NC Courage 2- Houston Dash 0
The Courage visited Houston for the first time in franchise history and scored early in each half to beat the Dash 2-0.
The visitors started the match attacking and pressuring the home team. They went up early in the match when USWNT Crystal Dunn scored the 1-0 after a big mistake in the defensive side for Houston. After that, the Orange did not have a good reaction to score the equalizer. North Caroline created many chances to increase their lead, but Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell kept her team in the match. Even though the score at halftime was in their favor, North Caroline came in the second half with the decision of scoring a second goal to secure the win. It took the away team only 3 minutes to double the lead when Kristen Hamilton shot went in for the final 2-0.
Houston was coming back to BBVA Compass Stadium after two disappointing away matches where they lost against Chicago and Orlando. Also, this week was confirmed that Assistant coach Lisa Cole left the team due to circumstances that she did not reveal. Brian Ching took her place on the bench for last Saturday’s match. It is still uncertain if he will remain in that position for the rest of the season.
But not everything was bad news for the Texans. The Dash got back forward Kealia Ohai, who was out for 10 months after suffering a knee injury, and Australian forward Kyah Simon who joined the team 5 days prior to this match. So, despite the lost and all the challenges the team had during preseason to get a competitive roster, Houston now seems to have a good base where they can work on to finish the season strong.
Next for the Courage is hosting the Chicago Red Stars on May 6th, whereas the Dash will visit Carli Lloyd and the Sky Blue on May 5th.
Editor’s Note: All photos are courtesy of Jose Castellanos
Houston Dash
North Carolina Courage
