HOUSTON (Sept. 13, 2025) - The Houston Dash travel to America First Field on Sunday, Sept. 14, to take on Utah Royals FC. With seven matches remaining in the regular season, the Dash sit three points behind the eighth and final playoff spot. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT, and fans can follow the match live on NWSL+ and Paramount+.
Houston enters Sunday’s match unbeaten in their last six games and poised to set a new club record. The Dash have posted a 3-0-3 (WLD) record during that span and recorded their third clean sheet of the season last Sunday in San Diego – their first since a shutout victory over Seattle Reign FC on May 11. Houston is currently tied for the second-most points earned since league play resumed in early August with 12. The Dash are coming off a dominant 3-0 win on the road over San Diego Wave FC with goals from forwards Clarissa Larisey, Yazmeen Ryan, and Messiah Bright.
Larisey earned her first start since joining the club from Crystal Palace on July 22 in last week’s match against the Wave. The Canadian international opened the scoring, capitalizing on a ball recovered by midfielder Kiki Van Zanten to tally her first assist of the season.
Larisey later provided the assist on the second goal of the match, finding Ryan, who scored her third goal of the season. Ryan has now contributed to four goals in her last five appearances. Bright closed out the scoring, finishing a long ball from midfielder Maggie Graham, who registered her third assist of the campaign.
Defensively, the Dash totaled 45 clearances against San Diego, led by defender Paige Nielsen with nine. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell recorded five saves, including a key stop in the opening minutes to deny a close-range effort following a corner kick. The save was nominated for NWSL Week 19 Save of the Week.
This week, the Dash announced two additions to their backline with the signing of defender Anna Heilferty to a short-term contract through the 2025 season, while also acquiring defender Malia Berkely in a trade with the North Carolina Courage for defender Natalie Jacobs and $75,000 in 2026 intra-league transfer funds. Additionally, Houston announced the mutual contract termination of forward Ramona Bachmann. The Swiss international joined the Dash on April 2, 2024, following a transfer from Paris Saint-Germain appearing in 14 matches across the last two seasons. Additionally, midfielder Sophie Schmidt was placed on the season-ending injury list earlier this week following a knee injury in Sunday’s match against San Diego.
Utah Royals FC earned a point in their last match, a 1-1 draw on the road against the North Carolina Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park. Forward Paige Monaghan scored the equalizer in second-half stoppage time, marking her second goal of the season to keep the team unbeaten in their last four matches. Utah's attack is led by forwards Brecken Mozingo and Bianca St-Georges, who have three goals apiece while midfielder Claudia Zornoza leads the team in assists with two.
Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn anchors the Royals defense, leading the team with 68 saves and three shutouts. She recorded five saves against North Carolina. Defender Kate Del Fava leads the team in clearances with 128, while Nuria Rábano and Lauren Flynn have combined for 109 clearances.
The Dash earned a 1-0 victory in the previous meeting between the two sides on April 25 at Shell Energy Stadium. Midfielder Delanie Sheehan scored the game-winning goal, her first for the club, after capitalizing on a defensive clearance. Sheehan led the team with 14 recoveries and 10 duels won in that match. The result also marked Campbell’s 40th career clean sheet and her second of the season.
Houston returns to Shell Energy Stadium to celebrate Noche Latina on Friday, Sept. 19 when they host Chicago Stars FC. Tickets for that match and all Dash matches are available at HoustonDash.com.
