HOUSTON (April 19, 2024) – The Houston Dash will open a two-game road trip on Saturday when they face the Portland Thorns at Providence Park at 9:00 p.m. CT. The trip marks the third road match of the 2024 campaign for the Dash and the first of two meetings with the Thorns.
Houston looks to rebound from a 3-1 loss to the Washington Spirit last week at home. Defender Natalie Jacobs scored the fastest goal in Dash history after capitalizing on a clearance, her first goal in league play. Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell finished with four saves against a talented Spirit offense that tallied seven shots on goal in the match. Houston conceded the final two goals of the game following an injury to Kiki Van Zanten, forcing the team to play the final minutes with 10 players.
Fans will be able to watch Saturday’s game on ION, one of the new NWSL broadcast partners announced last fall. Click here for local TV listings.
Jacobs gave the Dash an early lead last weekend but left the game as a precaution following a collision inside the box. The team was also without forward Bárbara Olivieri, who missed the match with an illness. Reinforcements arrived earlier this week as forward Ramona Bachmann reported to Houston for her first week with the team. The Dash signed the veteran forward from Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month. The Swiss international won the D1 Arkemaleague title during the 2020-2021 season with PSG and the Coupe de France féminine the following year. She led the club to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 campaign.
Portland enters Saturday’s match in search of its first victory of the season. The Thorns fell to the North Carolina Courage on the road last Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Complex. Portland enters the game with a 0-3-1 (WLD) record, with their only point coming in a 2-2 draw with Racing Louisville on March 30. The Thorns recently announced changes to the coaching staff. On Tuesday, the club announced that Mike Norris would serve as the technical director and named Rob Gale the interim head coach while the team began a global search for the team’s next manager.
Saturday will mark the 21st meeting between the two teams since 2014. Portland leads the series with a 14-5-6 (WLD) record. Houston won the series last year earning a point at Providence Park and a 2-1 victory at Shell Energy Stadium on May 12. The two teams will meet again in Houston on May 17.
The Dash will close the two-game road trip in Salt Lake City when they face the Utah Royals. This is the first time the Dash visit Utah since winning the 2020 Challenge Cup, where the inaugural tournament was staged during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Utah Royals returned to the NWSL as an expansion team for the 2024 season.
