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Houston, Texas (03/14/2025) – The Washington Spirit will kick off its 2025 regular season campaign when it takes on the Houston Dash Friday night. The match will kick off at 8 p.m. EDT at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas and broadcast nationally on NWSL+ and locally in the DMV on Monumental Sports Network.
The Spirit
The Spirit enters the regular season coming on the heels of its big Challenge Cup victory over the Orlando Pride last week. Trailing 1-0 in the second half, midfielder Leicy Santos connected on a direct free kick to bring the match level before the Spirit took home the trophy after a penalty kick shootout.
The trophy was extra special for this Spirit team as it was dealing with several key injuries last week. Missing Croix Bethune, Courtney Brown, Ouleye Sarr, Andi Sullivan and more, the short-handed side relied on its newcomers and depth. Two players made their Spirit debuts last Friday as well. Midfielder Narumi Miura and defender Rebeca Bernal both appeared in a Spirit kit for the first time since signing with the club in the offseason, and both players converted their penalty kicks in the shootout.
Notably, star midfielder Bethune was removed from the season-ending injury (SEI) list ahead of Friday’s match and could be available for the Spirit’s season opener.
After the tone-setting win, the Spirit will continue to build on its most successful regular season in club history in 2025. Setting new marks for wins (18), points (56) and goals scored (51) last season, the team progressed to its third NWSL Championship match and came up just short of taking home its second league title.
Breakout rookie performances were a trend in 2024. Bethune tied the long-standing NWSL single season assists record (10) in just 17 matches and won both the Rookie and Midfielder of the Year awards. Fellow midfielder Hal Hershfelt established herself as a future star in the NWSL and earned Best XI Second Team honors. Forward Makenna Morris burst onto the scene with five goals and a Rookie of the Month honor in just 12 matches played while defender Kate Wiesner, Brown and midfielder Heather Stainbrook all tallied goals as well. These players enter their sophomore campaign Friday night looking to keep up the momentum from 2024.
The Spirit and Dash have played 26 times in the regular season with Washington holding an advantage with 11 wins, eight losses and seven draws and a +4 lead in goal differential (33-29). In 13 matches at Shell Energy Stadium, the Spirit holds an even record of four wins, four losses and five draws, including its most recent win at the venue, last April’s 3-1 comeback victory. The team will look to capture a winning away record against the Dash with three points tonight.
The Opponent
Houston finished last in the NWSL table last season with a record of five wins, 16 losses and five draws. The team’s -22 goal differential was also last in the league. The Dash does, however, have hope for a resurgence this season. In each of the past two seasons, the team to finish in last place made the playoffs the following season (Gotham FC 2022-23 and Chicago 2023-24).
The Dash returns star goalkeeper Jane Campbell for her ninth year with the club. Campbell has been one of the league’s best keepers in recent years, earning consistent call-ups to the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2024 as well. Also returning—though unavailable tonight—is forward Diana Ordóñez who can be a consistent scoring threat in the attacking third.
Several new signings made headlines for Houston this past offseason too. Up-and-coming star Yazmeen Ryan made the move from Gotham FC to Texas alongside Danielle Colaprico and Christen Westphal from San Diego. Additionally, the Dash hired Fabrice Gautrat as the team’s new Head Coach as the side looks to rise back up the table in 2025. Gautrat previously coached in the NWSL with the Chicago Red Stars.
After Friday’s match, the Spirit and Dash won’t meet again for another six months. Washington will host Houston in DC on Sunday, September 28 at noon for the club’s Hispanic Heritage match at Audi Field.
All-Time Series History
The Spirit owns an 11-8-7 all-time regular season record against the Houston Dash with a +4 goal differential (33-29). When Washington visited Houston last April, the team conceded a goal in the first minute of the match to former Spirit player Natalie Jacobs. Despite carrying the deficit into halftime, the Spirit scored three goals in the second half to secure three points on the road. The Spirit has lost just one of its 11 most recent matches (all competitions) against the Dash, the October 2022 meeting between the sides at Audi Field. Since September 2019, Washington holds a 5-1-5 record against Houston. Additionally, the Spirit has not lost in its last five matches at Shell Energy Stadium, holding a 1-0-4 record.
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