HOUSTON (June 6, 2024) – The Houston Dash will return to league play on Friday, June 7 when they travel to Lynn Family Stadium in Kentucky to face Racing Louisville FC at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Five players return to Houston after representing their national team during the FIFA window. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell earned her first start for the U.S. Women’s National Team since 2021 and helped the USWNT earn a clean sheet in their 4-0 victory on June 1. Midfielder Sarah Puntigam and forward Ramona Bachmann each found the back of the net for their respective national teams. Katy native Barbara Olivieri logged two appearances from the opening whistle for Venezuela and forward Diana Ordóñez also earned two starts for Mexico against Canada.
Additionally, the team announced today that goalkeeper Erin McKinney signed a one-year contract with the team. The goalkeeper played at the University of Wisconsin from 2019-2023 and led the Badgers to the final of the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament. McKinney joined the Chicago Red Stars for preseason earlier this year and signed with NJ/NY Gotham FC as a season-ending injury replacement player in March.
Houston will look to build on the momentum following a 3-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage on May 24. They face a Louisville team that currently has the final playoff spot with a 2-2-6 (WLD) overall record.
The Dash victory on May 24 featured many firsts despite being 11 matches into the 2024 campaign. Brazilian defender Tarciane made her league and club debut against the Courage and helped Houston earn its fourth clean sheet of the season, which is tied for most in league play. Bachmann, who scored on international duty with Switzerland, also netted her first goal for the Dash in the victory against the Courage. Olivieri also scored her first league goal in the victory against North Carolina.
Friday’s match marks the second time Houston and Louisville will face off during the regular season. The Dash welcomed Louisville to Shell Energy Stadium in March for the regular season home opener which ended in a 0-0 draw. Ever since Racing Louisville began play in 2021, the teams have met 12 times across all competitions. Houston leads the all-time series with six wins, four draws and two losses. Both matches in the 2023 campaign yielded points for the Dash with a 1-0 victory on September 15 and a 0-0 draw on March 26.
The Dash return home on June 15 to host Angel City on Pride Night, presented by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. A full list of activations and additional events around Pride Month is available HERE.
