Utah Royals vs Houston Dash (Photo by Jose Castellanos 3-30-18)
In their first visit to the Space City, the Utah Royals came out with a 0-0 tie against an inoperative Dash team on Friday night.
The newest NWSL club showed solid team work as they put the Dash’s keeper, Jane Campbell, to work several times during the match. Houston, on the other hand, struggled to control the ball and therefor did not create many chances to score. Mana Shim and Linda Motlhalo, who balanced the Houston offense/defense in their first match of the season, were not on the same page on Friday. In addition, the offense struggled with accuracy when they did have chances to score.
Houston’s coach Vera Pauw, who was disappointed in the results from last match (1-1), seemed to be okay with Friday night’s point because the young players had good performances. It is clear that the club is taking a hit by not having a deep enough roster. Along with that, the absence of Kealia Ohai is affecting the team.
The Utah Royals were content with the tie. We need to remember they tied their first match against Orlando Pride last week (the first match in their franchises history). Now, they will have two weeks to prepare for their home opener on April 14 against the Chicago Red Stars.
The next match for the Dash will also be against the Chicago Red Stars, but it will be played on April 18 in the Windy City.
*All photos taken by Jose Castellanos
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- Utah Royals (Photo by Jose Castellanos).
