An unhappy homecoming
Coach criticizes mentality, effort during loss after three-game trip
The Dash’s return home was anything but sweet. Sour, bitter and frustrating was more like it.
Although the players during the week said they were excited to be back home after three consecutive road games, they started slowly and at times in the first half appeared uninterested en route to a 3-1 loss to Sky Blue FC at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Coach Randy Waldrum went as far as to question their mentality.
“We have to take a look at every player,” Waldrum said. “I don’t want to be here in a press conference calling players out. We’ll do that during the week, but clearly anybody can watch the first half and see we had a lot of players — key players — who just contributed nothing to the first half.”
Several players backed him up. Captain Kealia Ohai, the only remaining original Dash player, said the first half was as bad as any half she has seen the team play.
The Dash (2-3-0) trailed by one at halftime, but the fact that they generated minimal attacking options and struggled to hold possession allowed Sky Blue (2-2-1) to gain momentum that it eventually turned into a 2-0 lead early in the second half.
“One thing that Randy has said that we keep touching on is if we don’t keep the ball and have the mentality there is nothing else you can talk about tactically,” Ohai said. “We looked like we didn’t care in the first half.
“In the second half, we looked like we cared, but it was too late. First for me is the mentality and wanting to win the game.”
The Dash found some momentum late in the match with Sky Blue guarding their two-goal lead. The Dash pulled one back in the 76th minute when Poliana finished Ohai’s low cross with her right foot for her second goal of the season.
The Dash threw everything at Sky Blue after that by switching to a 3-4-3 formation. All that did was give the visitors space to score their third goal.
Samantha Kerr got on the scoreboard in the 87th minute. The goal ended a great day for Kerr, who also had an assist and drew the penalty that led to the opening goal.
Sky Blue went in front in the 33rd minute on Sarah Killion’s penalty kick. It was awarded after the Dash’s Nichelle Prince hit Kerr in the face with a high boot.
The visitors scored the winner on a counter attack in the 53rd minute when Kerr slotted a pass to Leah Galton, who was all alone in the middle of the field. Galton pulled goalkeeper Lydia Williams off her line, dribbled to the left and then found an angle to score with a sliding shot into the roof of the net. corey.roepken@chron.com twitter.com/ripsports