HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 30, 2018) — Jane Campbell was the saving grace for the Houston Dash on Friday night in Houston.
The second-year goalkeeper made five big saves against the Utah Royals in a scoreless draw.
Campbell made key stops against Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir, Diana Matheson, Brooke Elby and Katie Stengel. However, Campbell wasn’t helped out by the offense much, as Houston took seven shots, but none registered on goal.
Jane Campbell Comes Up Big in 0-0 Tie Between Houston Dash and Utah Royals
“Shutouts are always good,” Campbell said after the match. “I think as a whole the group’s a little disappointed we didn’t get the win. After the last two games, we came away with two points, not six, so that’s kind of disappointing.
“We’ll use that over the break to re-group and put it all back together so we can get the three points on the road.”
Houston’s best opportunity came in the 88th minute from Nichelle Prince. Royals defender Becky Sauerbrunn was able to slide and block the shot.
.@jane_campbell1 doing what @jane_campbell1 does best👊#HOUvUTA | #DashOn https://t.co/33smTu1saQ
— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) March 31, 2018
Three Takeaways
- Is O’Hara’s injury serious?: Kelley O’Hara did not dress at BBVA Stadium due to a left hamstring strain. Her replacement for the evening was Sydney Miramontez, who spent the night defending Veronica Latsko and Prince. O’Hara has officially been ruled out of the U.S. Women’s National Team upcoming friendlies against Mexico.
- Despite two draws, Utah is still dangerous: The Utah Royals drew against the Orlando Pride last week and now against Houston this week. Fans shouldn’t take the lack of three-point securing games as a bad sign. Utah, with the likes of Jónsdóttir and Stengel on top, has a dangerous attack.
- Vera Pauw’s plan: Right now, the Dash have only Allison Wetherington, Kyah Simon and Thembi Kgatlana unavailable on their roster. Pauw’s lineup stayed consistent for the second week in a row. Their offense still needs to work through kinks, but the defense — and Campbell — have thrived. Is Pauw making critics eat their words? It’s still too early to tell.
