Houston Dash Vs Utah Royals: 3 things we learned – The Dash survive
By Drew Hubbard
On Saturday, the Houston Dash defeated the Utah Royals on penalties to advance to the semi-finals of the NWSL Challenge Cup. Here are three things we learned.
After they played to a thrilling 3-3 draw earlier in the NWSL Challenge Cup, the Houston Dash defeated the Utah Royals 3-2 in a penalty shootout to squeeze into the semi-finals.
In the 39th minute, Nichelle Prince hit the post for Houston, while Shea Groom missed a good second-half opportunity. Otherwise, it was an even, tight affair that went straight to penalties after the 90 minutes. The first half ended with both teams relatively even on possession and total shots.
Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell stole the show in the penalty shootout, saving two efforts to clinch the win for Houston and a spot in the semi-finals against the Portland Thorns.
Here are three things we learned.
3. Something to build on for Utah
The Utah Royals came into this competition with little-to-no expectations, under a new manager, in extreme circumstances, and competing in a knockout style tournament. There were a lot of questions around this team and a first-round exit was expected by many.
However, they surprised some people in the preliminary stages with a win over Sky Blue and a come-from-behind draw against the Houston Dash. They entered the knockout round as the fifth seed when they were primetime candidates for the eighth and final seed.
This tournament gave new manager Craig Harrington a chance to see his new side and build on some things heading into 2021. If all goes to his plan, next season will see the return of Christen Press, who opted out of the tournament, and a more consistent Kelley O’Hara. In addition to these veterans, Harrington got to see the play of rookie Kate Del Fava out of Illinois State. Del Fava appeared in four of the five Royals’ games and impressed during her time on the field.
It wasn’t as long as Utah would have liked, but the 2020 Challenge Cup gave an opportunity for players and coaches to build relationships with one another and look ahead to 2021.