A two-goal surge in the second half surge and a stoppage-time penalty kick save gave the Houston Dash their fourth win of the season in a 2-1 win over the Washington Spirit this evening at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
With the win, the Dash improved to 4-5-4 on the year and moved to within two points of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining in the season. The win was Houston’s third on the road this year, as they improved to 3-1-2 away from BBVA Stadium.
The Spirit found the back of the net first when midfielder Jordan Di Biasi took advantage of a defensive error inside the box and headed the ball past Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell and into the net in the 52nd minute.
The Dash responded quickly, leveling the game four minutes later when midfielder Sofia Huerta found midfielder Kristie Mewis inside the box to punch in Houston’s first goal. Forward Rachel Daly initiated the play when she slid a pass between two Spirit defenders to send Huerta in behind the Washington back line for the cross. The goal was Mewis’ third goal of the season.
Houston took the lead in the 72nd minute when midfielder Christine Nairn found defender Amber Brooks with a free kick. Brooks headed the ball into the right side of the net for her first goal of the season and fourth with the club. It proved to be Brooks’ first game-winning goal for the Dash and the second of her NWSL career.
Houston looked ready to see out the victory until referee Karen Abt pointed to the penalty spot in the 91st minute after calling a foul on Dash defender Jamia Fields. Spirit forward Mallory Pugh stepped to the spot, but Campbell dove to her right to save the shot, sending the Dash bench in to celebration. When the final whistle blew three minutes later, Campbell was mobbed by her teammates.
Next up for the Dash, they will travel cross-country to the West Coast to take on the league-leading Portland Thorns at 10:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, July 24 at Providence Park. The match will be streamed live on Yahoo! Sports.
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Washington Spirit (5-4-3; 18 pts) 1-2 Houston Dash (4-5-4; 16 pts)
NWSL Regular Season, Week 14
Saturday, June 20, 2019 – Maryland SoccerPlex – Boyd, MD
Attendance:
SCORING SUMMARY:
<strong>Team</strong> |
<strong>1H</strong> |
<strong>2H</strong> |
<strong>FT</strong> |
<p>Washington Spirit</p> |
<p>0</p> |
<p>1</p> |
<p>1</p> |
<p>Houston Dash</p> |
<p>0</p> |
<p>2</p> |
<p>2</p> |
WAS: Jordan Di Biasi 4 (unassisted) 52
HOU: Kristie Mewis 3 (Sofia Huerta 2, Rachel Daly 1) 56
HOU: Amber Brooks 1 (Christine Nairn 2) 72
LINEUPS:
Washington Spirit: Audrey Bledsoe; Tori Huster, Paige Nielsen, Sam Staab, Amy Harrison (Elise Kellond-Knight 69); Andi Sullivan (C), Meggie Dougherty-Howard, Jordan Di Biasi; Mallory Pugh, Ashley Hatch (Chloe Logarzo 79), Cheyna Matthews (Cali Farquharson 68)
Unused substitutes: Diorian Bailey, Shae Yanez, Arielle Ship, Bayley Feist
Total shots: 12 (Cheyna Matthews 3); Shots on goal: 5 (Cheyna Matthews 2); Fouls: 11 (Jordan di Biasi, Ashley Hatch, Mallory Pugh 2); Offside: 2 (Ashley Hatch, Cheyna Matthews 1); Corner kicks: 4 (Jordan di Biasi, Mallory Pugh 2); Saves: 0
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell; Allysha Chapman, Amber Brooks, Ally Prisock, Haley Hanson; Sophie Schmidt, Christine Nairn, Kristie Mewis; Kealia Ohai (C) (Kyah Simon 69), Sofia Huerta (Jamia Fields 88), Rachel Daly
Unused Substitutes: Bianca Henninger, Satara Murray, Lindsay Agnew, Cami Privett, Cece Kizer
Total shots: 9 (Amber Brooks 3); Shots on goal: 2 (Amber Brooks, Kristie Mewis 1); Fouls: 11 (Jamie Fields, Sofia Huerta, Christine Nairn 2); Offside:12(Rachel Daly, Kristie Mewis 1); Corner kicks: 2 (Sofia Huerta, Christine Nairn 1); Saves: 4 (Jane Campbell 4)
