Inability to finish plays stalls bid for momentum
17 shots end up yielding nothing to thwart hopes of winning streak
As the frustration mounted, the execution waned. Ultimately, the Dash’s desperate search for a goal came up empty.
Armed with a great opportunity to build momentum in their climb up the standings, the Dash’s attack fell flat Wednesday night. They settled for a 0-0 draw with the lastplace Boston Breakers at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Time and time again, the Dash (3-7-1) infiltrated the attacking half only to come up empty in the final third. They tried through balls, crosses and passes over the top. Nothing worked.
The Dash outshot Boston 17-10 but put only four shots on target. Interim coach Omar Morales said Boston’s strategy of getting as many players behind the ball as possible is tough to execute against.
The Dash were especially dangerous in the first half but lost some of their bite in the final half hour.
“I’ve played this game for a long time and coached it for a long time,” Morales said. “You get frustrated and start to do things that you usually don’t do. It’s human. It’s part of the game. You get frustrated and you want to go score.
“You could see it. We started doing things we weren’t doing in the first half and started turning the ball over a little bit more.”
Those turnovers came largely in the final 20 minutes and led to some shaky moments on Boston counterattacks. The defense mostly held up, but when it did allow a shot, rookie goalkeeper Jane Campbell was there to save the day.
On one play, she dove to stop a shot from outside the penalty area that was headed toward the low corner.
“We’re looking for the W, but shutouts are good,” Campbell said. “It is good for our back line to keep confidence. We had a rough patch. We’re trying to get out of that. It is good to keep a clean sheet.”
Last weekend, the Dash snapped a six-game losing streak and hoped to build momentum with a win Wednesday. Playing the last-place team at home seemed like as good a chance as any to win for a second straight game, but the lack of finishing held them back.
“We wanted the three (points),” Campbell said. “We have a high standard for ourselves. That’s disappointing, but getting one is better than none. It’s good we have gotten four out of six, and we’ll keep the ball rolling and hopefully get three (against FC Kansas City on Sunday).”