June 11, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Houston Dash News Release
Sunday’s match marks the second time in less than a month that the two teams will face each other. The last meeting between the Dash and Thorns tilted in favor of Houston. Forward Rachel Daly opened the scoring in first half stoppage time to give Houston the lead heading into the half. Midfielder Sophie Schmidt extended the lead after scoring her first goal of the season in the 66th minute. The Dash earned its fifth win all-time over Portland and extended its unbeaten streak against the Thorns in back-to-back games.
The Dash are currently on their longest unbeaten streak in club history following a 0-0 with Angel City FC on Tuesday night. Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell made back-to-back saves in the 67th minute to earn her 20th career regular season shutout and the fourth regular season. Houston’s defense has given up three goals across eight games and has the lowest goals against average in the league at 0.43.
Portland is coming off a 2-2 draw with San Diego Wave FC on Wednesday night. The Thorns jumped out to a 2-0 lead after forward Christine Sinclair extended the Portland lead seconds into the second half. However, the Wave were able to score two unanswered goals within eight minutes of one another late in the second half to steal a point back from the visiting Thorns. Sunday’s match will be the second consecutive road game for Portland who is in fourth place with a 4-2-1 record.
Here are three key points ahead of Sunday’s match:
DASH NAVIGATE DALY ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Houston’s captain and forward Rachel Daly joined the England Women’s National Team following Houston’s 5-0 win over Orlando on June 3 as the team prepares for the UEFA Women’s European Championship, which will be held in England this summer. Daly is tied for most goals scored on the Dash and in the NWSL alongside teammate Nichlle Prince. With goals being scored by 10 different players across all competitions so far in 2022 the Dash have several options who can help fill in Daly’s place while she is on international duty.
DOMINANT DEFENSE: The Dash are the only team in the league to allow less than five goals so far this season. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell and the Dash back line of Ally Prisock, Katie Naughton, Haley Hanson and Allysha Chapman have become the hardest defense to score against, a stark contrast to Challenge Cup play where the defense allowed the second most goals in the tournament. Campbell…