Houston Dash midfielders Carli Lloyd, Morgan Brian and forward Kealia Ohai finished a two-game sweep over Switzerland this weekend by contributing to three of the five USWNT goals scored at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Ohai received her first cap on Sunday as she came on in the second half for Crystal Dunn with nine minutes to go. A mere 48 seconds later, the forward was celebrating her first international goal.
“It couldn’t have been more perfect for me today,” Ohai said after the game. “It’s very nerve-racking. You dream of this your whole life, so when you’re about to go on you get really nervous but once you get the first touch you kind of calm down. So when I scored that goal I was just like ‘I’m fine. I can play.’ and it always gets better when you get the first touch.”
The goal came as Ohai received a pass from Christen Press inside the box. The Dash forward held off a defender and hooked a low shot to the bottom corner of the far post past the reach of a diving Stenia Michel.
This was the first senior camp for Ohai, who had prior experience with the youth national team system. The North Carolina product scored the game-winning goal in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup final. The forward was the first non-federation or allocated player in Dash history to receive a cap and score a goal for the senior USWNT team.
Brian and Lloyd both started each contest; and the reigning FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year unleashed a blistering strike in the 25th minute on Sunday to tie the match. FS1 play-by-play broadcaster Glenn Davis described Lloyd’s strike as being “hit with no regard to humanity.”
“Shooting from distance is kind of my bread and butter,” Lloyd said. “It was a little bouncy on that turf but I got a good bounce. I couldn’t have hit it any better than I did. I just kind of let it happen. I didn’t try to crush it, I didn’t try to break the net and that’s usually when you hit it pretty well.”
The USWNT will play two games in November, both against Romania in California. When asked about the performance of the new crop of players, USWNT head coach Jill Ellis highlighted the depth available and their adaptation to a new formation.
“The ones that got on the field are the ones that stood out,” Ellis said. “The whole group has done remarkably well. They’ve been very coachable and very willing of whatever we ask of them.”
Watch Lloyd, Brian and Ohai at BBVA Compass Stadium next season. The club recently exercised the 2017 contract options on 12 players, including Ohai. To purchase season memberships for Houston’s fourth season in the NWSL or for more information on other ticket packages, call (713) 276-GOAL or visit HoustonDashSoccer.com/tickets.
