Houston Dash vs North Carolina Courage: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Derek Boyd)
The Houston Dash picked up a big win at home, claiming all three points in a 2-1 win over the North Carolina Courage on Friday night.
MATCH SUMMARY
Houston Dash 2-1 North Carolina Courage
Friday, August 8, 2025
Venue: Shell Energy Stadium - Houston, Texas
Referee: Shawn Tehini
Assistants: Jennifer Garner, Matt Tortter
Fourth Official: Melvin Rivas
VAR: Any Voigt
Attendance: 5,409
Weather: 87 degrees, sunny
SCORING SUMMARY
NCC: Riley Jackson (penalty kick) 32’
HOU: Kiki Van Zanten (Maggie Graham) 39’
HOU: Sophie Schmidt (Yazmeen Ryan) 90+5’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
NCC: Kaleigh Kurtz (caution; foul) 72'
HOU: Messiah Bright (caution; foul) 77'
LINEUPS & STATS
Houston Dash: Jane Campbell (c); Allysha Chapman (Sophie Schmidt 83'), Natalie Jacobs, Paige Nielson, Avery Patterson, Delanie Sheehan (Sarah Puntigam 71'), Kiki Van Zanten (Michelle Alozie 71'), Maggie Graham, Danny Colaprico, Evelina Duljan (Messiah Bright 63'), Yazmeen Ryan
Unused substitutes: Belle Briede, Christen Westphal, Katie Lind, Rebeca, Abby Smith
Total shots: 7
Shots on goal: 2
Fouls: 13
Offside: 1
Corner kicks: 2
Saves: 3
North Carolina Courage: Denise O'Sullivan (c); Casey Murphy, Kaleigh Kurtz, Malia Berkely (Aline Gomes 74'), Ryan Williams, Maycee Bell, Riley Jackson (Cortnee Vine 96'), Jaedyn Shaw (Ashley Sanchez 65'), Tyler Lussi (Feli Rauch 65'), Hannah Betfort (Brianna Pinto 65'), Manaka Matsukubo
Unused Substitutes: Marisa Jordan, Dani Weatherholt, Shinomi Koyama, Meredith Speck
Total shots: 13
Shots on goal: 4
Fouls: 9
Offside: 3
Corner kicks: 5
Saves: 0
HOUSTON DASH HEAD COACH FABRICE GAUTRAT
On the match:
“Today was your typical NWSL kind of gritty game. I'm really proud of the players. We put a lot of work into developing our mentality. I don't think it was necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing game, but in terms of pressing as a group, the players that came in in the second half really changed the game positively with energy and moved our team higher up. I’m proud of the team and it was a good result.”
On the team’s improvements after the break:
“We've been intentional and so have the players in what we've been doing in the summer. I don't think anything's by chance. You can see that the group believes more in what they're doing. If you look at the first half of the season, there were a lot of games where we didn't really start well. If you look at the last two games, like Bay, I thought we had one of our best first half performances, even now, like, we also conceded a PK, but still to be able to score in the first half and just have belief. So, there's been a lot of intentionality behind it. And I think it's just been a group, collective of everyone, kind of buying in, getting out of their comfort zone, getting to know one another. And, yeah, so I think it's a culmination of a lot of factors.”
On Sophie Schmidt’s growth and professionalism throughout the season:
"She's above reproach, she started the first three, four games of the season, she didn't really play much, but she's been a pro. She showed up every day. She's always someone I lean on a lot because she has a good pulse on the team and has been around very high-level environments, so we have a really good relationship with that. She's been fantastic, like, whatever we've asked of her, whether it's zero minutes or starting or 20 or whatever it is, she's going to do her job to the best of her ability. So, yeah, she's been a huge asset, not only on the field, but also off the field from a culture standpoint.”
On maintaining the momentum:
"Every game is important. If you look at the playoff line, 35 is probably your magic number. So, if you look at it, yeah, we've kind of done the math and what needs to happen. That is what we've wanted to do. We're just going to keep taking it one day at a time, keep growing our performance and showing this grit.”
HOUSTON DASH DEFENDER PAIGE NIELSEN
On the match:
“I'm super proud of this group. I know we've had a lot of ups and downs this season. We've had some good games, but not the results we wanted. We may not have had more possession, but it was at the end all heart, and we never stopped pushing. Super proud of this group.”
On the confidence of the team to reach the postseason:
“I've been confident since the beginning of the season that we can make it to the playoffs. That was a huge goal for us at the beginning of the season, but we kind of scaled it back and are focusing on each game at a time, and I think that's been really beneficial for us, kind of dissecting really simple things that we need to get better at, and it's helping us get results. Scoring in the final third is probably the hardest thing to do as a new team with a lot of new players, and hopefully that is coming. You saw it today, and obviously we're still going for that gap.”
On the veteran presence in the team:
“I think some veterans have been challenged a lot this year, whether that means not getting as many minutes as they once were, whether that means helping younger players kind of through not getting minutes or through the ups and downs of a full season. College players come out of college, and it's a three-month season, and our season is like 10 months, kind of managing that has been incredible. Our leadership group has grown a lot with our staff. I couldn't say anything bad about our leadership on our team, we've grown a lot.”
On Fabrice Gautrat’s speech to the team:
“He's believed in us since the beginning, he's been super positive. I think that's been really helpful. He sees our potential and continues to tell us that we haven't realized it yet, but it's right there. It's right for the taking, and now I think we all believe it.”
HOUSTON DASH MIDFIELDER SOPHIE SCHMIDT
On the match:
“It was a tough game. I thought North Carolina played well. They caused a lot of problems. Kudos to our grit and our heart for never giving up and fighting until the end. We might not have fought till the end in previous games but fought through this one.”
On scoring in back-to-back games:
“It’s huge as an impact player. As a sub coming on the field, you want to bring a lot of positive energy and help the team in any capacity that you can. I see myself as a goal scorer. I know other people don't, but I'm happy for my team. It was a great performance, a lot of fight, and passion from this game. To be able to win it like that, on ahigh in front of our home fans is just such a special feeling, an important three points for us, and a huge confidence boost.”
On contributing to the team:
“It starts on the training pitch, off the field, and in the locker room. I try to show up for my team and give my 100 percent every single day try make this club, this team better, and bring my experience of what I know in the game to some of the players as best as I can. There's respect and I think I've earned it with the way I play, the presence I have on the field, that experience, my calm nature, I think it’s contagious in the team. When I come on it’s like, ‘Sophie's going to do something, bring something, or say something.’ There's always a little bit there. It means the world to me that they think that of me. I love being their teammate and trying to get the best out of them as a team. It's a pure honor and that's the momentum here.”
On the momentum for the rest of the season:
“I don't stop keeping the momentum going. The last two performances were not our best. Statistically, probably not the best performances either. Moving forward, we know how we want to play. We know that this year is a growing year. The first half of the season was a bit of a struggle, but we want to keep moving towards what we know we can achieve and accomplish. We need to solidify some things defensively, be more dangerous, take care of the ball, and be a bit calmer, That is when we do get those chances from them, like we did tonight.”
On instructions when coming into the game:
“When I came on the field, I was a six. Later on, a few rotations happened, and I went into a 10 role. I knew I had the legs, so even from a six position, I wanted to be that box-to-box. So, if we did get in the attack, I wanted to see if I could get myself in the box, be a threat going forward, and then just hustle back on defense. It was a little bit of freedom to read the game, but we were also tied at that point that we didn't want to get scored on. It's a bit of a win-win situation.”
