The Houston Dash re-signed defender Annika Creel (formerly Schmidt) for the 2023 season with a club option for 2024, the team announced today.
"We are excited to have Annika continue her rehabilitation process in Houston,” Dash general manager Alex Singer said. “Annika is an ideal teammate and gritty defender who has brought a positive and supportive attitude to training day in and day out. Her progress is on track, and we hope to see her back in action soon.”
Creel, joined the Dash ahead of the 2021 NWSL season and suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the 2022 regular season. Creel has since undergone successful surgery to repair the injury. Since then, the Zionsville, Indiana native has been rehabilitating with the Dash medical team at Houston Sports Park and will be included in the full roster once she is cleared to return from the Season Ending Injury list.
“I'm so grateful that Alex and the staff believe that I can contribute to the team and make an impact next season,” Creel said. “I'm super excited and feel really blessed for this opportunity.”
Prior to joining the Dash, Creel played abroad in Sweden during the 2020 season with Gotenborg FC. Creel graduated from Butler University in 2019 and played three seasons for the Bulldogs and made more than 50 starts for the team. The defender earned multiple awards in her senior season, including a United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team selection and an All-BIG EAST First Team selection.
With the addition of Creel, Houston now has 19 players under contract. The current Houston Dash roster can be found listed below in alphabetical order and by position:
Goalkeepers (2): Jane Campbell, Ella Dederick
Defenders (7): Julia Ashley, Allysha Chapman, Annika Creel, Caprice Dydasco, Katie Naughton, Natalie Jacobs, Ally Prisock
Midfielders (3): Shea Groom, Sophie Schmidt, Marisa Viggiano
Forwards (7): Michelle Alozie, Joelle Anderson, Ryan Gareis, Paulina Gramaglia, Nichelle Prince, Ebony Salmon, Maria Sanchez
