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Sonis scores 2 goals as Denver beats Orlando for NWSL expansion team's first home win
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- Sonis scores 2 goals as Denver beats Orlando for NWSL expansion team's first home win
Janine Sonis scored two goals for the second straight game, and the expansion Denver Summit beat the Orlando Pride 3-1 on Saturday for the first home victory in franchise history.
In the other National Women's Soccer League matchup on Saturday, the North Carolina Courage beat Chicago 4-0, handing the Stars their fourth straight shutout loss.
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In front of a sellout crowd of 16,974 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, Sonis converted a penalty kick to make it 2-0 after Oihane Hernandez fouled Yazmeen Ryan in the box in the 51st minute.
Orlando's Barbra Banda scored her league-best ninth goal of the season, getting the Pride within 2-1 in the 76th minute. Sonis responded one minute later with her second of the game and fourth this season.
Eva Gaetino scored in the 10th minute for Denver (3-3-3).
Orlando (3-5-2) was down a player for the last 27 minutes after Angelina Alonso Constantino was shown a red card.
Swanson returns as Courage blank Stars
In Cary, North Carolina, Ashley Sanchez and Evelyn Ijeh each had a goal and an assist in North Carolina's 4-0 win over Chicago.
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Mallory Swanson entered for the Stars as a substitute in the 76th minute, making her NWSL return after she missed last season while on maternity leave. The U.S. national team stalwart last played for Chicago 559 days earlier.
Another national team veteran, Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher , exited in the 16th minute with an unspecified injury and was replaced by Halle Mackiewicz.
Ijeh headed in her first goal of the season in the 47th minute off a cross from Sanchez. Ijeh returned the favor in the 61st, assisting on Sanchez's sixth goal.
Ally Schlegel, who started her NWSL career in Chicago and signed with North Carolina as a free agent this past offseason, scored in the 65th minute for the Courage. Manaka Matsukubo made it 4-0 in the 86th.
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North Carolina (3-3-3) ended a three-game winless streak. Chicago (2-8-0) is last in the NWSL standings and has not scored since a 2-0 win over Boston on April 25.
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