Three takeaways from Houston Dash's historic 2-1 win over North Carolina Courage

There’s a first time for everything. Even beating the preeminent North Carolina Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park. On Saturday night, the Houston Dash made team history by beating the Courage 2-1 on a hot and sticky evening in Cary, North Carolina.

It was a perfect start for the visitors, when Veronica Latsko pressured Angharad James into making an error in her own territory in the 9th minute. Shea Groom pounced on the loose ball and drilled home the game’s opening goal before Courage keeper Casey Murphy could ready herself.

The hosts quickly replied in the 16th minute when Merritt Mathias’ tame low cross wasn’t dealt with by Emily Ogle. The ball inadvertently skidded to Kristen Hamilton who lashed the ball past Lindsey Harris without a second thought.

Despite having come from behind, the Courage were aggrieved at the break. Referee Alexandra Billeter had chalked off two seemingly valid North Carolina goals for offside during the first half. Even upon further views of the replay, both decisions looked too close to call. Potentially, the correct outcome was delivered. 

The Courage dominated possession in the second half, but created few chances. For all its crosses and positional advances, the Dash stayed firm. In the 62nd minute, the breakthrough came, albeit against the natural flow of play. Gabby Seiler dispatched a curling left-footed direct free-kick from 25 yards out into the corner of Murphy’s goal: the midfielder's first NWSL goal of her career. 

Jess McDonald thought she had scored a dramatic equalizer for the home team in the 90th minute but her stabbed effort on goal clattered against the crossbar and rebounded into play. At the final whistle, Seiler was mobbed by her teammates once more, as Dash manager James Clarkson bathed in the unfamiliar feeling.

“Today is all about the team, the players,” said an exuberant Clarkson after the match. “Their fight, their determination to win. That’s who the Dash are. We showed that tonight in abundance. I’m so pleased.”

Here’s three takeaways from soon-to-be-famous night in the Tar Heel state:

Stingy Dash get their reward

For the second week in a row, the Dash headed into the 72nd minute with a lead to defend and three points to nail down. Unlike last week, the Dash held on for the win. Clarkson reflected on the Dash’s determination at full time. “We worked on a lot of things from last week,” said Clarkson. “Last week we were in a similar position and we didn't see things out. To see the game out, we changed our formation and we changed our shape. They had a lot of the ball and that was part of the game plan, we were able to frustrate them.”

A combination of bad luck and a lack of focus brought Houston back down to earth in Chicago. Against the Courage on Saturday, it was insightful tactics, resolute defending in the box and maybe a slice of luck at the end that made all the difference.

Houston happily conceded the majority of possession (64%), as well as conceding plenty of space in the wide areas. But that was a calculated risk. Of the 27 crosses the Courage played during the 90 minutes, just four connected with a teammate, with none of those four coming on set pieces. The Dash dominated its own penalty box. 

After trusting his starting XI to see out the vast majority of the match, Clarkson made a decision to switch to a five-player defensive backline in the 85th minute. The move was vindicated. By full time, North Carolina had forced just two saves from Lindsey Harris, and the legendary defensive performance against the NWSL’s highest-scoring team was complete.

Shea Groom goes 100

By appearing in Saturday's match against the Courage, Shea Groom became the 40th NWSL player to achieve the milestone of 100 matches in the league. During her time in Houston, no one has epitomized the Dash's values more than the NWSL's latest centurion.

The pressure was on the midfielder in this match, as Groom came into it on her longest barren run (seven matches) without a goal in Dash colors. In response, she delivered a trademark performance. Groom scored the opening goal via an offensive press, was booked for a collision with the opposing goalkeeper and thenwon the foul for Selier's free-kick in the second half.

"That was the hardest I've ever been hit," said Groom on her altercation with Casey Murphy, which she received a yellow card for. "I was really upset, but then James [Clarkson] told me it wouldn't be my 100th match unless I got a yellow card."

Like this Dash team as a whole, in order to succeed Groom can't just be one thing. She has to spark a dribble to relieve pressure when attacking, she has to keep bothering the Courage's defense and she has to bark orders to the backline to stay compact. By her own high standards, Groom's performance levels had slipped the past month. But when the time called for peak Groom, she stepped up to help them secure a vital and historic win. 

"I'm really proud of this team. This team always seems to rise to the biggest battles. The more people doubt us, the more fuel I think it gives us," said Groom. 

Bend it like Gabby

There's nothing quite like the dramatic beat before a direct free-kick. Everything pauses. Players pick their spots. Goalkeepers set themselves. Spectators clutch their phones. Kick-takers — according to Gabby Seiler — "take a deep breath in." 

"I wasn't supposed to take it," said Seiler on her Beckham-esque strike. "Emily [Ogle] and Shea [Groom] had seen me hit a few in training. So they said that I should take this. Once I saw the wall, then I thought I could potentially bend it around the wall. It still doesn't feel real, to be honest."

Not only did Seiler execute brilliant technique on the goal, but the way Ogle and Groom split right before only added to the slickness. It has been many years since a Dash player scored from a direct free-kick let alone a match-winning strike. Seiler's screamer was an instant classic, a moment that will live on for a long time in the memories of Dash fans. It was simply an excellent first career NWSL goal for the midfielder.  

Lineups: 

North Carolina Courage: Casey Murphy; Diane Caldwell, Kaleigh Kurtz, Carson Pickett, Merritt Mathias; Cari Roccaro, Havama Solaun, Denise O’Sullivan; Agharad James, Jessica McDonald, Kristen Hamilton 

Houston Dash: Lindsey Harris; Ally Prisock, Katie Naughton, Megan Oyster, Haley Hanson; Emily Ogle (Christine Nairn), Gabby Seiler, Shea Groom; Makamae Gomera-Stevens, Veronica Latsko, Jasmyne Spencer  

Scoring Summary:

HOU: Shea Groom (Veronica Latsko) 9’ 

NCC: Kristen Hamilton (unassisted) 16’  

HOU: Gabby Seiler (unassisted) 62’  

Full Highlights: