The season came to a familiar end for the Houston Dash, without a trip to the playoffs. Since the team entered the league in 2014, they have failed to make the playoffs every season. At the beginning of the season it seemed that this might be the year for the Dash with a new coach in James Clarkson and key players that would still be there during the Women's World Cup. With injuries and dropped points the team finished the season in seventh place. In the teams last game of the season they fell 2-1 to the Utah Royals.
Every Minute
Two players on the Dash’s roster played every minute this season; Jane Campbell and Amber Brooks. For the second season in a row Jane Campbell played all 2,160 minutes of the Houston Dash’s season. Campbell came up huge for the team in games, making 71 saves and having a goal against average of 1.5. Amber Brooks currently holds the record for most consecutive minutes played in the league, playing every minute of the last three NWSL seasons. Brooks has been a leader in the backline for the Dash since coming to the team, this season she had an 80.6% tackle success rate and she also scored a goal against Reign FC.
Biggest Win: May 11, 2019 vs. Utah Royals
After conceding the first goal of the game to Utah’s Amy Rodriguez, the Dash responded well. At the end of the first half, Rachel Daly rifled a shot into the bottom left corner from outside the box drawing the match at half. Just eight minutes into the second half Daly would put another into the back of the bottom left corner giving the Dash the 2-1 lead that they never gave up. The 2-1 result for the Dash handed Utah their first loss of the season.
Player the team missed
Veronica Latsko looked poised to be an important factor in the Houston attack at the beginning of the 2019 season after an impressive rookie season in 2018, especially with Rachel Daly missing action during the World Cup. During the 2018 season Latsko scored four goals and played in 21 games for the Dash. This season she saw action in just four games before she went down with an ACL injury that kept her sidelined for basically the entire 2019 campaign. It was recently announced that Latsko would join Sydney FC for the upcoming W-League season, so watch for her back making a big impact with the Dash next season.
Key players
Rachel Daly has been a vital piece for the Houston Dash since she was drafted in 2016, she scored five goals, tied for team most, for the team this season despite being away for part of the season when she was a part of England’s World Cup team. Sofia Huerta came over to the Dash in a mid season trade during the 2018 season and has been an important piece for the team. This season Huerta played in all 24 games, starting 23 of those, and scoring five goals a mark tied with Rachel Daly for the team most. Huerta also registered four assists on the season. Kristie Mewis has also been huge for the Dash since she joined the team in 2017. Mewis is the leader in the midfield and she put the ball in the back of the net four times this season. The trio of Mewis, Daly, and Huerta scored all but six of the Dash’s 21 goals on the season.
Finding a way to win against top teams
This season, the Dash did not have one win against any of the teams that finished in the top four of the league. In fact, the team only earned two points against a top four team. The two points came from draws to Reign FC in April and June. If the Dash want to compete for a playoff spot next season the team has to figure out how to pick up some points from the teams that consistently finish at the top of the league.