The Houston Dash have never made the NWSL postseason in their four-year history. The club better known for being snubbed by USWNT stars is trying to change that, and a 4-0 rout of the Washington Spirit on Friday night could be just what they need to finally make it over the hump in their fifth year.
With four matches to play and four points out of a playoff spot, the Dash hosted the Spirit at BBVA Compass Stadium. After a scoreless opening 40 minutes, J.J. Watt’s better half Kealia Ohai opened the scoring with a well-placed effort in the bottom corner. But it was the woman who set up the goal — England international Rachel Daly — who supplied the best highlight of the night.
Late in the match, after a brace from Sofia Huerta, the one USWNT star who doesn’t seem to hate Houston, Daly made a perfect dummy to free up Australia international Kyah Simon for the game’s fourth and final goal.
The dummy from @RachelDaly3, the finish from @KyahSimon. The @HoustonDash are having a night at home!#HOUvWAS | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/4DGcImwHDZ
— NWSL (@NWSL) August 18, 2018
It was the perfect way to cap a much-needed win for the Houston Dash, who set a few club records along the way.
Last night’s win was huge for the Dash:
- Most league wins in club history (8)
- Largest win margin in club history
- Tied club record for most goals scored in a season (29 goals in 2016)#DashTFOn https://t.co/DzEm6Wcfx1— The Foxtrot (@DynamicFoxtrot) August 18, 2018
Check out the full highlights here.
Those #HOUvWAS highlights are all ready for you.
We're back tomorrow with three more #NWSL games! pic.twitter.com/N6S3sJchct— NWSL (@NWSL) August 18, 2018
Not bad for a team that can’t seem to get any stars to want to play in Houston. Carli Lloyd never showed much interest in playing for the Dash before she was traded for Christen Press, who never even showed up to play for the fourth largest city in the country.
The caveat to this win is how bad the Washington Spirit are. They’ve won two out of 21 games with a minus-21 goal differential. They are 40 points behind first place, but shockingly aren’t in last place because the Sky Blue are even worse.
But the Houston Dash have a chance to finally make the playoffs, in part because they play the winless Sky Blue before the season’s end.
The18 Recommends For You
