The Dash rallied in the second half to earn a 1-1 draw with the Thorns while the Royals and Pride were unable to find a goal in the Wasatch Valley in Wednesday night NWSL action.
O’Hara hurt in scoreless draw
The Royals and Pride played to a 0-0 draw at Rio Tinto Stadium in a match that saw Kelley O’Hara and Alex Morgan take nasty falls late. O’Hara pulled up lame on a run into the penalty area near second half stoppage time and appeared to be in tears as she gingerly walked off the pitch. A few minutes earlier Morgan fell hard on her left shoulder after having her jersey tugged and then getting tackled from behind by Katrina Gorry. Morgan returned to the match but kept her left arm pinned near her body and barely moved it over the final minutes.
The match did not see much in terms of scoring chances as both teams recorded their second consecutive clean sheets. The most notable chance was in the 80th minute. O’Hara played Diana Matheson whose through ball put Katie Stengel in behind. Stengel’s first touch was a bit too hard, allowing Ashlyn Harris to come out and knock the ball away before Ali Krieger came in to clear it.
The Royals (1-1-5, 8 pts) have taken an odd route to their 8 points and will get the weekend off. They next host the Dash, May 19 on Lifetime. The Pride (2-2-3, 9 pts) are headed straight to Portland where they will play Saturday, also on Lifetime.
SCORING SUMMARY:
- none
–Dan Lauletta
Kyah Simon equalizer earns draw for Dash
Kyah Simon’s first NWSL goal since September 7, 2016 rallied the Dash from a halftime deficit and earned them a 1-1 draw with the Thorns at sweaty BBVA Compass Stadium. Nichelle Prince fought her way through midfield pressure and found Kristie Mewis who switched it wide right to Veronica Latsko. Simon made a run behind Latkso and the Thorns were slow to react to the overload on the right side. Even still it took a clever finish from Simon to put the ball between the outstretched Britt Eckerstrom and the far post.
The Thorns had led at halftime thanks for Ana-Maria Crnogorčević’s first NWSL goal. Midge Purce drove end line and got off a cross that the Dash had several opportunities to clear from about 10 yards out. They were unable to get it out of danger though and eventually Crnogorčević pounded on it.
Both teams had their chances to pull ahead, none better than Lindsey Horan’s header that Janine Van Wyk’s leaped high to clear over the crossbar. The Dash flurried shortly after tying it, forcing Eckerstrom into one save where she knocked it over the bar and also hitting a post.
The Dash (1-3-3, 6 pts) have now earned 4 points over two matches. They will visit the Red Stars on Saturday for the third and final meeting between the sides in 2018. The Thorns (2-2-3, 9 pts) are now winless in four for the first time since 2015. They host the Pride this Saturday on Lifetime.
SCORING SUMMARY:
- Thorns — Ana-Maria Crnogorčević (Sinclair), 25
- Dash — Kyah Simon (Latsko), 57
–Dan Lauletta
