Rookie forward Paige Monaghan scores a brace to lift Sky Blue FC (3-11-3, 12 points) over the Chicago Red Stars in a 2-1 battle.

In the first half, Sky Blue FC came out ready to battle as Imani Dorsey stopped Chicago forward Sam Kerr with a well-timed tackle to stop her from scoring in the 3^rd minute of play. Kerr wasn’t ready to let up as she had another chance on goal in the 7^th minute but was denied by a diving Kailen Sheridan.

Jen Hoy had a chance at goal in the 21^st minute but was denied by the Chicago defense. A perfectly threaded ball by Carli Lloyd put Hoy in behind the defense but defender Sarah Gorden sprinted back in time to get a foot in the way.

Sheridan came up big again in the 33^rd minute to stop a rocket from the foot of Chicago midfielder Julie Ertz. Kerr played the ball to Ertz at the top of the box, who took the shot as she was falling. The ball was heading towards the left corner of the goal, but a diving Sheridan was able to get a hand on it to push the ball over the crossbar.

The second half saw the battle continue as Chicago forward Savannah McCaskill sent in a freekick on frame in the 69^th minute. McCaskill curved her shot over the defense, looking for the top left side of the goal, but was denied as Sheridan pushed the ball over the crossbar.

Rookie Paige Monaghan scored her first career goal in the 71^st minute to put Sky Blue up 1-0. Lloyd with the ball on the left side of the field, beat two Chicago defenders to cut into the middle and send a ball through the backline to Monaghan. As Monaghan collected in the box, she cut back to her right foot and ripped the shot past Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and into the upper right corner of the goal.

Kerr wasn’t ready to give up for Chicago as she answered back in stoppage time to tie the game up 1-1. In the 91^st minute Naeher sent a free kick into the box and the ball bounced off multiple heads until forward Yuki Nagasato headed it to the feet of Kerr, who lined up the shot and sent it to the back of the net.

Sky Blue wasn’t done yet. In the 93^rd minute, Monaghan buried her second goal of the game to put Sky Blue up 2-1. With control in the midfield, Lloyd collected a pass and quickly played it up to Julie James Doyle who was open in the middle of the field. Doyle sent a pass in to Monaghan, who recognized Naeher was off her line, and ripped a shot over her for the stoppage time winner.

On August 18^th Sky Blue FC will be playing their ever match at Red Bull Arena against Megan Rapinoe and Reign FC with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET. Sky Blue is expecting to break their all-time club attendance record for this historic game. The game will be featured on ESPNEWS. In another first for Sky Blue, the match will also feature closed captioning on the video board for our Deaf and Hard of Hearing fans.

Tickets for Sunday, August 18^th vs Reign FC at Red Bull Arena can be purchased here.

Tickets to all Sky Blue FC home games are available now by calling 888-SBFC-TIX or by visiting skybluefc.com. All fans at the game will receive a Sky Blue FC game day program with player poster insert.