Houston Dash to take on North Carolina Courage Saturday

The Houston Dash host the North Carolina Courage on Saturday for the NWSL on Lifetime Game of the Week. The Dash face a tough test against the top team in the league.

The Houston Dash are looking to rebound after losing to the Chicago Red Stars in a mid-week game and then to the Orlando Pride over the weekend. The losses were the first losses for the club this season. The Dash had 10 shots in both games but failed to have any shots on target in the game against Chicago.

The bright spot in the loss against the Pride was the return of team captain Kealia Ohai. The forward tore her ACL early in the 2017 season and had yet to make her return to the field. She came on in the 59th minute of the game. She had a few good runs in the game and a miss in the 78th minute of the game.

Last weekend the Courage played the Utah Royals to a 2-2 result for their first tie of the season. Merritt Mathis and Crystal Dunn each scored in the game against the Royals. The tie followed up their midweek 1-0 victory over the Seattle Reign thanks to a goal from Jessica McDonald. The goal was her second of the season.

The Dash will have to dig deep to contain the scoring prowess of the Courage players. The team has three players that have already scored two goals this season- Jessica McDonald, Crystal Dunn, and McCall Zerboni. The Dash defense has been a mixed bag four games into their season and the bag has started to fill with more negative moments over the last two games.

The Dash currently sit once point out of last place in the league. With two draws and two losses this season their two point total has them only above Sky Blue FC. The Courage on the other hand are undefeated so far this season. With four wins and one draw they sit five points above second place.

For the first time this season the Dash will be at full strength with the return of Ohai and Kyah Simon. The Aussie has missed the first part of the season for international duty. The Courage have several players on the injury list for Saturday’s games. As Allysha Chapman, Abby Dahlkemper and Samantha Mewis are all listed as questionable. Chapman missed the game against the Royals while Mewis was used as a second half sub and played for 24 minutes in that game.

Saturday will be a tough test for the Dash, but a win over the top team in the league could be the boost the team needs to jump start the season.

Details

Who: Houston Dash vs North Carolina Courage

Where: BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, TX

When: Saturday, April 28 at 2:30 pm CT