**HOUSTON, Tx.** – San Diego Wave FC dominated the Houston Dash on the road to claim a 3-0 win at Shell Energy Stadium and halt any momentum the hosts were looking to gain at home. A goal just two minutes in from Alex Morgan was added to by a goal from Sierra Enge just before the hour mark and a first NWSL goal for Madison Pogarch in the 79 ^th minute to cap off another impressive road victory.
In extremely unfortunate fashion, the Dash gave away the lead after just 90 seconds of play as Alex Morgan capitalized on an underwhelming back pass and poked a shot past Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell and in. The goal extends Morgan’s lead at the top of the team’s scoring charts and very much has her as the frontrunner for the Golden Boot through eight games.
Houston then had a trio of opportunities in the 29 ^th , 38 ^th and 40 ^th minutes as the hosts pressed for an equalizer before the halftime break. First, in the 29 ^th minute, midfielder Joelle Anderson had a shot from in close that failed to sneak underneath the crossbar as it landed high of goal. Then, in the 38 ^th minute, forward Michelle Alozie was loose in the box on the right side but could not get enough power behind her low drive toward the near post to beat San Diego’s Kailen Sheridan. Finally, in the 40 ^th minute, forward Ebony Salmon had a powerful shot parried away by Sheridan but only as far as Houston teammate María Sánchez, whose effort to lift the back over Sheridan toward the back post saw the ball land just on top of the net.
The pair of sides then traded short chances in first half stoppage, with Alex Morgan denied from close in and Houston nearly working the ball ahead enough to register another shot on target, but both moves were squandered in the end.
Just before the hour mark, the Wave then got their second goal after a smart finish by midfielder Sierra Enge further separated the two sides. A low ball back into the box by attacker Sofia Jakobsson found Enge just a few yards out from goal. Contorting her foot and body to meet the chance, Enge redirected the ball into the back of the net to double her side’s advantage.
Then, the game’s final goal came in truly impressive fashion as a corner kick from Alex Morgan found its way all the way to the top of the box to the feet of defender Madison Pogarch. Pogarch took a touch to settle from distance but was then able to unleash from just outside the box toward the bottom right corner to put the final nail in the game’s coffin and help her team earn another big three points.
San Diego temporarily jumps to the top of the table pending other results on Sunday, while Houston is dropped to ninth place, where they will remain until at least next week’s contest against Kansas City.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights