Houston Dash needed this win to stay in playoff contention. A tie and a Chicago Red Stars win would also do the trick, but a win would leave the decision out of the hands of another team. Meanwhile, Sky Blue FC needed this win to regain confidence for the rest of the season.
Another game, another rough start for Sky Blue. Once again Sky Blue went down early in the game, but there was momentum on their side in the second half of the first half and, even though Houston doubled their score early in the second half, Sky Blue showed some light with a goal of their own. But everything went downhill late in the second half when Mandy Freeman was subbed out with an injury.
Sky Blue fell apart defensively after Freeman left the game, conceding an additional 4 goals. Gaps appeared and women were out of place. Although Freeman was playing on the wing, rather than her usual center-back position, she kept the defense in line.
Early in the game, Sky Blue FC were flat, lacking in possession and completed passes. Then, in the 22nd minute, Houston Dash midfielder Rachel Daly was played in through the center of the field, between the two center-backs. She went one-on-one with Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who blocked the attack. But the ball rebounded to Houston midfielder Linda Motlhalo, who chipped the ball into the back on the net. It was very unlucky for Sheridan, who did well to stop the first line of attack but was helpless, with no defender in sight, to stop the second.
The rest of the first half was uneventful, though the tide switched in favor of Sky Blue FC. The had better possession and had some pretty decent chances. Halftime came and went and soon after the half started, Sky Blue conceded another goal. In the 48th minute, Houston midfielder Sofia Huerta took the ball down the left wing, easily bypassing Madison Tiernan, and sent a cross to the far post. Forward Veronica Latsko ran in and, completely unmarked, tapped it past Sheridan.
This goal lit a fire under Sky Blue as they continued to press and attack Houston. Then, in the 54th minute, things started to look up as, in Houston’s own 18-yard box, defender Amber Brooks was dispossessed by Imani Dorsey, who looked up and scored Sky Blue’s first and only goal that evening.
This fire all but died out in the 63rd minute when Mandy Freeman seemingly re-injured her right hamstring and was forced to be subbed out of the game. Christina Gibbons came on and could not fill Freeman’s shoes. Two minutes later Houston scored again. Kealia Ohai sent in a cross that landed just about on the far post, Sheridan went to deflect the ball but ended up just getting air. Huerta volleyed the ball in, putting enough air underneath to chip Sky Blue’s remaining defenders.
Sky Blue didn’t have enough time to even try to regain momentum when, two minutes after that goal, Tiernan fouls Huerta in the box, swiping at her feet from behind. Daly converted the penalty a few seconds later.
It was clear after this that Sky Blue didn’t have any gas left. Being down 4-1 with about 20 minutes left isn’t very uplifting. And, after being winless for 20 games, seeing the same situation over and over can be demeaning. Sky Blue seemed to just want to finish the game.
But Houston Dash didn’t hold up. In the 88th minute, off of a corner by Kyah Simon, Hayley Hanson’s volley chipped Sheridan, putting Dash up 5-1.
The final straw, or rather final goal, was in the 90th minute. After a Sky Blue corner, Taylor Comeau cleared the ball, which landed at the feet of Thembi Kgatlana, who took the ball from Houston’s half to Sky Blue’s 18-yard box. The only obstacle was Sky Blue defender Amanda Frisbee, who gave Kgatlana plenty of distance and focused on getting back rather than slowing her down, and Sheridan. Kgatlana put it away.
Sky Blue lost their fight in this game. They fought when it was 1-0, when it was 2-0, but once it was 4-1 they gave up. They started slow, but found pockets of momentum until they knew the game was out of their hands. It’s tough to watch a team that knows it won’t win, hopefully Sky Blue FC can pick themselves up and try again next week. It will be their best statistical chance to get their first win before the season ends, Washington Spirit only has two wins this season.
