Houston Dash Struggles Continue in 4-1 Home Loss to Denver Summit FC
(image via NWSL)
The Houston Dash lost 4-1 to Denver Summit FC on Saturday night following a 90-minute weather delay. The match also marked the 200th NWSL appearance for both Jane Campbell and Danielle Colaprico.
Following the midweek loss to the Utah Royals, head coach Fabrice Gautrat returned to his strongest starting eleven against Denver. However, after Kiki Van Zanten exited early during Wednesday’s match, Clarissa Larisey stepped into the front line in her place.
From the opening whistle, the Dash applied pressure to the Summit defense but failed to capitalize on their chances. Denver quickly punished those missed opportunities on the counterattack. Ayo Oke drove down the touchline before cutting the ball back to Yazmeen Ryan, who delivered a cross to an unmarked Janine Sonis. Sonis fired the ball over Campbell to give Denver an early 1-0 lead in the 15th minute.
The Dash continued to hurt themselves defensively as Denver doubled its advantage in the 34th minute. After Houston failed to clear a dangerous attack, a misplaced pass from Campbell toward Colaprico was intercepted by Tash Flint, who calmly finished to make it 2-0.
Houston found a lifeline late in the first half when Colaprico controlled the ball inside the penalty area and was fouled by Flint. After a lengthy VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty to the Dash. Maggie Graham stepped up and converted in the 45th minute to pull Houston within one heading into halftime. The goal also ended the Dash’s month-long scoring drought.
It didn’t take long for Denver to restore its two-goal cushion after the break. Following a well-worked buildup inside the box, Oke delivered another cross that found a wide-open Delanie Sheehan, who headed home to make it 3-1 in the 49th minute.
Denver was not finished there. Once again, Houston struggled to defend in transition as Ryan led another dangerous counterattack. After reaching the edge of the penalty area, Ryan slipped the ball to Sonis, who scored her second goal of the night and Denver’s fourth in the 72nd minute.
Once again, the Dash appeared to have control early in the match, but they struggled to respond after falling behind. The team’s weaknesses are becoming more apparent during the busiest stretch of the season, and opponents are beginning to exploit them consistently. Houston’s lack of depth also continues to be a concern, with little impact coming from the bench to change matches or support the starting group. The question now is whether those issues can be resolved internally or if significant moves will be needed during the summer transfer window.
The Dash return to action on Friday, May 16, when they travel to face the Kansas City Current at 7:00 PM. The match will be streamed on Prime Video.
