The Houston Dash lost away from home for the first time in six games as they fell 1-0 to the Orlando Pride at Exploria Stadium this evening.
The Dash entered today’s game with a 3-0-2 (WLD) record away from home and was held scoreless on the road for the first time since the 0-0 draw with Angel City FC on June 7.
Orlando took the lead in the 79th minute off a corner kick that was initially cleared by the Dash backline. The second ball was recycled into the box by Carrie Lawrence and defender Kylie Strom headed the ball toward goal where a deflection ultimately redirected the ball past the Dash shot stopper.
The Dash were limited to two shots on goal this evening and newly acquired forward Ebony Salmon had Houston’s best chance of the first half. The forward was played into space where she dueled with Orlando’s Carrie Lawrence, the Pride defender lunged at the Dash forward to clear the ball and quell the danger in the final third.
The Dash finished with two shots on target tonight with the first coming from defender Haley Hanson in the 34th minute. The final shot on target came three minutes later from forward Bri Visalli.
The Dash were awarded a free kick in the 59th minute after Salmon was fouled just outside the box. Midfielder Emily Ogle took the free kick, but her effort missed the Dash players inside the box and was eventually cleared by the Pride.
The Pride kept Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell under pressure for most of the match and forced six saves from the Houston goalkeeper this evening. Campbell finished with two saves in the opening 30 minutes of the game as Orlando finished with five shots on target in the opening 45 minutes of the game.
Dash forward Ryan Gareis responded seconds within the opening goal of the game with an effort from the edge of the box that just missed the top corner of the near post.
The Dash return to Houston to host the Chicago Red Stars on July 16. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at PNC Stadium.
