Club looking to extend unbeaten streak to 7 games
Whether home or away, the Dash are rolling and off to their best start since the franchise’s inception in 2014.
The Dash extended their unbeaten run to six games (three wins, three draws) with a scoreless result Tuesday at Angel City FC in California. In that span, the Dash have conceded only two goals. Jane Campbell earned her fourth clean sheet of the 2022 season Tuesday.
On Sunday, the Dash will try to extend their unbeaten streak to seven games when they host Portland Thorns FC at PNC Stadium. Kickoff for annual Pride Night is 6 p.m.
The Dash (3-1-3) picked up a valuable point on the road at Banc of California Stadium, and at 12 points, they share second place in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Campbell came up with four saves, two in the 69th minute. She has conceded only three goals in 2022, matching the league mark for fewest goals allowed at this stage of a season.
“When you got a goalkeeper that’s playing like that, you’re going to pick up points,” Dash acting head coach Sarah Lowdon said. “What an amazing performance by her yet again.
“It’s another message that the team (should not) put a ceiling on where we can go. I think other people will put a ceiling on us too. We don’t do that to ourselves. We can blow that off, and we’re always going to play like the underdog.” The Dash are not intimidated by opposing crowds. Or opponents, having accumulated eight points over four road games.
“It’s just our mentality,” midfielder Marisa Viggiano said. “We want to be a team that is together, difficult to break down. It seems the team is really diving into the team defense mindset.”
Houston has showed throughout the season that it’s a playoff contender.
“We’re going to be ready for the punches,” Campbell said. “We don’t want to be looking back and not making the playoffs. We have to focus on the goal at hand and keep moving.”
Coming off a draw on the road against a quality opponent has given the Dash a boost.
“For us to have momentum going away, it gives us confidence heading back home,” Campbell said. “And we’ve got a tough game against Portland coming up. We’re really looking to get three points against them, especially at PNC Stadium.”
Led by goalkeeper Bella Bixby, who has three clean sheets, Portland (2-1-4) is tied for fourth place. Portland’s Christine Sinclair and Sophia Smith are among the league’s top six scorers, as are the Dash’s Rachel Daly and Nichelle Prince.
When Houston and Portland met earlier in the season on the West Coast, the Dash prevailed 2-0.
Against Angel City, both Houston forward Prince and midfielder Sophie Schmidt dealt with hamstring issues. In its previous home game, Houston blitzed Orlando 5-0 with Prince turning in a hat trick and being named NWSL Player of the Week.
On Sunday, the Dash will be without Daly, who has joined the England women’s national team in preparation for the UEFA Women’s Euro tournament this summer in England. In May, Daly scored four times and recorded an assist playing for Houston.
“Rachel has been incredible for us,” Viggiano said. “So losing her for a couple of games, we just have to switch focus, knowing that we have players on this team that can perform in different roles and are ready to step up.”