NEED TO KNOW:
· Houston will play for their first NWSL playoff berth in the final game of the season.
· The Dash close the year with a game in Washington on October 31.
· Houston finishes the season with a 5-2-4 record at home.
HOUSTON – The Houston Dash finished their regular-season home schedule with a 1-0 loss to the Portland Thorns tonight at PNC Stadium, with the lone goal coming in the 43rd minute. With this result, the Dash finish the season with a 5-2-4 record at home.
The loss means that Houston will have to wait until its last match of the season to learn its playoff fate. Houston will finish the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 31 at the Washington Spirit. The NWSL table is extremely tightly bunched with the Dash tied with two other teams and just four points separating the third- and seventh-place squads heading into the final week of games.
The first half was a decidedly defensive affair, with both teams struggling to generate clean looks at goal and both defenses swarming to the ball whenever it was put in a dangerous position. The closest that either team came to scoring came when the Thorns hit the woodwork twice.
The Dash’s first dangerous chance at a goal came in the 27th minute, when forward Nichelle Prince got out on a counterattack and worked her way into the Portland 18-yard-box before getting off a dangerous strike at goal. Prince’s ball ricocheted off of a Thorns defender and into the arms of the Portland goalkeeper.
The Dash had a chance to take the lead going into the half, when Prince earned a corner kick in the 42nd minute. Midfielder Kristie Mewis swung the ball perfectly into the box and onto the head of forward Rachel Daly, who turned a powerful headed shot on target, but Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby was well positioned to make the save.
A minute later, the Thorns opened up the scoring when the ball fell to the feet of midfielder Lindsey Horan at the top of the penalty area after a scramble inside the box. Horan ran onto the loose ball and fired a shot past goalkeeper Jane Campbell and into the Dash’s net.
The Dash nearly had a chance to tie up the game in the 61st minute. Prince once again raced down the pitch before crossing the ball into Daly, who got a touch on the ball. The referee, however, blew the play dead for offsides.
Kickoff for Houston’s regular season finale at Washington is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and fans can stream the game on Paramount +.
—
Houston Dash (9-9-5; 32 pts.) 0-1 Portland Thorns (13-6-4; 43 pts.)
2021 NWSL Regular Season – Week 21
PNC Stadium – Houston, Texas
Attendance: 4,792
SCORING SUMMARY
|
TEAM |
1H |
2H |
FT |
|
Houston Dash |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Portland Thorns |
1 |
0 |
1 |
POR: Lindsey Horan 2 (Morgan Weaver 3) 43
LINEUPS:
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell; Haley Hanson, Katie Naughton, Megan Oyster, Allysha Chapman; Kristie Mewis, Sophie Schmidt (Shea Groom 77), Gabby Seiler, Rachel Daly (C), Bri Visalli (Veronika Latsko 68), Nichelle Prince
Unused substitutes: Lindsey Harris, Michelle Alozie, Andrea Hauksdottir, Annika Schmidt, Jasmyne Spencer, Makamae Gomera-Stevens
Total shots: 13 (Nichelle Prince, 4); Shots on goal: 5 (Nichelle Prince 3); Fouls: 5 (Allysha Chapman, 2); Offside: 2; Corner kicks: 7; Saves: 3 (Jane Campbell 3)
Portland Thorns: Bella Bixby; Becky Sauerbrunn, Emily Menges, Meghan Klingenberg (Kelly Hubli 89), Natalia Kuikka; Angela Salem, Lindsey Horan, Rocky Rodriguez (Yazmeen Ryan 90+2); Christine Sinclair (C) (Crystal Dunn 75), Sophia Smith (Simone Charley 75), Morgan Weaver (Tyler Lussi 89)
Unused substitutes: Olivia Moultrie, Marissa Everett, Madison Pogarch, Abby Smith
Total shots: 16 (Lindsey Horan, Sophia Smith 4); Shots on goal: 5 (Lindsey Horan 2); Fouls: 14 (Rocky Rodriguez, Morgan Weaver 3); Offside: 1; Corner kicks: 6; Saves: 5 (Bella Bixby 5)
DISCIPLINE:
HOU: Allysha Chapman (caution, foul) 52
POR: Rocky Rodriguez (caution, dissent) 60
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Luis Guardia
Assistant Referee: Alicia Messer
Assistant Referee: Salma Perez
Fourth Official: Alexandra Theriot
Weather: 72 degrees, mostly cloudy
