As the season heads towards the final stretch, the Houston Dash will look to earn their seventh victory of the year tonight as they host Utah at 7:30 p.m. CDT at BBVA Stadium.
This season, the Dash have been more effective on the road than at home, tallying 14 points away. The team will look to put their best feet forward in front of the Houston crowd tonight to make a push Houston closer to the playoff line. The team is currently sitting nine points shy of a spot in the playoffs with four games remaining on the schedule.
<strong>WHO:</strong> |
<p>Houston Dash (6-4-9; 22 pts.) vs. Utah Royals (9-4-6; 31 pts.) </p> |
<strong>WHEN:</strong> |
<p>Friday, September 13 – 7:30 p.m. CDT </p> |
<strong>WHERE:</strong> |
<p>BBVA Stadium Stadium – 2200 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77003</p> |
<strong>STREAM:</strong> |
<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nwsl-reign-fc-dash-195941933.html" target="_blank">Yahoo! Sports</a> |
Here are three key points ahead of tonight’s game:
- UNDEFEATED AGAINST THE ROYALS – Utah comes into Houston for the first time this season to start a two-game away stint. The Dash visited Salt Lake City in May and took home three points with a winning brace from forward Rachel Daly. With the win, Houston stood in the first place of the NWSL for the first time in history. Tonight, the team will look to keep an undefeated record against the Royals this season and rack up points to move close to the playoff line.
- PRESS TO IMPRESS – The Dash will look to stop Utah’s forward and U.S. FIFA World Cup Champion Christen Press, who has scored eight goals in her last nine league games after returning from the World Cup. Regardless of the effective performance Press has showcased in the last game, Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell has shown to be extremely reliable for the Dash. The goalkeeper has posted 54 saves this season, having played every match so far this year. Campbell also leads in the league with most penalties stopped, with four on the year.
- FINAL PLAYOFF PUSH – Houston’s season has been full of competitive matchups, but that isn’t reflected in the team’s current NWSL standing. Out of the team’s eight losses, six were decided by one goal. With Daly and midfielders Sofia Huerta and Kristie Mewis leading the pack, Dash will look to start collecting the points needed to reach a playoff spot tonight. Houston is nine points shy of earning a spot into the playoffs and has four games left to play this season. “These last five games are very important to us and what we want to do,” emphasized Head coach James Clarkson. “We’re looking to win and be as competitive as possible tonight.”
