NJ/NY Gotham FC
No results can be found
Showing results for:
-
Athletes
-
Pages
-
News
Athletes
Pages
News
Houston, Tx. (April 9, 2015) – The Washington Spirit will begin its 2015 season on the road facing the Houston Dash at BBVA Compass Stadium on Friday, April 10 at 8:30 PM ET.
The Spirit and Dash have the honor of being the first game played in the 2015 NWSL season on Friday night. In the lead up to the game the Dash have put a tremendous amount of effort to get 10,000 fans into BBVA Compass Stadium. The Spirit anticipate a strong turnout for their opponent, but expect the energy and excitement at the venue to buoy both sides and result in an electric start to the season.
“The team is very motivated and excited for Friday and we are up for the challenges the game will present,” said head coach Mark Parsons. “The players have worked hard and intelligently in preseason and we are in a good position to start strong. Preseason is behind us and it’s now about grabbing the opportunity on Friday to come of the blocks and earn the right to play our game.”
Houston finished 9th in the league in their first year in the NWSL with a 5-16-3 record. As a result of their bottom of the table finish the Dash were able to select midfielder Morgan Brian with the first pick in the 2015 NWSL Draft. Houston further bolstered their roster in the offseason with the acquisition of U.S. Women’s National Team star midfielder Carli Lloyd. Lloyd and Brian have recently played significant minutes together in 2015 with the national team and will likely carry over that chemistry to the Dash.
The Spirit had a successful 2014 campaign finishing fourth in the league with a 10-9-5 record. Washington’s season was cut short by the Reign in Seattle in the semi-final, which the Reign won 2-1. The Spirit have brought in a myriad of new players including Spanish striker Laura del Rio and Argentine striker Estefania Banini. Also likely to feature in the season opening match for the Spirit is attacking midfielder Amanda Da Costa who signed with the Spirit following two back to back FAWSL league titles with Liverpool Ladies in England.
The Spirit will be joined in Houston by their three allocated U.S. National Team players Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger, and Crystal Dunn. All three were with the national team last Saturday as the USWNT defeated New Zealand 4-0 in St. Louis. Though all three did not participate in preseason with the team they are familiar with head coach Mark Parsons’ system as Harris and Krieger have been with the Spirit since 2013 and Dunn played all of 2014 with the team.
The Spirit will make its home debut against FC Kansas City at Maureen Hendricks Field the following weekend on Saturday, April 18 at 7 p.m.
Washington Spirit season tickets are available now (10 home matches), with packages starting as low as $170. Check out all of the phenomenal NWSL soccer at the Maryland SoccerPlex by calling 301-337-8579.
