Sports stats



NWSL Washington Spirit

Spirit and Dash Face off for Playoff Berth

July 31, 2015 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Washington Spirit News Release


BOYDS, Md. (July 31, 2015)-The Washington Spirit (6-4-3, 21 points) play the Houston Dash (5-4-5, 20 points) for the third time this season on August 1st at 7:00 p.m. EST. The clash will be between the third place Spirit and the fourth place Dash. The last two meetings between the squads have been split with a win and a loss, respectively. (GAME NOTES)

"The squad is in fantastic shape and have prepared well for this game," said head coach Mark Parsons. "We know the crowd will be behind us and pushing us to be our best. The atmosphere that the fans have created is special and we are grateful for this continued support. We look forward to seeing the fans on Saturday louder than ever."

The first meeting between the two sides resulted in the Spirit suffering a 2-0 loss in a hard fought battle. A change in the Spirit backline due to an injury resulted in the Dash exploiting the backline and allowing for two goals to be conceded. The second match between these two sides was played on June 27th at the Maryland SoccerPlex when forward Crystal Dunn capitalized for the Spirit giving them the victory in the 56th minute.

The Houston Dash will be playing their second game in a week when they travel to the Maryland SoccerPlex. With the return of Golden Ball winner from the Women's World Cup, midfielder Carli Lloyd, the Houston Dash be both physically and mentally stronger than the Dash's previous trip to the Plex.

The Washington Spirit are undefeated at home and will look for Dunn and Diana Matheson to break down the Houston Dash backline anchored by their goalkeeper Erin McLeod who has allowed only fifteen goals all season. With Laura del Rio out for the rest of the season with an ankle fracture, the midfield of Christine Nairn and Ali Krieger will need to be defensively smart while also attacking up the flanks to create scoring opportunities for the Spirit front line of attackers.

The game this Saturday is important for the Spirit's race into the playoffs and is the final game at home for the next two weeks as they head on the road to face the Boston Breakers on August 8th.

Check out the Washington Spirit Statistics

• Discuss this story on the National Women's Soccer League message board...

National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 31, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central