THE BASICS
Houston Dash vs. Western New York Flash
Saturday, June 20, 7:30 p.m. CT
BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Stream: HoustonDashSoccer.com/live – 7:30 p.m.
REFEREE: Ekaterina Koroleva. Assistant Referees: Amanda Ross, Rachel Smith. 4th Official: Greg Dopka.
PREVIEW
The Houston Dash (2-2-4, 10 points) take on the Western New York Flash (3-3-1, 10 points) as the NWSL returns from a break in the schedule during the World Cup group stage. Prior to the break, the Dash and Portland Thorns FC played to a scoreless draw in Houston, stretching the Dash’s unbeaten streak to a team-record four games. Western New York, on a three-game unbeaten run of their own, handed the Chicago Red Stars their first loss of the year in a 3-1 result in Rochester on June 6.
INJURY REPORT (as of Friday, June 19)
HOUSTON DASH -- OUT: Stephanie Ochs (right knee ACL surgery); PROBABLE: Brittany Bock (right foot pain)
WESTERN NEW YORK FLASH -- OUT: India Trotter (right knee ACL tear); Jordan Angeli (right ankle sprain); QUESTIONABLE: Camilla Kur (right ankle sprain)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
- ALL TIME (3 meetings): Dash 2 wins, 5 goals … Flash 1 win, 6 goals … Ties 0
- AT HOUSTON (2 meetings): Dash 1 win, 3 goals … Flash 1 win, 5 goals … Ties 0
- LAST YEAR: 5/31: WNYF 1, HOU 2 (Zerboni 44—Ohai 50; Burger 73); 6/11: HOU 2, WNYF 1 (McCarty 40; Noyola 65—Martin 62); 7/5: HOU 1, WNYF 4 (Jackson 81—Spencer 13; Kerr 28; Bermudez 80, Elston OG 89)
- FUTURE MATCH: 7/25: Western New York Flash vs. Houston Dash, 7 p.m. ET
SCOUTING WESTERN NEW YORK
The Flash began 2015 with consecutive losses, but have recovered to win three of their last five matches to put them in the middle of the NWSL pack. Rookie Samantha Mewis leads the team with three goals, and former Dash midfielder Becky Edwards has contributed three assists and a goal. Western New York is currently riding a three-game unbeaten streak, and has scored three goals in each of their three wins this season.
HOUSTON'S UNBEATEN RUN
The Dash have now gone four games without a loss, the longest stretch in the franchise’s brief history. The team is 1-0-3 during that period, with their last loss coming on May 2 against FC Kansas City. Houston went three games unbeaten on two separate occasions in 2014; those six matches accounted for 75 percent of the club’s non-loss results in its inaugural season.
DASH AT THE WORLD CUP
Both Canada and the United States — with three Dash players apiece — advanced from the group stages into the knockout phase of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Canada, anchored on the back line with Erin McLeod, Allysha Chapman and Lauren Sesselmann, allowed just one goal en route to winning Group A. They face Switzerland in the Round of 16 on Sunday afternoon. Carli Lloyd, Meghan Klingenberg, Morgan Brian and the U.S. also finished first in Group D, earning a matchup against Colombia on Monday night. Dash players played a total of 1,300 minutes in the group phase, more than any other NWSL team.
