UTAH ROYALS DEFEATS HOUSTON DASH 1-0
Written by Michael Thervil
[HOUSTON DASH UTAH ROYALS] With the Houston Dash facing off against the Utah Royals, it could easily be said that this match would be considered one of the Houston Dash’s more aggressive matches of the season. This position was proven to be true as 28-year-old Utah royal Defender Kate Del Fava took a heavy blow to the head at roughly the 18’ minute of the match. While the Utah Royals appear to be hanging on against the Houston Dash, it seems that the Houston Dash continues to have the upper hand statistically during the first half of the match.
With moderate momentum from both teams on the pitch, both teams have been finding it difficult to negotiate a way to break away from the deadlock that has been created on the pitch. By the end of the first half, the Houston Dash fell behind when it came to ball possession, possessing the ball 44% of the time while the Utah Royals possessed the ball 56% of the time. The Dash also fell behind when it came to the number of shots taken with them only taking two shots during the first half, fans were left wondering if and when the Dash will pick up their rate of attack on the pitch to match that of the Utah Royals who took a total of eight shots.
The Houston Dash executed a total of 136 passes with a pass accuracy rate of 67%. The Utah Royals in contrast, executed a total of 168 passes for a pass accuracy rate of 76%. The Utah Royals also dominated the Houston Dash when it came to crosses (3-1), but the Houston Dash reigned supreme in the first half by winning 22 duels to the Utah Royals 18 duels won. When it came to fouls the Utah Royals unfortunately took the lead with 11 fouls while the Dash only committed five fouls, playing a cleaner game than the Utah Royals. When it came to shots inside and outside the box, the Houston Dash executed one for both categories while the Utah Royals took five shots at the goal from inside the box and three for the goal from outside the box.
Breaking into the second half, it was considered a nightmare for fans of the Houston Dash. With Utah Royals Midfielder Mina Tanaka scoring a goal at the 68’ minute of the match, she effectively put what would be the final nail in the coffin of the Houston Dash. It was at that moment some fans of the Houston Dash were left wondering if their beloved Dash would even have a chance of making it to the playoffs. For the remainder of the match, it appeared that the only goal of the Utah Royals was to keep the ball out of the possession of the Houston Dash to maintain control of the fate of the match. In this they succeeded in defeating the Houston Dash 1-0.
The key stats of tonight's match resulted in the Houston Dash possessing the ball 45% of the time with 276 total passes for a pass accuracy rate of 68%. The Utah Royals possessed the ball 55% of the time with 325 passes, for a pass accuracy rate of 74%. By the end of the match the Houston Dash took a total of 4 shots with zero shots on goal and were overwhelmed by the Utah Royals, taking a total of 17 shots with six shots on goal in order to secure the win over the Dash. Looking at the number of shots taken from inside and outside the box, the Houston Dash had a total number of three 3 shots from inside the box and one from outside the box. The Utah Royals in contrast took a total of 10 shots from inside the box and a total of seven shots from outside of the box.
The Dash excelled when it came to tackles, winning eight out of 14 tackles. In comparison the Utah Royals won five out of nine tackles. The Houston Dash obtained 12 fouls and acquired three yellow cards while the Utah Royals committed 16 fouls and were not issued any yellow cards. Neither team was issued a red card. The Houston Dash had a total of five saves while the Utah Royals failed to secure any saves. The Dash had 33 clearances to Utah Royals.
The next Houston Dash match will be on Sunday September 20th against the Boston Legacy. Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm.
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