Dash dominated in loss to Kansas City
(image via Houston Dash)
The Houston Dash suffered a 2-0 defeat the against Kansas City Current Friday night, failing to score a goal for the fourth straight game. Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell made seven saves on the night and made history as the first NWSL goalkeeper to record 500 saves for a single club.
Head coach Fran Alonso, still recovering from illness after earning a point against San Diego Wave last week, was absent for the match against the Current. Assistant coach Ricky Clarke took charge and made two change to the starting lineup from last weel; Michelle Alozie replaced Barbara Olivieri and Courtney Petersen came in for Andressa Alves.
From the outset, Kansas City dominated possession and applied pressure on the Dash, spending most of the first half on the attack. KC's front four—Michelle Cooper, Debinha, Temwa Chawinga, and Bia Zaneratto—created numerous problems for the Dash defense with their ability to find space quickly. KC registered 17 shots, with six on target, showcasing their attacking prowess.
Fortunately, Jane Campbell made six crucial saves in the first half to keep the score level at 0-0 going into halftime. Her leadership and composure in goal helped the Dash navigate through difficult moments and initiate counterattacks, though opportunities were sparse until Courtney Petersen's late chance in stoppage time went wide.
The second half mirrored the first, with KC maintaining their pressure. Chawinga, particularly, intensified her performance and continued to trouble the Dash defense. Her influence grew even stronger after Alex Pfeiffer's introduction in the 67th minute, culminating in her breaking through the defense in the 77th minute to score the opening goal to make the score 1-0.
Shortly after, a misplaced back pass from Tarciane proved costly for the Dash, allowing Chawinga to intercept and score her second goal of the night in the 80th minute to extend Kansas City’s lead to 2-0.
“We spoke about it before the game. We knew it was going to be a difficult place to come and play,” Clarke said postgame. “(Kansas City) is top of the league. They're scoring goals. They're an attacking team. We said, you know stick to the details. Try and stay compact when we don't have the ball, try and cause problems when we have the ball. For 70 minutes up until they scored we did that. We changed a little bit into the game, how we defended based on their shape. We don't like losing, but based on how hard we worked, we were pleased with how we applied ourselves. Again, we don't like losing, but we were pleased with the energy and the effort we put into the game."
The Current earned the victory with a dominant display against the Dash. Despite Campbell and the defense holding firm in the first half, fatigue set in during the second half, which KC capitalized on. The Dash now look ahead to their next match against Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, July 6, before the Olympic break. The match will kick off at 12:00 PM and will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes.
