Dash Beat Bay with Late Ullmark Goal
(image via Kevin Sanchez)
The Houston Dash defeated Bay FC 1-0 on Friday night to earn their first win since the NWSL resumed play from the summer break. Before kickoff, the club honored Jane Campbell for making her 200th appearance for the Dash and Danielle Colaprico for reaching 200 NWSL starts.
Still searching for their first victory since the restart, head coach Fabrice Gautrat made a notable change to the starting lineup. Kate Faasse replaced Cate Hardin in midfield, giving the Dash a more attack-minded setup in hopes of creating more scoring opportunities.
Although the first half ended scoreless, Houston controlled much of the possession and looked the more dangerous side. The Dash generated more shots on target but couldn't find the breakthrough. One positive takeaway was how comfortable the team looked getting into the penalty area and creating chances with the more attacking lineup.
Houston nearly found the winner in the 84th minute when Sarah Puntigam unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area. Her effort beat Bay goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz but crashed off both goalposts, leaving the Dash wondering how they hadn't taken the lead.
Just when it looked as though the match would finish in a draw, the Dash found their breakthrough in stoppage time. Linda Ullmark collected the ball outside the box and fired a shot that took a fortunate deflection, wrong-footing Silkowitz before finding the back of the net in the first minute of added time to seal a dramatic 1-0 victory.
The result highlighted the resilience and determination of this Houston side. Even with time running out, the Dash continued pushing for a winner instead of settling for a point, and their persistence was rewarded with all three points.
The Houston Dash return home next Saturday, August 1, to face NJ/NY Gotham FC. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM CT, with the match streaming on NWSL+.
