Salmon hat trick kicks off the Amoros era in style against Red Stars

HOUSTON - The Juan Carlos Amorós era is off to a triumphant start after a hat-trick from Ebony Salmon helped the Houston Dash cruise past the Chicago Red Stars 4-1 on Saturday night. 

The win ends a nine-match unbeaten streak for the visitors and is Houston's first home win since June 3. 

"They stuck to the game plan and the game plan worked," said Amorós after the match. "The team was outstanding. The commitment and attitude from everyone was outstanding."

The first Dash performance under the new interim head coach, Amorós, was full of verve and vigor. If ERCOT needs some additional power sources this summer, then may I suggest they look into this Dash team. 

From kickoff, Houston pressed and pestered Chicago. Two quick turnovers in the Red Stars' third of the pitch created an uneasy feeling amongst the away team's ranks. "We worked a lot on being a team that is aggressive out of possession, in the high press," said Amoros. 

In the ninth minute, that high pressure paid off when Shea Groom leaped onto a pass out the back from Chicago goalkeeper Emily Boyd. The Dash midfielder sharply cut the ball back to Salmon, who then slashed the ball into the net via the hopeful hand of Boyd.  

Prior to tonight, the 21-year-old forward didn't have a single NWSL goal to her name in 2022. Limited usage for Racing Louisville led to the Dash acquiring Salmon at the end of June for a club-record $175,000 transfer fee.

The goal triggered a mix of relief and jubilation in Salmon and her teammates. Any feelings prematch that Salmon would struggle to score in orange were quickly settled. Confidence began to flow. 

Not long after the opening goal, Salmon had her most individually majestic moment of the night, albeit it was the only chance she had that she couldn't finish off. 

Collecting the ball in a central area, 45 yards out from goal, Salmon turned and sprinted at the Red Stars' defense. Turning on the jets, she slalomed past two players with deft touches. With just Boyd to beat, Salmon blasted the ball into the Red Stars goalkeeper from close range. It was the only shot Salmon took on the night that didn't hit the back of the net. 

After coming out of the blocks with incessant energy, the Dash changed its shape and began to slow down the flow of the match. Holding possession for slightly longer periods helped avoid fatigue. The high press began to subside. 

Although Houston had slowed the pace of the match down after showing intensity early on, it was able to double its lead right before the break. Natalie Jacobs launched a long ball over the top of Chicago's backline and Salmon read the pass wisely. 

Nipping at Tatumn Milazzo's heels, Salmon raced beyond the defender and took one neat touch before then dispatching the ball confidently past Boyd. 

"All week we had been working on that ball in behind. That ball was on. From the defender's point of view they just had to over hit it, and I had to make that run in behind. When you stick to a game plan, that's what happens," said Salmon about her second goal. 

Despite the goal before halftime, the match felt in the balance. It may be an overused cliche, but 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline in soccer. As the second half got underway, Chicago appeared confident it could still secure a result. After all, just a week ago the Red Stars stormed back from 2-0 down to snatch a 2-2 draw with the North Carolina Courage. 

However, what made the situation far less trepidatious for the Dash was having Salmon up its sleeve. The Englishwoman's game is so suited to playing on the counterattack. As the Red Stars became more adventurous, Salmon became even more of a threat. 

The forward credited her teammates in the Dash's front three for helping her be so effective. 

"For me, Ryan [Gareis] and Maria [Sanchez] it was about getting forward as much as we could. It made their defense ask questions because we were all creating problems. It showed in the third goal they weren't sure whether to go to Ryan or me," said Salmon.

10 minutes into the second half, Salmon masterminded a two-against-one situation on the counter. The sensational goal was ignited by a Chicago attack gone wrong. After Gareis stormed towards the halfway line, Salmon glided into the space behind Milazzo while holding the offside line. Although the forward's first touch was slightly heavy, she made up for it with the sedated second touch and peerless finish past Boyd.  

"It's big for me to get that. My confidence was quite low after not playing earlier this season. I missed one that I should've scored, but we didn't take our foot off the gas," said Salmon about her hat-trick. 

Salmon's hat-trick becomes just the second-ever in the history of the Dash. Only in June 2022 did Nichelle Prince score the first-ever hat-trick for Houston. To Prince's credit, it took her just 49 minutes to secure her triple against the Orlando Pride. Salmon had to wait until the 55th minute to place a finger to her lips and celebrate a trio of strikes. 

In the 84th minute, Amoros removed Salmon to a standing ovation. Shrieks, yells, and completely intelligible noises of adoration rained down on the young forward. "The fans are a huge part of the club. To be shown that love that love by them is huge. It's something that makes you have more confidence and believe in yourself as a player," said Salmon about the moment. 

The substitution contained history on both sides. As the Dash's club-record transfer came off, 19-year-old Paulina Gramaglia came on to make her NWSL debut and become the youngest player ever to play for Houston. 

Before the cheers could fully settle naturally, the Red Stars managed to silence the crowd. Sam Fisher scored in the 88th minute. A mix up in the Houston box ended with Fisher tapping home form five yards. 

There was still time for more history to be made on the hot Houston night. In injury time, rookie Joelle Anderson scored the first goal of her professional career. After a hoofed goal kick from Lindsey Harris, the forward broke free on the edge of the box and slammed home a stinging shot from 18 yards. 

Tonight's win launches Houston up the NWSL standings into fourth place. Chicago drops into third place due to the Portland Thorns winning 5-0 at home to NJ/NY Gotham FC. The Red Stars are just two points ahead of the Dash. 

"You can win or you can lose but you have to leave everything out there. They grabbed those chances with two hands against one of the best teams in the league," concluded Amoros.