Match Preview: Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash
Audi Field | Washington, District of Columbia – Saturday, October 1 at 7:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
Washington had three shots on target against the Current, with midfielder Bayley Feist leading the way with two. It was the first time Feist had multiple shots on goal in the same game since doing so in August of 2019 against the Pride. Last match was the last time Washington had failed to score since mid-July as well, with forward Ashley Hatch leading the team in scoring with nine goals.
Houston midfielder Shea Groom earned a yellow card off one foul in Houston’s 2-0 loss to OL Reign, giving her five yellow cards for the season and 35 fouls committed. Groom is the first player with 35+ fouls and five or more yellow cards in a single season in team history and the fifth NWSL player ever with such a season. In the goal scoring department, and though she missed last game, Houston forward Ebony Salmon leads the side with nine goals since arriving from Louisville.
Match facts: The Washington Spirit host the Houston Dash for their regular season finale at Audi Field on Saturday night, and while the Spirit are out of the running for a playoff place, a win for Houston could see them qualify anywhere from third to fifth depending on other results. However, in a similar scenario depending on other results, Houston could also fall out of the playoff race and finish as low as seventh with a loss.
The Spirit are entering off a 3-0 loss to Kansas City in their penultimate game of the 2022 season, for their largest loss this year. Excluding forfeit losses, Sunday’s game was the first Washington had been shut out while giving up at least three goals since a 4-0 loss to Houston in the 2018 season.
Meanwhile, Houston comes in with an impressive road resumes as the side has collected six wins in 10 road matches this season (D2 L2), the most away wins of any NWSL team in 2022. The Dash’s average of 2.0 points per road game would be the third highest such average in league history behind the 2018 Courage (2.3) and the 2014 Reign (2.2).
Since the beginning of last season, Houston and Washington have played to a pair of 2-2 draws and a pair of one-goal Spirit wins. In 11 all-time home games in the fixture, the Spirit have seven wins (D1 L3).
