want,” defender Marian Dalmy said. “But if you don’t score, you’re not going to win.”
It didn’t help that the Independence (3-1-2) scored in the sixth minute on a goal from midfielder Joanna Lohman. Lohman took a pass from forward Amy Rodriguez in the box and put the shot past Red Stars goalkeeper Jillian Loyden for the lone goal of the game.
“What has happened with a team like us is we go behind and we panic,” Hayes said. “Rather than just settling into the game, we want to take it into our own hands individually. It has become a stress for the team.”
