Shell Energy Stadium | Houston, Texas – Wednesday, May 3 at 8:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
Houston attacker María Sánchez has contributed to four of the Dash’s last six goals (1G, 3A) in the Challenge Cup. The three assists are the most in the competition by any player in team history despite Sánchez having played just seven games in the Challenge Cup, fewer than 13 other Houston players. Though the Dash did not score in their Challenge Cup opener against Kansas City, the side did put two past Chicago in the regular season in which forward Diana Ordóñez was on the scoresheet alongside Sánchez in a 2-1 win.
Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has played 14 Challenge Cup matches in her career, the third most of any goalkeeper. Naeher has four clean sheets in the competition’s history with only Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury having more shutouts in the Challenge Cup (six). In the league, the Red Stars are led in scoring by first year forward Penelope Hocking, who has two goals in five matches.
Match facts: The Houston Dash host the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday night in the second of three Challenge Cup matches across the NWSL. The Dash, who defeated Chicago on the road at the beginning of April, will look to bounce back from an opening 2-0 loss to Kansas City in the competition, while Chicago kicks off its Challenge Cup campaign with this fixture.
In its most recent match, Houston was unfortunate not to be able to play a full 90 minutes as a weather-shortened 1-0 loss to the Courage on Saturday means the side has been shut out in all three of its home games in 2023 (all competitions). It is the third time an NWSL team has failed to score in their first three competitive home games of a season, along with the Dash in 2014 and the Boston Breakers in 2016. Houston currently sits sixth in the league after five games, having won one, lost one and drawn three—two of which have been scoreless.
Dating back to last season, Chicago has lost four straight road games in all competitions, meaning Wednesday night is an opportunity to reverse their fortunes. That is the longest all-competition road losing streak in the club’s NWSL history. In their last three matches, Chicago has won one, lost one and drawn one, earning their first league victory of the year against Kansas City on April 15. However, a week later the Red Stars were bounced 5-2 by OL Reign before a gritty one-all draw against Washington last Saturday followed.
Challenge Cup history between the two is one-sided as of late. The Red Stars swept the Dash in last season’s Challenge Cup with a pair of two-goal wins. Houston, however, has won all three games in the fixture since then, outscoring Chicago, 7-2, in those matches.
