The Houston Dash remain unbeaten on the road after Christine Nairn’s 90th minute goal gave the club a 1-1 draw with Reign FC at Cheney Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Reign defender Morgan Proffitt cleared the second ball after Dash midfielder Haley Hanson shot from the edge of the box. The ball fell to Nairn outside the penalty area and the midfielder finished from distance to add another spectacular long-range effort to her NWSL goal tally. This was Nairn’s first goal for the club and Houston’s first point on the road in Washington against the Reign, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the Evergreen State.
Reign FC forward Bethany Balcer gave the Reign the lead in the first half when she found space behind the Dash backline and beat Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell with a shot to the far-right post.
Houston had the first look at goal when captain Kealia Ohai dribbled into the box and shot a ball that landed in Reign goalkeeper Casey Murphy’s hands in the eighth minute. In the second half, Ohai came close to the goal again when she cut inside the box and tested her luck with a curling effort that forced a save from Murphy. Ohai finished the game with three shots and two on target.
The Reign’s first threat came in the 12th minute, Campbell blocked a shot that was then cleared by Dash defender Amber Brooks. Balcer came close to the Dash goal two minutes later as she picked up a loose ball inside the box and shot a ball that went inches above the crossbar.
At the 29th minute, Dash forward Sofia Huerta shot a ball that forced a save from Murphy. Reign midfielder Morgan Andrews conceded a penalty attempting to clear the rebound, which made contact with her arm. Huerta attempted the penalty, her first this season, and missed with a low shot just outside the left post.
Campbell tallied one of her six saves in the 67th minute after she denied Reign midfielder Jessica Fishlock’s free kick from outside the box. Fishlock’s effort went over the wall and dipped under the crossbar, but a lunging Campbell punched the ball out of play.
Huerta continued to push offensively, attempting a shot at the 69th minute after she cut in front two Reign defenders and shot a ball to the right side of the post. Huerta’s shot was handled by Murphy.
Dash midfielder Kristie Mewis just missed from outside the box as her left-footed strike skipped over the crossbar in the 86th minute.
Dash forward Ariana Calderon and defender Ally Prisock made their NWSL debut this afternoon, and forward CeCe Kizer earned her first start today.
With the equalizer, Houston extended their longest regular season game-scoring streak in club history with seven goals in six games.
The Dash will host Orlando Pride for the second time this season at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 15 at BBVA Compass Stadium. Tickets for the match start at $15 and are available at HoustonDashSoccer.com.
Reign FC (2-1-4; 10 pts.) 1-1 Houston Dash (3-2-2; 11 pts)
NWSL Regular Season, Week 8
Saturday, June 2, 2019 – Cheney Stadium – Tacoma, Washington
Attendance: 3,063
SCORING SUMMARY:
RFC: Bethany Balcer 3 (unassisted) 32
HOU: Christine Nairn 1 (unassisted) 90
LINEUPS:
Reign FC: Casey Murphy; Theresa Nielsen, Lauren Barnes ©, Megan Oyster, Christen Westphal; Jess Fishlock, Morgan Andrews, Kristen McNabb (Morgan Proffitt 39’); Shea Groom, Bethany Balcer (Meagan Kelly 84), Darian Jenkins (Ifeoma Onumonu 34’)
Unused substitutes: Stephanie Cox, Jaycie Johnson, Scout Watson, Addison Steiner
Total shots: 19 (Bethany Balcer and Jess Fishlock tied with 5); Shots on goal: 7 (Bethany Balcer and Jess Fishlock tied with 2); Fouls: 8 (Shea Groom 3); Offside: 5 (Ifeoma Onumonu 2); Corner kicks: 5 (Jessica Fishlock 3); Saves: 3(Casey Murphy)
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell; Arianna Romero, Ally Prisock, Amber Brooks, Satara Murray; Christine Nairn, Kristie Mewis, Haley Hanson; Sofia Huerta (Jamia Fields 80), Kealia Ohai ©, Cece Kizer (Ariana Calderon 74)
Unused Substitutes: Bianca Henninger, Jazmin Jackmon, Riley Smith, Taylor Comeau, Betsy Brandon
Total shots: 12 (Sofia Huerta and Kealia Ohai tied with 3); Shots on goal: 3 (Kealia Ohai 2); Fouls: 7 (Satara Murray and Ally Prisock tied with 2); Offside: 2 (Kealia Ohai and Haley Hanson tied with 1); Corner kicks: 1 (Sofia Huerta 1); Saves: 6 (Jane Campbell 6)
DISCIPLINE:
RFC: Shea Groom (caution; unsporting behavior) 45 +3’
HOU: Ally Prisock (caution; unsporting behavior) 66
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Tori Penso
Assistant Referee 1: Adrienne McDonald
Assistant Referee 2: Melissa Beck
Fourth Official: Levi Rippy
Weather: Cloudy, 64 degrees
