A pair of first-half goals by Sky Blue FC were enough to defeat the Houston Dash 2-1 tonight in front of 4,102 fans at BBVA Stadium.
Sky Blue forward Carli Lloyd scored in the 26th minute and again in the 41st to propel the visitors to victory. The Dash pulled a goal back in the fourth minute of stoppage time through a determined individual effort from captain Kealia Ohai, but her strike proved to be virtually the final touch of the match as referee Natalie Simon blew her whistle for full time immediately after the ensuing kickoff.
The Dash outshot Sky Blue 18-13, including a 7-4 edge in shots on goal, and had 21 crosses to Sky Blue’s 6, but found themselves unlucky to not score through the first 93 minutes of play. Houston hit the crossbar twice in the match, once in each half, but each shot bouncing away from the goal rather than into it.
Lloyd’s first goal came when she made a delayed run between two defenders to the back post and punched in a low centering pass from forward Jennifer Hoy. She scored again just before halftime when she found the ball on the left wing, dribbled into the box and past a Dash defender before shooting into the right corner past Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell.
Houston nearly responded in the 43rd minute when a header from Dash forward Rachel Daly hit the crossbar. Houston midfielder Kristie Mewisserved a cross off of a corner kick that Daly found in the air. Daly snapped a headed shot toward goal, beating Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, but the shot caught the crossbar and ricocheted down, inches away from a goal. Dash defender Amber Brooks put the rebound back on target, but Sheridan was able to parry it away.
The Dash made a change at halftime bringing on midfielder Christine Nairn in place of forward Jamia Fields. It marked Nairn’s 143rd career appearance in NWSL regular-season play, which tied the league’s all-time record.
Houston hit the crossbar again in the 76th minute on a nearly identical play, when midfielder Sofia Huerta headed a high ball towards the goal, clanging off the bar and away from the goal.
Ohai finally broke through in stoppage time when she took possession of the ball down the club’s left flank, dribbled past two Sky Blue defenders and cut inside onto her right foot before burying a shot in the lower left corner of the net.
Campbell was officially credited with two saves on the night, including a Save of the Week nominee in the 15th minute when she reacted quickly to parry away a powerful diving header from Lloyd inside the six-yard box.
Next week, the Dash will enjoy a bye week before they travel to Chicago to face the Red Stars at 5 p.m. CDT on Sunday, September 8 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The match will be streamed live on Yahoo! Sports.
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Houston Dash (6-8-4; 22 pts.) 1-2 Sky Blue FC (4-11-4; 16 pts.)
NWSL Regular Season, Week 19
Saturday, August 24, 2019 – BBVA Stadium – Houston, Texas
Attendance: 4,102
SCORING SUMMARY:
<strong>Team</strong> |
<strong>1H</strong> |
<strong>2H</strong> |
<strong>FT</strong> |
<p>Houston Dash</p> |
<p>0</p> |
<p>1</p> |
<p>1</p> |
<p>Sky Blue FC</p> |
<p>2</p> |
<p>0</p> |
<p>2</p> |
SBFC: Carli Lloyd 3 (Jennifer Hoy 1) 26
SBFC: Carli Lloyd 4 (Raquel Rodriguez 2) 41
HOU: Kealia Ohai 2 (Ariana Calderon 1) 90+4
LINEUPS:
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell; Haley Hanson, Ally Prisock (Ari Calderon 63), Amber Brooks, Allysha Chapman; Kristie Mewis, Sophie Schmidt (Cece Kizer 75), Sofia Huerta; Jamia Fields (Christine Nairn 45), Kealia Ohai (C), Rachel Daly
Unused substitutes: Bianca Henninger, Satara Murray, Lindsay Agnew, Cami Privett
Total shots: 18 (Rachel Daly 6); Shots on goal: 7 (Sofia Huerta, Kealia Ohai 2); Fouls: 9 (Nine players tied, 1 each); Offside: 3 (Kealia Ohai 2); Corner kicks: 7 (Sofia Huerta 4); Saves: 2 (Jane Campbell 2)
Sky Blue FC: Kailen Sheridan; Erica Skroski (Julie James 45), Caprice Dydasco, Gine Lewandowski, Imani Dorsey; Sarah Killion (C), Raquel Rodriguez, Carli Lloyd, Paige Monaghan (Dominique Richardson 85), Elizabeth Eddy, Jennifer Hoy (Amandine Pierre-Louis 66)
Unused Substitutes: Kenie Wright, Didi Haracic, Nahomi Kawasumi
Total shots: 13 (Carli Lloyd 11); Shots on goal: 4 (Carli Lloyd 4); Fouls: 10 (Carli Lloyd 4); Offside: 2 (Paige Monaghan, Amandine Pierre-Louis 1); Corner kicks: 5 (Elizabeth Eddy 5); Saves: 6 (Kailen Sheridan 6)
DISCIPLINE:
SBFC: Caprice Dydasco (caution; foul) 7
SBFC: Erica Skroski (caution; foul) 34
SBFC: Gina Lewandowski (caution; foul) 49
SBFC: Kailen Sheridan (caution; time wasting) 83
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Natalie Simon
Assistant Referee 1: Kali Smith
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Gonzalez
Fourth Official: Alex Billeter
Weather: Clear skies, 86 degrees
