Two own goals squash victory
The Dash executed their game plan nearly to perfection, and with the clock winding closer and closer to 90 minutes, they had a lead and appeared comfortable enough to see out their fifth win in six games.
Then, in a span of three minutes, they fell behind on the scoreboard and ultimately suffered defeat — all without allowing the Chicago Red Stars to hit a single shot on target.
Houston’s Shea Groom and Katie Naughton scored own goals in the 73rd and 76th minutes Sunday night to turn what could have been a celebratory evening into a frustrating 2-1 road loss that left coach James Clarkson to declare, “We’ve thrown away three points.”
“We were in a fantastic position,” Clarkson said. “They hadn’t troubled us with anything on goal, and suddenly, we’ve conceded two goals from poor defending, and it’s unfortunate. We’ve obviously come away with nothing, so we’ve got to regroup.
“Talking to the players on the field, they know we’ve let three points go today.”
The Dash (4-4-1, 13 points) were content to let Chicago (4-4-2, 14 points) control the ball, and look for opportunities to counterattack. That’s exactly what they got in the 62nd minute.
Forward Jasmyne Spencer pounced on a loose ball in the Dash’s defensive third and broke into the open field. Spencer dribbled 54 yards into the attacking third, and just as she got caught from behind, she hit the ball ahead.
Chicago’s Kayla Sharples got in the way of the pass but couldn’t settle it. The ball leaked to Veronica Latsko at the edge of the penalty area, and she swooped in to hit a rightfooted shot past Chicago goalkeeper Cassie Miller to give the Dash a 1-0 lead.
The Red Stars tried to switch gears after that, but the Dash were up to the challenge. They finally broke when Mallory Pugh whipped in a free kick from the left side in the 73rd minute.
Groom was in front of a Chicago player running toward the goal and appeared to be contacted from behind. As Groom fell inside the 6-yard box, the ball landed on her head and went into the net to tie the game.
“I thought it was a foul, absolutely, yeah,” Clarkson said. “I thought the player leaned into her, pushed her in the back, and that’s why she’s obviously headed in.”
Houston did not have any shouts of interference on the second own goal three minutes later.
Chicago sent a crossing pass in from the left side. Dash goalkeeper Lindsey Harris came off her line and had an easy catch, but before it could get to her, Naughton jumped and stretched out her right leg, sending the ball into the net.
That play put the finishing touches on a forgetful result for the Dash, but they’re likely to lean on the fact that they played well other than that.
As they try to build a platform for how to play over the next two months while their international players are away, they’re looking to put themselves in a position to add points every game. They did that Sunday, and the biggest evidence was that they never allowed the Red Stars to hit any shots on target.
Their next chance to get it right comes on Saturday when they travel to North Carolina to face the Courage.
“We like to see the grit and the grind, and at the end of the day, I think we all hold ourselves to a really high standard,” Latsko said. “We want a clean sheet, and we pride ourselves on that. I’m very excited to see how we play next week because I think all of us are just raring to go again.”