Photo copyright Joseph Buvid-Imagn Images
The Houston Dash’s playoff hopes are officially over.
Houston was eliminated from NWSL postseason contention on Sunday after losing 3-2 to the Washington Spirit at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Dash twice pulled away from a one-goal deficit, but Clara Luwanga’s 84th-minute goal eventually gave Washington all three points.
Tara Rudd opened the scoring for Washington in the 11th minute, but Miljana Ivanovic equalized shortly before halftime. Sofia Cantore restored the Spirit’s lead in the 51st minute before Ivanovic scored again eight minutes later to pull Houston level for the second time.
The Dash couldn’t find another equalizer after Luwanga’s 84th-minute winner for Washington.
The Spirit controlled 60 percent of the possession and outshot Houston 25-13.
With the loss, Houston falls to 8-13-6 with 30 points and 12th in the NWSL standings with three regular season games remaining.
The Dash got off to an early start to the season, scoring a franchise-best nine points in the first four games. Houston eventually struggled to sustain that start and fell into the bottom half of the standings as the season progressed.
The season also saw a big change as head coach Fabrice Gautrat and technical director Twila Kilgore were relieved of their duties in September, with assistant coach Jaime Frias taking over as interim head coach.
Houston will miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Dash have only made the postseason once in franchise history, qualifying in 2022 before losing to the Kansas City Stream 2-1 in the first round.
Despite the disappointing result, Sunday marked a remarkable individual milestone. Jane Campbell set a new NWSL single-season saves record by surpassing the previous 2024 mark of 113 saves and ending the season with 114 saves on Sunday. He entered the match with 109 saves.
The Dash will return to action after the international break on October 18 when they host the Orlando Pride.
