Houston and Washington tied 0-0 in the last Dash home match of 2019. The Spirit came to Texas trying to get a win and remain in contention for the last playoff spot available. On the other hand, the home team wanted to get a good result in front of their home crowd, especially since this would be the last match played in Houston this season.
Very competitive from the starting whistle, neither team appeared to want to risk much in order to win. Houston created many chances to open the score, but they struggled with something that has been a problem all season long, finishing the plays with a goal.
Washington used a very solid formation in the back line and from there, they tried to organize their attacks. However, their attacks were not effective since Houston midfield and back line were on point in defense.
In the second half, the Dash took the risk to get the three points. Coach James Clarkson did a couple of offensive substitutions and modified the formation to a 3-3-4 when Cece Kizer and Ariana Calderon came into the match to replace Allysha Chapman and Christine Nairn.
Controlling the possession of the ball was something the away team allowed Houston to do, which gave more spaces in the counter-attack – something that did not work well for them.
At the end of the match, neither team was able enough to score and get the three points.
Now Houston will finish their season with two away matches. The first one is the historic match against Tigres Femenil in Monterrey, Mexico. After that, they will be visiting Utah to face the Royals. On the other hand, Washington will host NC Courage in a key match for the DC team to remain in contention for a spot in the post season.
Houston Dash
Washington Spirit
