Ludmila Wins National Women’s Soccer League Goal of the Week
Chicago Stars FC forward, Ludmila, earned National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Week 11 Goal of the Week, the league announced today. The honor is the Brazilian international’s first NWSL weekly award win.
In the 11th minute of Chicago’s match against Seattle Reign FC at the historic Soldier Field, Maitane expertly evaded pressure in Chicago’s half by tapping the ball up the left side of the pitch between two Seattle attackers. The ball was perfectly positioned for Ludmila to take control of while boxing out her mark and keeping stride, sending the Brazilian off to the races. Ludmila quickly crossed midfield and sprinted into the attacking third, first looking to outwit a backtracking Seattle Reign defender to the left, then appearing ready to move more centrally as she approached the box. The Reign defender, Phoebe McClernon, moved to follow the São Paulo native, but at the last second, Ludmila cut back to the left and bought herself time and space as she forced McClernon to reverse course. Making Seattle pay for falling for her move, Ludmila let rip a left-footed laser, low and powerful into the bottom right corner of the net. Reign goalkeeper, Claudia Dickey, stepped off her line slightly to close down the near angle and had to dive left to try for a touch save on the ball. There was no stopping the goal though, and Ludmila got the Chicago Stars on the board early. Just two minutes and 16 seconds later, Ludmila secured a brace to double the Stars’ lead. Chicago kept Seattle scoreless for the majority of the match, until the Reign clawed two goals back in the dying minutes to tie up the scoreline and split points with the Stars at the final whistle.
Ludmila celebrated her second brace of the season with her signature backflip. In addition to being the Brazilian’s first career weekly award, the Week 12 honor is the first Goal of the Week award for a Chicago Star this season. Ludmila is the second Chicago Star to win a weekly award in 2025, joining fellow forward, Jameese Joseph, who won Assist of the Week in Week 4.
Ludmila and the Stars are set to hit the road for their final match before the NWSL midseason break June 21, taking on Portland Thorns FC at 9 p.m. CT at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. During the NWSL break, the Chicago Stars will participate in the Teal Rising Cup alongside hosts, Kansas City Current, and Brazilian clubs, Corinthians SC and Palmeiras, in Kansas City, Missouri, July 12 and 15. The Stars return to regular-season action at home August 1, hosting Gotham FC for the club’s Bark in the Park match at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, kicking off at 7 p.m. CT. Single-match tickets to all Chicago Stars FC home matches purchased at chicagostars.com/tickets.
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