Dash travel to Pacific Northwest for showdown with Portland Thorns

The Houston Dash will look to bounce back from a tough result on Wednesday night when they fell 1-0 at the first-place North Carolina Courage and earn their eighth win of the season against the Portland Thorns this evening at 6:30 p.m. CDT at Providence Park.

“Everybody’s disappointed in the way the game ended the other night – we’ve put in a huge amount of effort” says Dash Head Coach James Clarkson. “Collectively as a team I thought we were excellent. We have to build on that and continue to do that against Portland, who is a very strong side.”

This season, the Dash have been more effective on the road than at home, tallying 14 of their 25 points away with a 4-4-2 record. The team will look to close the season series against the Thorns on a positive note to step closer to the playoff line. A win tonight would give the Dash their fourth victory against Portland and break the club record for most road wins in a single season with five. The team is currently sitting six points shy of a spot in the playoffs with three games remaining on the schedule.

Here are three key points ahead of tonight’s game:

1. HUNGRY FOR POINTS – Last week, Houston lost to the first-place North Carolina Courage in an unfortunate fashion, conceding a penalty in the 88th minute of the game. Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell came up inches short of saving the penalty, as the ball slipped just past her fingers. Despite Campbell’s strong efforts toward shutting out the Courage with four saves, Houston fell at WakeMed Soccerpark, 1-0. Portland’s last game was against North Carolina as well, falling in a high-scoring defeat at home against the Courage, 6-0 on Sept. 11. Tonight, both teams are expected to put on an exciting duel as they look to compensate for their respective losses.
2. WEEK-LONG MARATHON – Dash will play their third game in nine days, traveling to both coasts and tallying a total of 1,833 miles. The team started the weary schedule with a strong victory against Christen Press and Utah Royals at BBVA Stadium, 2-1, on Friday, Sept. 13. Two days later, Houston travelled to North Carolina for a grueling match against the league leaders. The club will look to end the week earning their first victory against the Thorns this season.  
3. HOUSTON’S GRIT – During the season, Clarkson has repeatedly emphasized the team’s grit shown on the field. Houston has endured a season full of competitive games that aren’t reflected in the league’s standings due to unlucky outcomes throughout. Out of the team’s ten losses, eight were decided by one goal. Behind their two leading scorers,  midfielder Sofia Huerta and forward Rachel Daly,  the team will look to finish strong by collecting the points needed to fight for a playoff spot.