The Houston Dash will play their final game of the 2017 NWSL regular season on Sunday as they travel to the Midwest to face FC Kansas City for the third time this season. Houston, currently on 23 points, will have its final opportunity to match or beat the previous record for most points earned in a season at 24.
Houston won its first visit to Swope Soccer Village on July 2 with goals from forwards Rachel Daly andNichelle Prince. Daly is currently tied with defender Poliana for the team lead in goals scored this season with four. Defensively, the Dash will look to captain Amber Brooks to right the ship after allowing seven goals in their last two games. Brooks will anchor a defense that features rookie goalkeeper Jane Campbell, who can potentially start in her 16th game of the season.
FC Kansas City can still finish in fifth place, at best, with a victory on Sunday but will miss the postseason for the second consecutive year. The two-time NWSL Champions have won five out of their last seven games with notable road victories over the Chicago Red Stars and Seattle Reign FC. Once destined to finish in the bottom of the pack, forwards Shea Groom and Sydney Leroux have sparked a turnaround by combining for seven of FCKC’s 12 goals in the last seven games. Defensively, Houston will have to break down a defense led by Yael Averbuch and U.S. Women’s National Team co-captain Becky Sauerbrunn which has conceded five goals in the last seven matches.
Both teams have claimed a victory on the road in the series and Houston will look to maintain a two-game winning streak at Swope Soccer Village that began last season with a 2-1 victory. FCKC currently leads the all-time series with a 5-3-2 record against Houston.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sunday which will be the first regular season match played in October. The game will be streamed live on the go90 app and NWSLSoccer.com
