Houston Dash at Washington Spirit: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Houston Dash)
Trinity Rodman scored twice, including in second half stoppage time, as the Houston Dash lost 2-1 to the Washington Spirit in the first match after the summer break.
MATCH SUMMARY
Washington Spirit 2-1 Houston Dash
Friday, July 3, 2026
Venue: Audi Field - Washington D.C.
Referee: Danielle Chesky
Assistants: Brian Marshall, Christian Little
Fourth Official: Marie Durr
VAR: Jamie Padilla
Attendance: 15,792
Weather: 93 degrees, sunny
SCORING SUMMARY
WAS: Trinity Rodman (Leicy Santos) 50’
HOU: Kate Faasse (Linda Ullmark) 89’
WAS: Trinity Rodman (Gabrielle Carle) 90+4’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
HOU: Avery Patterson (caution; foul) 33’
WAS: Deborah Abiodun (caution; foul) 66’
HOU: Sophie Schmidt (caution; foul) 87’
LINEUPS & STATS
Washington Spirit: Sandy MacIver; Lucia Di Guglielmo, Rebeca Bernal, Tara Rudd, Élisabeth Tsé (Gabrielle Carle 62’); Andi Sullivan (Deborah Abiodun 62’); Leicy Santos, Hal Hershfelt; Trinity Rodman, Rosemonde Kouassi, Sofia Cantore (Gift Monday 70’)
Unused substitutes: Sara Wojdelko, Kate Wiesner, Tamara Bolt, Esme Morgan, Paige Metayer, Madison Haugen
Total shots: 18
Shots on goal: 6
Fouls: 9
Offside: 0
Corner kicks: 4
Saves: 2
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell (c); Lisa Boattin (Allysha Chapman 84’), Leah Klenke, Paige Nielsen (Malia Berkely 46’), Avery Patterson; Sarah Puntigam (Clarissa Larisey 62’), Danielle Colaprico; Maggie Graham, Linda Ullmark; Kiki Van Zanten (Kate Faasse 46’), Kat Rader (Sophie Schmidt 71’)
Unused Substitutes: Caroline DeLisle, Messiah Bright, Natalie Bain, Cate Hardin
Total shots: 6
Shots on goal: 3
Fouls: 6
Offside: 3
Corner kicks: 0
Saves: 4
HOUSTON DASH HEAD COACH FABRICE GAUTRAT
On the match:
"Overall, it was a solid performance on a lot of fronts. I thought we caused them a lot of problems in the first half, especially in our build. A little bit, I would say unfortunate. Obviously, moments change games and yeah, I think everyone saw the quality that Trinity (Rodman) has, but overall, I think a solid performance. A bit unfortunate to not come out with one point."
On Kate Faasse:
"It speaks volumes. She has been working extremely hard. It's now her second goal, she's had a couple assists as well. So, she's just increasing those tallies, increasing confidence and increasing minutes. So, a solid start to the second half of the season."
On the return of Kiki Van Zanten:
"Overall, good. She connected well. I would have liked to see a little more runs in behind, but overall, like, she's just coming back. She's training extremely well, put in a lot of work. We're pumped and excited to have her back."
On Avery Patterson:
"We had our throw; we turned it over and then we're looking at positioning what could have been potentially different. From all of our backs and holding midfielders. Overall, she had a solid performance for sure."
On Jane Campbell:
"She's a great leader. I thought she had a really good game. That PK save definitely shifted the momentum and allowed us to, to really have a strong first half as well. I can't say enough good things about her for sure."
HOUSTON DASH FORWARD KATE FAASSE
On her goal:
"Obviously, it felt really good to put another one in the back of the net. We had a lot of momentum going in that second half, and we had our opportunities throughout the game. So, it was good to finally put one in and tie up the game."
On the rookies adapting to the NWSL:
"It really goes back on our entire team as a whole. Everyone has instilled a lot of confidence in us to just do our thing, play free, play as a team and just really encourage us day-in and day-out in training and on the field. It's been really helpful as a team. Me and all the other rookies are so grateful to have a team around us like this. It's so fun and enjoyable to be at practice every day, to show up and be ourselves. It's really easy to do what we do when you have a team like ours.”
On development throughout the season:
"Our development is super important. I think there's a lot of information that comes in and out every single day. So just being able to adapt, grow, take all the information in and turn the page every day."
On the second half of the season:
"We had our mini preseason, and I think we were extra prepared going into this game. It's hard to fall short in some areas, but overall, I think we did an amazing job. Obviously tough conditions, but no one better to be in these conditions than us. We put it in a fight from the first half to the second half. We're just going to keep going up from here. We've prepped and gone over the little things, our principles, and we're going to continue to do that."
HOUSTON DASH MIDFIELDER KIKI VAN ZANTEN
On returning to the field following her injury:
"I was happy to get back out there with the group and start getting back into the swing of things. Right before I got injured, I thought we played really well and worked really hard. We worked together as a unit. I was really happy to be part of that group again."
On the team’s grit:
"We're a team that never stops believing and keeps working until the final whistle. I think that was evident tonight. It just didn't go our way. So proud of Kate (Faasse). She's been doing so well and happy for her to get that goal at the end of the game."
On the impact of the rookies this season:
"The rookies are getting better with every game. The experience is starting to show and build game-after-game. The camaraderie within the group is starting to build. I just want to get back into that group and continue to build with them. They've been playing so well and I'm happy to start working with them again."
On the second half of the season:
"Win or lose, we're always looking towards the next game and forgetting about what happened before. All that matters is the next challenge ahead of us. So, we're focused on the next match against Denver. We're going to go for all three points there, too. This group can do anything and we're going to get after it next week."
