The Houston Dash fell to the Orlando Pride 3-1 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl on Saturday. This was the first match between the two expansion clubs and the Pride set a new single game NWSL attendance record with 23,403 fans in attendance.
The first goal of the game came in the 48th minute as
Andressa
attempted to clear a shot from Alex Morgan but directed the ball towards
Lydia Williams
’ near post for an own goal.
Ten minutes later
Ellie Brush
committed a foul on Morgan that resulted in a quick free kick goal from Lianne Sanderson. Sanderson took a quick restart that caught the Dash off guard for her first goal of the season.
Morgan scored the Pride's last goal in the 61th minute after Jasmyne Spencer found Stephanie Catley inside the box. The defender found Morgan unmarked at the edge of the six yard box for the third goal of the game.
The Dash's lone goal came from Andressa as she dribbled past a defender and rifled a shot more than 30 yards away in the 76th minute for her first goal of the season.
Kealia Ohai
came in for
Carli Lloyd
in
the 13th minute due to a right knee injury after attempting to win the ball from a defender. Lloyd will be evaluated later this week.
Janine Beckie
won the ball from Laura Alleway in the 19th minute and shot on goal but Harris tipped her shot out of play as she slid towards her far post.
In the 36th minute Spencer made a run into the box but pressure from Beckie caused her to lose her balance and concede a goal kick. Five minutes later Williams denied Beckie Edwards with her left foot at the near post.
The last scoring opportunity for the Dash in the first half came in the 45th minute after Andressa dribbled towards the goal line to deliver a cross that was too high for Beckie.
The second substitution of the game came in the 65th minute when
Chioma Ubogagu
came in for
Morgan Brian
. Six minutes later Ubogago found
Rachel Daly
at the edge of the 18 yard box but was ruled offside.
The Dash continued to pressure Orlando in the final 15 minutes. Daly was called offside in the 83rd minute and two minutes later Harris saved a shot from the rookie that was inches from crossing the goal line.
Poliana
forced a save from Harris in the 86th minute after she dribbled into the box and shot towards goal.Harris punched the ball away for fourth save of the night.
Daly forced a fifth save in the 89th minute after she made a run into the six yard box and shot towards the near post.
The Dash return to BBVA Compass Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 29 to face Sky Blue FC. The first 1,000 fans over the age of 21 will receive a free beer courtesy of head coach Randy Waldrum and the Dash players. For tickets for all Dash games, visit
HoustonDashSoccer.com/tickets
or call 713-276-GOAL.
Houston Dash (1-1-0, 3 points) vs. Orlando Pride (1-1-0, 3 points)
NWSL Regular Season
April 23rd, 2016—Orlando Citrus Bowl—Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 23,403
Scoring Summary:
Orlando: Andressa 1 (own goal) 47
Orlando: Lianne Sanderson 1 (Spencer Jasmyne 1) 58
Orlando: Alex Morgan 1 (Catley Stephanie 1) 61
Houston: Andressa 1 (unassisted) 76
Houston Dash:
Lydia Wiliams; Poliana, Becca Moros, Ellie Brush, Allysha Chapman; Morgan Brian (Chioma Ubogagu 65), Amber Brooks, Andressa ; Rachel Daly, Janine Beckie (Cami Privett 77), Carli Lloyd © (Kealia Ohai 13)
Unused substitutes:
Bianca Henninger, Stephanie Ochs
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Kealia Ohai 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Janine Beckie 2) FOULS: 9 (Morgan Brian 3); OFFSIDES: 3 (Poliana, Carli Lloyd and Rachel Daly tied with 1) CORNER KICKS: 3 (Morgan Brian 2); SAVES: 5 (Lydia Williams 5)
Orlando Pride:
Ashlyn Harris; Josee Belanger, Laura Alleway, Monica Hickmann, Stephanie Catley; Kaylyn Kyle (Sarah Hagen 81), Becky Edwards (Maddy Edwards 70), Dani Weatherholt (Lianne Sanderson 45), Kristen Edmonds; Alex Morgan
©, Jasmyne Spencer
Unused substitutes:
Aubrey Bledsoe, Cami Levin, Toni Pressley, Sam Witteman
TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Alex Morgan 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 ( Kristen Edmonds, Alex Morgan and Lianne Sanderson tied with 2) FOULS: 5 (Josee Belanger, Kaylyn Kyle, Dani Weatherholt, Jasmyne Spencer and Liane Sanderson tied with 1); OFFSIDES: 2 ( Alex Morgan and Jasmyne Spencer tied with 1) CORNER KICKS: 6 (Stephanie Catly 5); SAVES: 5 (Ashlyn Harris 5)
