Houston Dash vs Orlando Pride: Highlights, stats, and quotes
(image via Houston Dash)
The Houston Dash picked up a point in a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride on Friday night at Shell Energy Stadium.
MATCH SUMMARY
Houston Dash 1-1 Orlando Pride
Friday, October 3, 2025
Venue: Shell Energy Stadium - Houston, Texas
Referee: JC Griggs
Assistants: Melissa Beck, Seth Martin
Fourth Official: Gloria Martinez Resendiz
VAR: Adorae Monroy
Attendance: 6,406
Weather: 86 degrees, clear skies
SCORING SUMMARY
HOU: Malia Berkley (Avery Patterson) 62’
ORL: Simone Charley (Haley McCutcheon) 86’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY
ORL: Kerry Abello (caution; foul) 61’
HOU: Clarissa Larisey (caution; foul) 81’
ORL: Rafaelle Souza (caution; foul) 90’
LINEUPS & STATS
Houston Dash: Abby Smith; Malia Berkley, Paige Nielsen (c), Avery Patterson (Allysha Chapman 77’), Michelle Alozie (Anna Heilferty 86’); Delanie Sheehan (Lisa Boattin 77’), Kiki Van Zanten (Ryan Gareis 86’), Sarah Puntigam, Danielle Colaprico; Messiah Bright (Clarissa Larisey 64’), Yazmeen Ryan
Unused substitutes: Liz Beardsley, Evelina Duijan, Christen Westphal, Katie Lind
Total shots: 13
Shots on goal: 3
Fouls: 8
Offside: 2
Corner kicks: 7
Saves: 5
Orlando Pride: Anna Moorhouse; Oihane Hernandez (Cori Dyke 68’), Emily Sams, Rafaelle Souza, Kerry Abello; Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon; Angelica Constantino; Jacquie Ovalle, Carson Pickett (Simone Charley 68’), Ally Watt
Unused Substitutes: McKinley Crone, Simone Jackson, Viviana Villacorta, Luana Bertolucci, Zara Chavoshi, Julie Doyle, Elyse Bennett
Total shots: 12
Shots on goal: 6
Fouls: 11
Offside: 5
Corner kicks: 0
Saves: 2
HOUSTON DASH HEAD COACH FABRICE GAUTRAT
On the match:
“Overall, it was a pretty good performance. We're frustrated we didn't come away with three points. I thought the first half was really good, but we didn't take advantage of our chances. We had some real quality looks in the box that we just did not capitalize on. If you let a team like Orlando Pride hang around, that's what can happen.”
On the mindset after last week’s game:
"If you look at that game (against the Washington Spirit), the first 15 to 20 minutes up to the goal, I thought we were quite good. We were in their half a lot, and it just came down to certain moments of the game. We had to address a couple gaps that were an issue, especially in the box. This team has grown in its resiliency, so it wasn't something that we allowed to linger. If you look at the first half, especially how we came out on the front foot, you could see that there was a positive response.”
On Orlando’s goal and the overall defensive performance:
"In that moment, I thought we didn't get good pressure on the ball from the first service. We also didn’t get enough pressure inside the box, which allowed for the cross. It was a culmination of getting tighter and getting better pressure on the ball. But outside of that goal, we absolutely dominated, and we are still leaving with the tie, but it is what it is. We've got to find a way to bounce back. There are still three games left, and there is still a lot of football to play.”
On the partnership between Paige Nielsen and Malia Berkely:
“The partnership is getting better and better. I wish we had more time for them to keep gelling right, but we do not, and that is unfortunate. Still, they are making strides in their partnership and as a backline overall.”
HOUSTON DASH DEFENDER PAIGE NIELSEN
On her message to the team for the next match:
“Like Fabrice (Gautrat) said, every game is a final, and it's a chance to really prove who we are this season, who we've become, where we started and where we finish. We're really starting to grow something here. We have to fight every single minute of every single game, and I know we will. It's just about getting results now.”
On being a leader:
“This team is not made up of just one leader. We've all grown to lead ourselves and to lead the group. If I don't talk in the huddle, someone steps up. We let someone else lead every single time, which is really cool about this team. I think, because I've been the more stable one in the backline with a lot of experience, people just naturally understand that I've grown a lot in this role too. I used to just lead by example, go into a hard tackle, cheer people on and say go, go, go. My evolution is now directing people and being on point every single minute of the game. It's not just leading by example anymore, and I still have a lot to do to grow with that.”
On playing with Malia Berkely:
“She’s a great person. She is going to help us so much with possession. She's really technical, defensively sound and that's going to take a while to grow on the field, because she's played a very different style in so many ways. She's so good at reading what I do, and I feel like we can grow really fast together. I'm really pumped. She's super calm. To have two really calm center backs back there, it's fun.”
HOUSTON DASH DEFENDER MALIA BERKELY
On the match:
"It was definitely a tough match, we fought really hard. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get three points, but we’re coming away with one, which allows us an opportunity for a playoff berth. We just have to look ahead to the next match."
On what Fabrice Gautrat said after the match:
"We have to move forward. It’s unfortunate, we definitely needed the three points, and with the way we were playing we had plenty of opportunities to put it away. Now it’s just going to be focusing on fixing those pieces in training: really working on finishing in the final third and then tightening up our own defensive third with focus on the next match."
On the partnership with Paige Nielsen:
"Paige (Nielsen) has been a huge help. We talk about all kinds of scenarios that come up in training and games. We're always going back and forth to come up with the best way to handle things and learning what the other is used to so we can communicate with the whole team and to be on the same page. She's been really helpful in making this a smooth transition."
On her goal:
"Well, I had to make sure that the number 10 wasn't a waste. We've been working really hard on being dogs, and that's something the team has been talking about all season. So, coming in, just being really aggressive in our set pieces, and making sure that we're getting on to it. For me, I know that it's hard to see through traffic, so if I kept the ball on the ground, a keeper's not really going to be able to see it until it's either right at her or past her. I knew if I could keep it low and just get it through players that hopefully it would get in and it did."
