**WASHINGTON, D.C.** – The Washington Spirit and Houston Dash grappled to a scoreless draw at Audi Field despite both teams creating plenty of chances in front of goal and a late downpour in the nation’s capital that nearly made for an exciting finish. In the end, the two goalkeepers made a combined nine saves en route to their respective shutouts while both teams are also off to their best starts in each club’s history.
The first half was relatively void of quality chances for both sides, with neither finding the attacking bite required to jump ahead in the opening 45 minutes. In the 11 ^th minute, the Spirit had a brief look at goal as defender Sam Staab had a headed effort following a corner grabbed out of the air by Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell. Four minutes later, Houston was on the attack with midfielder Courtney Peterson playing a dangerous ball into the penalty area, though no one was there to meet it.
In the 19 ^th minute, Washington got as close as any player would when she burst into the attacking third past a pair of Houston defenders and all the way toward the goalmouth. Right in front of goal, Rodman then fired on goal but had her shot repelled out of play by Campbell for a corner kick that ultimately proved fruitless. Then, six minutes later, the Spirit had another good look in front of goal as Rodman combined with fellow forward Ashley Sanchez just a few yards out from goal only to see Sanchez fail to get the power required to beat Campbell as the goalkeeper collected a timid effort.
Houston then produced a pair of chances of their own within the span of a few minutes. In the 31 ^st minute, attacker María Sánchez was standing over a free kick and ended up shooting on frame only for Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury to collect. In the 37 ^th minute, attacker Diana Ordóñez was able to get a shot on frame as teammate Ebony Salmon worked her way into the box and squared a pass for Ordóñez, but the Mexican National Team standout could not split Kingsbury either way.
Right at the end of the half, Houston had one last look in front of goal as Sánchez produced a good bit of trickery to get around a Spirit defender and fire a cross into the box, but as the ball was sent back in toward the penalty spot, Washington did just enough to get it clear and the half ended scoreless.
It didn’t take long into the second half for Washington to get back on the attack with Hatch testing the Houston defense early on with a curling effort. In the 51 ^st minute, Hatch took over the ball just outside the penalty area and ripped a drive that the goalkeeper Campbell had to put out of play. Six minutes later, Sanchez got back on the ball as this time Hatch turned from shot maker to provider, beating a cross across goal that Sanchez ran onto and met with her head. However, she could only watch in agony as the ball ricocheted off the post and back into play as the move eventually ended. Just seconds after that, Washington again regained possession and Sanchez then decided to try and chip Campbell from outside the penalty area, but her effort fell just narrowly over the crossbar and out.
Houston then had their turn in front of goal as a María Sánchez corner found midfielder Sophie Schmidt, whose header forced Kingsbury into an outrageous save. Sánchez’s corner found Schmidt just a few yards out in front of goal, but as Schmidt redirected her header, Kingsbury leapt and got just enough on the effort to tip it off the underside of the crossbar and back into play as both sides had then hit the woodwork in the second half, though neither were able to go ahead.
In the 77 ^th minute, Washington again flipped momentum as their search for an opener goal continued. Receiving a pass on the left side, teenage sensation Chloe Ricketts produced a pair of stepovers to get free as she cut inside on her right foot and curled in a cross. Looking to pick out Rodman, the attacker did well to get in front of her defender and meet the cross, but she could not keep her headed effort down and the match remained scoreless heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
In the end, though a competitive fixture with chances aplenty as well, neither Washington nor Houston would find the breakthrough they were looking for and the pair would have to settle for a point apiece. However, the result does mean that both sides continue their unbeaten starts to the year with Washington now sitting on eight points (W2 D2) and Houston on six points (W1 D3) as each side respectively makes it its longest unbeaten run to start the year in their histories.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights