Houston Dash 2-0 OL Reign
The Houston Dash surprised more than one with a nearly perfect game to earn its first win of the NWSL Challenge Cup and finish the Week 2 in second place of the standings.
The Orange beat an OL Reign team that, despite controlling the possession of the ball, was not able to stop a precise Houston offense.
The Washington State side, which tied in their first match of the tournament against Sky Blue 0-0, came to this game with the mission of not only getting a win, but to show they can still be contenders in this league. Yes, OL Reign is missing a key player in Megan Rapinoe, but first year coach Farid Benstiti still has some great players like Allie Long, Shirley Cruz, and goalkeeper Case Murphy. However, the group seems to be a little off this tournament and are currently in last place of the standings with just a point.
Courtesy of NWSL
On the other hand, one of the teams that came to this tournament with a big question mark was the Dash. They showed what they can do in offense on their first match, but defensive mistakes cost them the victory as they tied against host team Utah Royals 3-3. Second year coach James Clarkson is building an energetic team that want to prove Houston is for real.
They were up for the challenge on Saturday night as they went up to the score early. In the 12th minute mark, they recovered the ball and with a back-heel pass by Shea Groom, Kristie Mewis blast the ball on the net to open the score.
Courtesy Houston Dash
After the first goal, OL Reign control he rhythm of the match, but they did not create any clear opportunities to find the equalizer. Houston managed to control their opponent as Sophie Schmidt became an important role in defense. One of the most important changes coach Clarkson did for this match.
The second half actions were similar as the first one. The Washington team had the possession of the ball, but once they were on their last third, the lack of ideas on offense made Houston recover the ball without much problems. Because of the Dash recovering the ball on their own half of the field, help them generate scoring opportunities using the speed of their players in offense. One of those counter attacks earned them their second goal when Rachel Daly crossed the football and found Shea Groom, whose header beat goalkeeper Murphy inside the box, to double the lead for the Orange.
The Dash was able to hold the lead this time, and most importantly get a clean sheet. This was something the coaching staff wanted to change from last year, and they succeed this time. Now, the Orange, after getting their first win, are motivated to get another good result when they face Sky Blue FC on Wednesday night. OL Reign, on the other hand, will face Utah Royals on the same day. They will try to get some points to help them get higher in the standings and to prove this coaching staff is ready to keep this franchise as the contender side they were the last few seasons.
