The Houston Dash suffered their first defeat on the road this season as they fell 5-2 to the North Carolina Courage this evening at Sahlen’s Stadium.
Both teams combined for five goals in the first half as both teams capitalized on rebounds and giveaways near midfield. Courage forward Kristen Hamilton finished with four goals this evening and her first came in the fifth minute of the game off an assist from Merritt Mathias.
Hamilton doubled Carolina’s lead off a breakaway and beat Dash defender Clare Polkinghorne to the ball in the 18th minute. Once inside the box, Hamilton cut to her outside foot and her right-footed effort beat Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell at the top corner of the far post.
Dash midfielder Kristie Mewis brought Houston within one goal in the 24th minute after she controlled a pass from forward Kyah Simon inside the box. Mewis poked the ball between traffic and past the Courage shot stopper for her second goal of the season. The goal was Mewis’ fourth goal for the Dash.
Courage forward Lynn Williams gave North Carolina a two-goal lead after she capitalized on a blocked pass from Denise O’Sullivan in the 31st minute. Williams sprinted past the last Houston defender to create space for a shot that beat the Houston goalkeeper at the opposite post.
Dash midfielder Sophie Schmidt found Simon outside the box in the 43rd minute for Houston’s second goal of the game. The Australian international dribbled into the box and struck a low ball to the right post and past Courage goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland for her second goal of the season.
Hamilton scored her third goal of the evening in the 54th minute off a cross from Williams that fell near the penalty spot. The forward dribbled past a Dash defender and beat Campbell with a low shot to the far post.
The final goal of the game came in the 71st minute after Courage midfielder Debinha dribbled past two defenders outside the penalty area and found Hamilton inside the box. The forward cut inside and her left-footed shot found the back of the net for Hamilton’s fourth goal of the game.
The Courage opened the game with heavy pressure and Hamilton found herself in front of the goal in the first minute, forcing a save from Campbell. Houston responded shortly as Mewis found herself inside the box and took her chance at the top right corner of the goal hitting the crossbar.
Houston midfielder Cami Privett made her season debut and this marked her return to the NWSL after she came in for midfielder Christine Nairnin the second half. Privett rejoins the Dash for her third season with the club.
The Dash will host the Chicago Red Stars at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, July 13 at BBVA Stadium. Saturday’s match is part of the 713 Series which offers fans $7 general admission tickets, $1 hot dogs and $3 beer. For additional information, visit HoustonDashSoccer.com
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North Carolina Courage (5-2-4; 19 pts.) 2-2 Houston Dash (3-4-4; 12 pts)
NWSL Regular Season, Week 12
Friday, July 5, 2019 – Sahlen’s Stadium – Cary, North Carolina
Attendance: 5,066
SCORING SUMMARY:
Team 1H 2H FT
North Carolina Courage 3 2 5
Houston Dash 2 0 2
NCC: Kristen Hamilton 4 (Merritt Mathias 3) 5’
NCC: Kristen Hamilton 5 (Jaelene Hinkle 4) 18’
HOU: Kristie Mewis 2 (Kyah Simon 2) 24’
NCC: Lynn Williams 4 (Denise O’Sullivan 1) 31’
HOU: Kyah Simon 2 (Sophie Schmidt 1) 43’
NCC: Kristen Hamilton 6 (Lynn Williams 4) 54’
NCC: Kristen Hamilton 7 (Debinha 2) 71’
LINEUPS:
North Carolina Courage: Katelyn Rowland; Kaleigh Kurtz, Merritt Mathias, Jaelene Hinkle, Cari Roccaro; McCall Zerboni ©, Denise O’Sullivan, Debihna (Meredith Speck 84); Lynn Williams, Leah Pruitt (Lauren Milliet 46), Kristen Hamilton (Julia Spetsmark 75)
Unused substitutes: Stephanie Labbe, Ally Haran, McKenzie Meehan, Ryan Williams
Total shots: Shots: 12 (Kristen Hamilton and Lynn Williams tied with 5) Shots on goal: 8 (Kristen Hamilton 3); Fouls: 7 (Debinha and Lauren Milliet tied with 2); Offside: 3 (Kristen Hamilton 2); Corner kicks: 1 (Debinha 1); Saves: 3 (Katelyn Rowland)
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell; Allysha Chapman (Lindsay Agnew 65), Clare Polkinghorne, Amber Brooks, Satara Murray; Sophie Schmidt, Haley Hanson, Kristie Mewis; Christine Nairn (Cami Privett 77), Kealia Ohai © (Sofia Huerta 65), Kyah Simon
Unused Substitutes: Bianca Henninger, Arianna Romero, Cece Kizer, Ariana Calderon
Total shots:Shots: 8 (Kristie Mewis 4); Shots on goal: 5 (Kristie Mewis 3); Fouls: 7 (Allysha Chapman 2); Offside: 2 (Kealia Ohai and Kyah Simon tied with 1); Corner kicks: 3 (Christine Nairn 2); Saves: 3 (Jane Campbell 3)
DISCIPLINE:
HOU: Sophie Schmidt (caution; unsporting behavior) 53
HOU: Haley Hanson (caution; unsporting behavior) 69
OFFICIALS:
Referee: Lukasz Szpala
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo
Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Davis
Fourth Official: Joshua Escobar
Weather: Cloudy, 82 degrees
