The Houston Dash fell to San Diego Wave FC 1-0 after playing nearly two thirds of the game with 10 players.
The Dash went down to 10 players following the ejection of defender Michelle Alozie for denying a goal scoring opportunity in the 33rd minute. The play was reviewed by the video assistant referee and ultimately the call was confirmed.
San Diego’s Christen Westphal found Jaedyn Shaw inside the box at the near post for the lone goal of the game.
Houston's first shot of the evening came off the right foot of midfielder Marisa Viggiano in the seventh minute. The play began after forward Diana Ordóñez controlled the ball in the opposing half and played a ball out wide to Maria Sanchez. The Mexican international dribbled into the box to create space for Viggiano to make a run at the near post, but her effort was off target.
The Dash backline faced two back-to-back opportunities from the Wave in the ninth minute, first a shot from Kyra Carusa and moments later an effort from Danielle Colaprico. Both shots were off target.
Forward Nichelle Prince earned her first start of the season tonight and finished with a 45-minute shift against the Wave. The Canadian international won the ball near midfield in the 20th minute to spark a cross from Sanchez that found Ordóñez at the far post, but her header was off target. This is the third appearance of the season for Prince, who suffered a ruptured Achilles' tendon at the end of 2022.
Defender Katie Lind made a key clearance in the 25th minute after Alex Morgan found Shaw behind the Dash backline. The veteran center back read the play and lunged at the ball to quell the threat.
Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell denied Morgan at the near post in the 29th minute for her second save of the match. The Dash shot stopper finished with nine saves against San Diego and now sits at 402 career saves in regular season play.
Campbell’s performance against the Wave marked the third time in her career that Campbell has made nine saves in a single match. Campbell previously hit that number against North Carolina in 2019 and Washington in 2018.
Houston was under heavy pressure to start the second half and San Diego’s best opportunity in the first 10 minutes came from a first-touch effort from Morgan that bounced off the crossbar. Moments later Rachel Hill found Shaw at the far post, but her header was off target.
Dash defender Caprice Dydasco made a key goal line clearance in the 62nd minute to deny Carusa. The defender finished with five clearances and two interceptions in the effort.
Brazilian midfielder Andressa Alves made her NWSL and Houston Dash debut in the 82nd minute after coming into the match for forward Sánchez. Alves arrived in Houston earlier this week after the conclusion of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
