The Houston Dash had an eventful night back home as they hosted the Orlando Pride. The Dash came out victorious with a 3-1 win despite a 92-minute weather delay and lots of stoppage time drama.
Here are three things we learned:
Daly is electric at home
Rachel Daly led the Dash attack against Orlando. After the weather delay due to lightning, the forward took over and lit up Orlando’s backline. She was often the player the Dash found after winning the ball on a turnover and her head was often the one they looked for in the box.
Daly made a stellar statement by scoring a brace, with one goal in the 17th minute and one in the 50th minute. Her first goal came off a turnover when fellow forward Kealia Ohai picked the ball off a defender and quickly played Daly in behind the defense, where she slotted the ball away. Her second goal came in the 50th minute, this time unassisted on a first-touch volley as she caught the rebound, striking it just under the crossbar and past goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris’ fingertips. She almost earned a hat trick in stoppage time, but was called offside.
Scoring early helps
Something the Dash have struggled with in the past is being able to score early. With Daly’s goal in the 17th minute – just five minutes after play resumed following the lightning delay – and then quickly putting another away in five minutes into the second half, the Dash were able to stay in control of the game despite Orlando getting one back in the 55th minute. Houston was still able to maintain the lead and stay comfortable.
They were also creating many dangerous opportunities against Orlando, something that’s been a work in progress over the past few games. Even with Orlando being able to score, the Dash didn’t stop their attack for one moment, getting shots off and finding themselves in the box more often than not. Those chances paid off with Thembi Kgatlana netting her first professional NWSL goal and the Dash’s third goal of the night in stoppage time to restore the two-goal lead and seal the victory.
Clutch Campbell
For as much action as there was in the Dash’s attack, the defense played a huge part in Wednesday’s win. Notably, goalkeeper Jane Campbell made quite a few big saves in order to keep the Dash ahead for the entire match.
Campbell was called upon many times to make crucial saves throughout the match. Orlando boasts a very threatening attack, including three Women’s World Cup winners up top and a deep and talented bench, but it was no problem at the end of the day for Campbell, who consistently put her body on the line to protect her goal.
