The Houston Dash return to action on Saturday as they travel to the East Coast to face former Dash players Carli Lloyd and Janine Beckie and Sky Blue FC at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J.
This will be the first of two visits to the Garden States for Houston, who are looking to break a three-game losing streak. Houston fell to the North Carolina Courage 2-0 last Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium, giving the Dash their first home loss of the season.
Forward Kyah Simon made her club debut last Saturday after joining Houston after she helped Australia secure a berth in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup at the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup in Jordan. Forward Kealia Ohai also made her return to BBVA Compass Stadium for the first time since suffering a torn ACL suffered last July in Orlando.
Houston is 1-6-3 against Sky Blue and will seek its first victory against the Jersey club since the two teams first met on June 8, 2014. Sky Blue swept the series last season with back-to-back victories in May.
Sky Blue is under the direction of first-year head coach Denise Reddy, who served as an assistant coach at the Washington Spirit for one season. The New Jersey native built a roster this offseason that saw the addition of (position)Shea Groom, Canadian forward Janine Beckie and two-time FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, Carli Lloyd. Additionally, Sky Blue drafted (position) Savannah McCaskill with the no. 2 overall selection in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. McCaskill has scored the only goal for the club this season, which came in Sky Blue's last game, a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Red Stars.
This is the first of three games for Houston in a seven-day span. The Dash return to BBVA Compass Stadium on Wednesday, May 9 to host the reigning NWSL Champions, Portland Thorns FC, and travel to Chicago for their final regular season meeting with the Red Stars on Sat. May 12 at Toyota Park.
