June 16, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release
HOUSTON – Angel City Football Club (ACFC) drew 0-0 on the road tonight in Houston in what was the team’s third shutout of the season.
The first real chance of the game came in the eighth minute, when Houston defender Courtney Petersen sent a cross from the left into the box for midfielder Sarah Puntigam, who sent her shot just wide of the right post.
Play was largely concentrated in the midfield over the next 20 minutes or so; in the 26th minute, Dash defender Tarciane, midfielder Ramona Bachmann, and midfielder Bárbara Olivieri connected three quick long passes up the right wing to find forward Michelle Alozie in the box, but she sent her shot into the outside of the side netting. Two minutes later, Angel City had their best chance to that point when midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan played a lateral ball from the penalty arc into forward Alyssa Thompson’s run; the winger dribbled into the box and put her angled shot on frame, but goalkeeper Jane Campbell made the save.
ACFC followed that chance up with one in the 34th minute, which saw Thompson drive up the wing, cut inside across the edge of the penalty area, and find forward Claire Emslie with a short sideways pass, but Campbell again saved Emslie’s low, driven shot.
In the 54th minute, Tarciane handled the ball while attempting to block defender Gisele Thompson’s cross, and the center official pointed to the penalty spot. Emslie stepped up to take the attempt- and was once more foiled by Campbell.
In the 70th minute, Olivieri ran onto a short sideways pass inside the box and had a crack, which looked to be on target, but Angel City midfielder Madison Hammond blocked the ball almost the moment it left Olivieri’s foot.
The hosts followed that attempt up with another in the 75th minute that saw forward Diana Ordoñez dribble up the right wing and send a cross into the box. ACFC defender Madison Curry blocked the cross, and the ball fell to Olivieri, whose follow-up attempt from just inside the box went high.
Angel City had a handful of late chances, starting in the 88th and 89th minutes. The first of that pair of looks started when defender Jasmyne Spencer nutmegged Dash defender Paige Nielsen to find Thompson in the box. Thompson beat her mark, defender Natalie Jacobs, to get a close-range shot off, but Jacobs recovered just in time to block the shot with her foot.
On the corner kick resulting from that play, Angel City…