Houston Dash Crowned Champions

After not making the playoffs for the last six years, the Houston Dash claimed their first ever title after defeating the Chicago Red Stars 2-0 in the NWSL Challenge Cup Final. The team proved they weren’t the same as before. 

The game remained scoreless through the first four minutes until a yellow card penalty was given to Chicago’s Kayla Sharples after she tripped Houston’s Kristie Mewis. The penalty kick was taken by Sophie Schmidt in the fifth minute and went in for the goal. Mewis would remain in the game until being pulled in the 29th minute for CeCe Kizer. Mewis apparently injured the hamstring in the penalty. 

After taking a 1-0 lead at the half, Houston would get another goal by Shea Groom with the assist going to Rachel Daly in the first minute of stoppage time. That goal would prove to be the game winner too. 

Can the Dash carry the momentum into the future? Time will tell. 

Houston Dash advance to Challenge Cup Championship

For the first time in team history, the Houston Dash are playing for a championship. The path was not easy though. 

Facing the Utah Royals FC for the second time, both teams battled to a scoreless draw to end regulation. The officiating was questionable since the Dash had yellow card cautions issued to Kristie Mewis and Allysha Chapman. The Royals had yellow cards issued to Kate Bowen, Tziarra King, and Rachel Corsie. The refs also missed a hold on the jersey of Rachel Daly, which should have resulted in a red card ejection. They also missed a trip by Utah on the Dash as well. 

Head coach James Clarkson expresses his frustration by saying that he’s more concerned about the quality of the officiating and that is part of the problem. He said that’s why the match got physical at times and that he’s sick of too many missed calls. “It was clearly a red card in the first half and that would have changed things. Too many fouls were not called and too many things were missed.” 

The two teams then participated in 5 rounds of penalty kicks to decide the winner. Royals FC goalie Abby Smith let in goals by Sophie Schmidt, Christine Nairn, and Rachel Daly before saving an attempt by Brianna Visalli. 

Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell, who already had saved 9 of 15 shots faced going into the match, saved the kick by Amy Rodriguez. Lo’Eau Labonta then scored to make it 2-1 Dash. Rachel Corsie needed to score to tie the match and keep Utah’s hopes alive. Campbell saved the attempt and Utah would need to score both remaining shots to send it to sudden death. Tziarra King scored and Verónica Boquete came up short. Houston advanced by a score of 3-2 and fans went wild. 

Next up for the Dash was Portland Thorns FC and a trip to the championship match. Rachel Daly’s goal in the 69th minute proved to be the game winner. Houston plays the winner of Sky Blue FC and Chicago Red Stars Sunday at 11:30 am. The game will be carried on CBS as well as CBS All Access and Twitch. 

Can the Dash bring home the trophy, or will they disappoint? We find out Sunday. 

Houston Dash come up short in NWSL Challenge Cup

What was supposed to be a chance for the Dash to prove they were contenders did not turn out that way. In the first game, the Dash tied Utah Royals FC 3-3 on June 30. That game was a thriller. 

The scoring started in the 35th minute on a goal by Utah's Diana Matheson. Then in the 45th +1 minute, Houston's Rachel Daly tied the game going into the half. The second half proved to be just as intense. Daly netted her second goal of the game in the 47th minute. Newcomer Shea Groom put Houston up 3-1 in the 67th minute. Not to walk away with a loss, Utah's Veronica Boquete scored in the 82nd minute to make it 3-2 Houston. Tziarra King tied the game in the 89th minute. That would be the final score. 

The next game was the night of July 4 against OL Reign. That game showed that maybe the Dash aren't the same team from years past. Kristie Mewis started the scoring in the 12th minute with a sick back heel shot. Then in the 54th minute, newcomer Shea Groom flew up and headed the ball into the net to secure the 2-0 win. 

After earning 4 points after two games and sitting in second place out of eight teams, many fans thought this was finally going to be the season Houston proved the critics wrong. The exact opposite happened as the Dash lost their next two games by a combined three goals. 

In the third game against Sky Blue FC, the defense seemed to be non-existent. In the 17th minute, Sky Blue got their first goal from Paige Monaghan. After clearing a shot, goalkeeper Jane Campbell was out near the Dash midfield and unable to get back to the goal in time. In the 34th minute, a rocket from Sky Blue's Nahomi Kawasumi went into the net. 

The same tale played out against the Washington Spirit on Sunday afternoon. The defense seemed nowhere to be found and the offense was unable to produce. In the 16th minute, Washington's Bayley Feist scored what would be the game winner. 

With the Dash finished in the first round, it looks like we will again play Washington in the quarterfinal game. The day and time have yet to be determined. 

If the Dash want to advance out of the quarterfinals, the offense needs to fire on all cylinders and the defense needs to lock down the goal area. If both of these happen, Houston very well could end up playing in the semifinals or even the championship match.