The 2022 international competition calendar was off to a strong start for several Dash players Thursday afternoon with Canada and England facing off against one another to in the first match of the Arnold Clark Cup at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, England.
Four of Houston’ stars were present after they were called up by their respective home nations. Forward Rachel Daly earned the start and helped anchor the backline for England against her club teammates forward Nichelle Prince, midfielder Sophie Schmidt and defender Allysha Chapman who represent Canada. Prince and Chapman were available off the bench to start the game.
The Lionesses jumped to 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute after England’s Millie Bright found the back of the net. Canada tied things up in the 55th minute, at 1-1. Four minutes later, Prince was subbed on for Jordyn Huitema. Daly was subbed off in the 65th minute of the match as the two sides settled for a draw, each earning a point on the night.
Later in the evening on Thursday, forward María Sánchez and Mexico faced off against Suriname in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship Qualifiers group stage at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
Sánchez was available off the bench for the start of the match and was subbed on in the 54th minute. The forward recorded an assist for the the final goal of the match as El Tri took three points with a 9-0 win.
Friday morning, forward Michelle Alozie and the Nigerian Women’s National team faced off against Cote d'Ivoire in the Super Falcon’s first match of Africa Women Cup of Nations competition.
Alozie earned the start and played a full 90-minute match in Nigeria’s 2-0 win in a crucial qualifying match.
All of Houston’s international players will be back in action later this week with Daly and the Lionesses will facing Spain on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 9:15 a.m. CST. Houston’s Canadian trio will play Germany on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2:15 p.m. CST. Sánchez will travel to the Dominican Republic to face Antigua and Barbuda on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. CT. Alozie will face Cote d'Ivoire on Feb. 23 in Abidjan.
