In their first meetup of the 2022 regular season, the Houston Dash defeated NJ/NY Gotham FC with a 4-2 win after trailing in the first half. A possession-based game with electric moments from both sides, the match came down to effective transitional play and building momentum off set pieces and goals.
The first 10-12 minutes, according to Gotham FC head coach Scott Parkinson, were “great and lively” for the squad. This was evident as it only took the team four minutes to get on the board; A great run by Taylor Smith gave her the space to deliver a square ball to the box and connect with Monaghan.
Notably, Smith created a lot of space for herself during the match as a floating nine. With the offensive line of Monaghan, Delanie Sheehan, and Midge Purce dropping to connect with the midfield, Smith was able to shift freely in their 4-2-3-1 formation. Her best moments were providing high pressure to the Dash backline on the flanks so defenders could create errors or get beat in the attacking third.
As the game went on, both teams began to settle into building through possession, resulting in very few shots taken in the first half.
The movement of the 4-3-3 formation from the Dash was relatively quiet after the Monaghan goal and great defensive moments or duels won by Gotham. With the help of forwards Ebony Salmon, Nichelle Prince, and Maria Sánchez becoming increasingly threatening in finding space and opportunities to shoot, the Dash played began to play more patiently with hopes of bringing in more dangerous offensive transitions.
With more patience came sharper movement on the flanks from players like Marisa Viggiano, Sophie Schmidt, and even Sánchez who began to move out wide from her nine role. Additionally, set pieces became the dark horse in terms of building momentum for the Dash, one of which would soon find the back of Gotham’s net after a corner served in by Sánchez.
The last fifteen minutes of the half saw Viggiano and Dash ten, Shea Groom, become more visible in building tempo in their midfield, not allowing the Gotham lines to connect as easily. As a result, their transitional style of play was able to take fruition and would soon pay off in the 36th minute; A Viggiano-Sánchez connection moved out wide, delivering a ball to Groom for a classic header goal.
Although down at the half, one huge takeaway was the presence of Midge Purce for Gotham. She brought energy to the left flank that was missing last Gotham game against the Thorns. A “player decision”, says Parkinson, the left side allowed Purce to dribble and cut inside with her right foot, oftentimes breaking away through the Dash backline or setting up Monaghan and Sheehan for through balls and connections in front of goal.
The second half started similarly to the first, with Gotham controlling the tempo and settling into a comfortable high press and possession from the back; Sheehan and midfielder Kristie Mewis would switch lines often. The Dash did not see any dangerous looks in the first six minutes of the half.
With more patience in possession building and staying close within lines, however, the Dash started to create several chances in the Gotham box and in their corners. Notably, centerback Ally Prisock was seen transitioning from the defensive line to high press, allowing for extra midfield presence when needed.
Allysha Chapman, Katie Naughton, and Natalie Jacobs all had a solid match against the Gotham front line and were able to predict a lot of Gotham’s reads and keep their shape.
For Gotham, Krieger and Freeman both had bright moments throughout the game as centerbacks, despite the scoreline. They stepped up in some of the biggest duels in the Dash attacking third, including blocking point-blank shots in their half. Dorsey was locked in on the right flank and worked with Krieger to direct defensive shape, allowing Dydasco on the left flank to become less isolated compared to previous games and help connect with the offense.
Fresh legs from Ellie Jean in the 68th minute were also nice addition to add sharp tackles on the right flank.
Overall, Gotham did struggle to maintain defensive consistency towards the end of the second half. Zerboni noted in the post-game that the squad seemed to play more in “pods or pairs” rather than a unit, which favored the Dash’s offensive transitional play to create space for its players.
In the 70th minute, goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris was beat by a wonderful strike outside the 18 by Sophia Schmidt, assisted by Viggiano. Finding it harder to continue as a unit, Gotham saw themselves giving up balls and risky fouls as a result of panicky clearances and poor passes. It was costly in the 72nd minute after Sánchez was taken down in the box, Salmon scoring from the spot a minute later.
Though some resurgence of energy was present after an incredible self-effort and strike by Purce in the 82nd, it was not enough for Gotham to make a possible comeback against a very good Dash team that outshot and out-possessed them, capitalizing on transitions and set pieces.
SBFC Superlatives
Shea Butter Bomb/Boom: Purce
Shea Butter Dime: Smith
Shea Butter Banks: Salmon
Shea Butter Brick: Dorsey, Freeman
Shea Butter Furniture Movin: Prince vs Purce, Freeman vs Salmon
Shea Butter And 1: Purce
Shea Butter Heat Check: Jean
Shea Butter Mic Check: Purce, Abam
Shea Butter Stuntin: Jean
Work in Swag Surf: Prince/Salmon, Prince/Abam
