Houston Dash at Chicago Stars: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Houston Dash)
The Houston Dash earned their first points of the season, taking all three in a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Stars.
MATCH SUMMARY
Chicago Stars FC 1-2 Houston Dash
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium - Bridgeview, Illinois
Referee: Iryna Petrunok
Assistants: Ethan Buege, Christian Little
Fourth Official: Alex Beehler
VAR: Alexandra Billeter
Attendance: 3,376
Weather: 40 degrees, partly cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
CHI: Jameese Joseph (Bea Franklin) 18’
HOU: Paige Nielsen (Messiah Bright) 20’
HOU: Maggie Graham (Delanie Sheehan) 64’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
HOU: Danielle Colaprico (caution; foul) 31’
CHI: Ally Schlegel (caution; foul) 40’
CHI: Taylor Malham (caution; foul) 57’
LINEUPS & STATS
Chicago Stars FC: Alyssa Naeher; Taylor Malham, Sam Staab (Hannah Anderson 46’), Bea Franklin, Camryn Biegalski; Julia Grosso (Chardonnay Curran 70’), Cari Roccaro, Ally Schiegel (Manaka Hayashi 76’); Shea Groom (Micayla Johnson 70’), Ludmila (Maitane 75’), Jameese Joseph
Unused substitutes: Mackenzie Wood, Justina Gaynor, Catherine Barry, Nadia Gomes
Total shots: 11
Shots on goal: 6
Fouls: 10
Offside: 1
Corner kicks: 5
Saves: 2
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell (c); Natalie Jacobs, Katie Lind, Paige Nielsen, Avery Patterson; Sophie Schmdit (Maggie Graham 63’), Barbara Olivieri (Evelina Duljan 63’), Danielle Colaprico; Yazmeen Ryan, Messiah Bright (Delanie Sheehan 63’), Ryan Gareis (Michelle Alozie 79’)
Unused Substitutes: Abby Smith, Allysha Chapman, Diana Ordonez, Sarah Puntigam, Christen Westphal
Total shots: 15
Shots on goal: 4
Fouls: 11
Offside: 1
Corner kicks: 5
Saves: 5
HOUSTON DASH HEAD COACH FABRICE GAUTRAT
On the game:
"Obviously, we're very excited. It's a very tough place to play. Obviously, conditions weren't ideal, but, overall, it was a solid team performance. I still think we could have played at a little bit of a higher tempo, but overall, good to get our first win and start getting a little more belief in terms of what we're doing."
On the first substitutions in the second half:
"We preached this from day one. One of our greatest strengths is our debt. So, the expectation is when they come, they change the game. You're seeing that, you're seeing that the last two games, the last 60 minutes when we make those first rotations, the game actually picks up. It's not even that they don't keep up. They actually pick up the tempo. As you saw, it was the first minute all three of them touched the ball and we scored. That's a big strength of ours. So that doesn't change. Anyone can start on any given day, which shows how competitive the group is."
On his first victory as a head coach:
"It's a good feeling for sure. I'm always thinking, 'okay, well what's next? Or how could we have done better?' The results reflect the performance that you have. In the first goal we were a little bit, I don't know if the word is naive, but yeah, I think we got caught off. But I love the response. We didn't change in terms of what we tried to do."
On Paige Nielsen
"Paige's (Nielsen) response, especially with what happened, is a really positive one. It just shows that there's a belief regardless of what happens, we're going to keep moving forward. That was a big message for us during pregame. Let's make sure that belief continues. Right. Let's make sure the behaviors start reflecting a little more of who we are. So yeah, it says a lot - it speaks volumes."
HOUSTON DASH GOALKEEPER JANE CAMPBELL
On the victory:
"It was a great game. I am really happy to get three points on the road. It's not easy playing here, especially with the wind and the rain that came through the second half. So, I'm really proud of the group. It was not the prettiest game ever, but, really proud of the group to get a big three points on the road and ready to head home to prepare for Friday."
On Paige Nielsen’s leadership:
"Paige (Nielsen) is crucial. She's had such a stellar NWSL career. We're lucky to have her on our side of things, nowadays. I don't want to put the mistake on her. Maybe I didn't shout loud enough, and she didn't know I was there. I don't think it should be all on her. We knew coming in Chicago was going to capitalize, especially on their transition. They've got a pretty lethal front three to four players. They capitalized, but I think in the grand scheme of things throughout the whole game, regardless of mistakes, it's how we react. Paige definitely put the team on her back, essentially a minute later and put in a goal for us to (equalize). I thought that was really great of her. Just such good composure from her. We all make mistakes, but it's all about how you respond and have each other's back."
On head coach Fabrice Gautrat winning his first game as a head coach:
"It's huge. He's definitely not going to make a big deal out of it. We're really, really, just proud of him and proud of the whole staff. It's only the second game of the season, so we've got a long road and hopefully there'll be many more wins. I think we're all just so, so happy for him. At the end of the day, this is his very first win as a head coach. We're honored that he's here with the Houston Dash and reppin' our colors. So, really proud of him and just really proud of the group as well."
HOUSTON DASH MIDFIELDER DELANIE SHEEHAN
On Fabrice Gautrat’s message to her prior to entering the game:
"He said to me right before we went in that, we just need to clean up the details in the final third. I went in with that focus. Our possession was pretty good all game. So, it was just that last piece we were missing. We all we all tried to do that once we got in there."
On head coach Fabrice Gautrat winning his first game as a head coach:
"It's great for the team and it's great for him. It's a really good reflection on what we've done so far this preseason and leading into this game. So, it just feels really good to get rewarded for the work that we've done."
On adapting to the weather:
"You saw it for both teams. There were a couple of mistakes on both sides. So, it's a little bit hard to implement what you want to do on that pitch. We tried to stick to our game plan. We kept playing the way we wanted to play, but the difference is that you don't play with those second balls and you just kind of get it out. We made that adjustment in the second half, and we really focused on not overplaying in the back."
