Houston Dash vs Bay FC: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Houston Dash)
The Houston Dash fell 3-2 to Bay FC in the 2024 season finale Saturday night at Shell Energy Stadium.
MATCH SUMMARY
Houston Dash 2-3 Bay FC
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Venue: Shell Energy Stadium - Houston, Texas
Referee: Matt Thompson
Assistants: Jennifer Garner, Tiffini Turpin
Fourth Official: Sean Caouette
VAR: Katja Koroleva
Attendance: 8,176
Weather: 72 degrees, scattered showers
SCORING SUMMARY
BAY: Paige Nielsen (own goal) 10’
HOU: Barbara Olivieri (Sarah Punitgam) 14’
BAY: Racheal Kundananji (Dorian Bailey) 21’
HOU: Avery Patterson (Yuki Nagasato) 46’
BAY: Racheal Kundananji (Savannah King) 54’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
HOU: Yuki Nagasato (caution; foul) 39’
HOU: Paige Nielsen (caution; foul) 45+1’
BAY: Racheal Kundananji (caution; foul) 61’
LINEUPS & STATS
Houston Dash: Heather Hinz, Allysha Chapman, Jyllissa Harris, Natalie Jacobs (c), Paige Nielsen, Sarah Puntigam (Andressa 68’), Sophie Schmidt (Zoe Matthews 88’), Ryan Gareis (Belle Briede 68’), Bárbara Olivieri, Avery Patterson, Yuki Nagasato (Michelle Alozie 79’)
Unused Substitutes: Jane Campbell, Madison Ayson, Ramona Bachmann, Erin McKinney
Total shots: 10 (Barbara Olivieri 4)
Shots on goal: 5 (five players tied with 1)
Fouls: 11 (Barbara Olivieri with 3)
Offside: 4 (four players tied with 1)
Corner kicks: 3
Saves: 5 (Heather Hinz 5)
Bay FC: Katelyn Rowland, Alyssa Malonson (Savannah King 46’, Madeline Moreau 85’), Emily Menges (c), Abby Dahlkemper, Caprice Dydasco, Kiki Pickett, Dorian Bailey (Joelle Anderson 90+6’), Racheal Kundananji (Caroline Conti 90+8’), Tess Boade, Rachel Hill, Asisat Oshoala (Penelope Hocking 46’)
Unused substitutes: Jen Beattie, Deyna Castellanos, Jamie Shepherd, Jordan Silkowitz
Total shots: 18 (Racheal Kundananji 10)
Shots on goal: 7 (Racheal Kundananji 4)
Fouls: 17 (Racheal Kundananji 3)
Offside: 3 (three players tied with 1)
Corner kicks: 7
Saves: 3 (Katelyn Rowland 3)
HOUSTON DASH ASSISTANT COACH RICKY CLARKE
On the match:
“It was a tough way to end the season. One of the things we asked of the players tonight was to play for the fans. For 90 minutes, you see a team that works incredibly hard and puts everything out on the field come up short sometimes. Some of the goals we scored today were brilliant, just an example of where the team is growing towards and what they want to be like. Tough result, I hate losing, but proud of the effort and the way the team played for this club and the fans.”
On his message to the players postgame:
“I know they hate losing, they're winners, you've got people in there that have won World Cups, they've won NWSL championships, and it's a group of people that are super competitive and want to win. Sometimes the game doesn't always allow you to win. What carries you is the way that you approach playing the game, the way you approach working for your teammates, and we just spoke about how proud I was of the way they played tonight. There were people saying to me ‘do you think they're going to turn up?’ or ‘are they going to be a spoiler?’ To be completely honest with you, those comments really annoy me, because every day I step on the training field and I see how hard they're prepared to work. They've been through a lot, they've had a lot of challenges, and they constantly step on the field and give everything. I said tonight that I was proud. I said to them before the game that I felt privileged to stand in a room as a male working with elite female players.”
On what the Houston Dash means to him:
“I'm incredibly humble to be in this position, I don't take it for granted. Everyday I wake up and I try to figure out what's the best thing we can do for this group. I try to be one of the first in the building and the last one to leave the building. I care about this club, in the two years I've been here there's been a lot of change, there's been a lot of movement, and there are players who have stuck here and are committed to the club. For me, I've just tried to turn them up, I've tried to lead, I've tried to collaborate with the players and with the staff. I've just tried to be the one who pulls everyone along. The other day in our staff meeting, we spoke about how difficult things have been but how we constantly fall forward, we don't look backwards, if we fall, we fall forward and we get up and keep moving. I think along the way I've tried to do it with a smile and a little bit of humor. I've just tried to really enjoy it, my wife was here tonight. She came on the field at the end with me and we had a moment. I'm proud to work for this club and we've still got a couple of days left. On Thursday I'm getting on a plane to go scouting in Carolina for the ACC, so the work is not done. I'm just incredibly proud and humbled that Jessica (O’Neill) and the ownership felt like I was somebody who could lead the group.”
HOUSTON DASH MIDFIELDER BARBARA OLIVIERI
On personal growth:
“This is a completely different season. I’m a completely different player. A lot of it just has to do with last season. I don't think I got the opportunities that I deserved. This season, I got more opportunities, more chances to show what I've been working on. On the strength and conditioning side, I felt a massive jump as well. I'm happy that I could at least end the year on a good note and hopefully bring that into next year.”
On Houston Dash fans:
“We are so in love with our fans. We know how difficult it is to support a team that, you know, is at the bottom of the league. They have gone through so much, but they've been there through it all and especially tonight. It was just amazing to see them every single time and hopefully they have a lot of hope for next year. We're all hoping for the best and just hope that fans keep coming and have hope.”
On what this season meant:
“It's a lot about resilience for us, from the staff, the players and every single person in the organization. This group has had to step up in some way and I think that just shows who we are. That shows who Ricky (Clarke) is, the medical staff, the assistant coaches. Everything shows how willing we are to put in the effort to give our best, every single time.”
