Houston Dash Defeat Utah Royals
HOUSTON (April 25, 2025) – The Houston Dash earned their second victory of the season and their first three points at Shell Energy Stadium following a 1-0 victory over Utah Royals FC earlier tonight. This is Houston’s second clean sheet of the season and goalkeeper Jane Campbell tallied her 40th clean sheet in regular season play.
Midfielder Delanie Sheehan scored the game-winning goal with an ambitious strike from outside the box in the 80th minute. This was Sheehan’s first goal for the team and her fifth game-winning goal across all NWSL competitions. The midfielder is one of nine new players signed to the team for the 2025 season.
Houston’s first opportunity of the game came in the opening minutes of the match after forward Messiah Bright found Yazmeen Ryan making a run into the box. Ryan’s cross across the face of goal eluded midfielder Maggie Graham at the far post.
Sheehan won the ball at midfield in the 19th minute and found forward Ryan Gareis in space. The Utah backline recovered to clear her cross at the far post intended for Bright. Sheehan led the team with 14 recoveries tonight.
Campbell made her first save of the second half in the 47th minute when she denied CeCe Kizer. Campbell finished with five saves against Utah tonight.
Ryan suffered a foul outside the box in the 54th minute and took the ensuing free kick. Her effort forced a save at the near post from Mandy McGlynn. Ryan finished with two shots on target against Utah tonight and she finished with four crosses.
Ryan forced a save in the 71st minute after she found space behind the backline, but the Utah goalkeeper was well positioned to get a hand on Ryan’s shot at the near post.
Campbell was called into action again in the 73rd minute when she denied Brecken Mozingo at the far post. The shot stopper punched the ball away with the opposite hand as she dove towards the far post. Campbell has tallied 21 saves so far this season. Last year, the Dash goalkeeper finished with 113, the highest single-season mark in her career.
Forward Diana Ordóñez entered the match in the 69th minute and generated Houston’s final opportunity of the match after she forced a save in the 88th minute. That opportunity was one of the two big chances for the team outside of Sheehan’s goal according to Opta Live.
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