The Houston Dash (3-8-4, 13 points) travel to Massachusetts on Wednesday for their first meeting of the regular season with the Boston Breakers (3-11-1, 10 points) before returning home Saturday evening to host the Orlando Pride in Carli Lloyd’s first game back at BBVA Compass Stadium since April.
Boston picked up their first road victory in two seasons last Sunday as they defeated Kansas City 2-0 at Swope Park Village. Katie Schoepfer and Kristie Mewis each scored their first goals of the season, and goalkeeper Jami Kranich finished with her second consecutive shutout of the season. The win gave Boston back-to-back victories for the first time this year after the Breakers defeated the Orlando Pride 1-0 at home on July 31 before the Olympic break.
This is head coach Matt Beard’s first season on the Breakers sideline after coaching the Liverpool Ladies FC in the FA Women’s Super League from 2013-2014. He led the team to back-to-back FAWSL titles and was named the FAWSL Manager of the Year in 2013.
Boston is led by USWNT defender Whitney Engen who scored one goal and tallied an assist before departing for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Other players to watch include Louise Schillgard and Mewis who have taken 87 percent of the corner kicks this season and combine for two goals and two assists.
Houston leads the all-time series with a record of 3-2-0. The clubs last met on Aug. 30, 2015, with the Dash taking a 1-0 victory thanks to a run to the near post from Ella Masar in the 34th minute.
The Dash return to BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 3 to host Alex Morgan and the Orlando Pride. Tickets start at $15 and for additional information, visit HoustonDashSoccer.com/Tickets.
