The Houston Dash will host the reigning NWSL champion Washington Spirit, Saturday evening at PNC Stadium. The match will air locally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest and available to stream on Paramount+ (national) and Twitch (intl.). Fans can purchase tickets to the match here.
The Dash look to close the month with a 3-1-1 record after victories over OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC, a draw with Racing Louisville and a loss to San Diego. The Dash are in third place with an 8-5-4 record in NWSL league standings and tied for the most points with 28. After Saturday’s match, Houston will have four regular season games left in 2022.
Houston is looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss on the road to San Diego Wave FC last Saturday. The Dash took the lead in the seventh minute of the match. Forward Ebony Salmon scored her career and single season high eighth goal in the loss. Defender Caprice Dydasco made her Dash debut in the 80th minute of the game. Dydasco was acquired by Houston the day before following a trade with NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Saturday will be the first match in 17 days for the Spirit. Washington hosted the Portland Thorns at Segra Field in Leesburg, VA on August 10 and dropped their sixth game of the season. Washington took the lead in the 76th minute after Portland’s Bella Bixby handled the ball behind her goal line. Portland’s veteran forward Christine Sinclair equalized less than 10 minutes later. In stoppage time, Thorns forward Morgan Weaver scored the game winner and extended the Spirits winless streak to 15 games.
The Dash return to league play following the FIFA International Window on Sept. 11 against Angel City FC. The match will air locally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest, streamed nationally on Paramount+ and internationally on Twitch.
Here are three key points ahead of Saturday's match:
- ROCKING ROOKIE YEAR: Rookie Ryan Gareis, who was Houston’s only selection in the 2022 NWSL Draft, made her third start this season. The forward, who played at left back for the Dash, was key in Houston’s first half push toward the opposing goal. Gareis had two chances created in the 45 minutes of action she saw against the Wave on Saturday. The South Carolina product has made 15 appearances across all competitions for the team.
- HOUSTON ADDS DEPTH: The Dash added two new players to its roster earlier this week. French international Valérie Gauvin joins the Dash following a trade with North Carolina. The 26-year-old forward spent several seasons in the top French women’s league before joining Everton of FA’s Women’s Super League in 2021. Houston also added forward Tiernny Wiltshire to its roster and she returns to the US after playing abroad in the Isreali Women’s Football League with Maccabi Emek Hefer.
- SPIRIT UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP: The Spirit are traveling to take on Houston for the first time this season amid several changes. Earlier this week the Spirit announced that head coach Kris Ward had been relieved of his coaching duties. Ward helped lead the Spirit to the 2021 NWSL Championship over the Chicago Red Stars on November 20, 2021. Since then, Ward guided the team to a 1-6-9 record during his tenure in the 2022 season.
