Angel City's young stars dominate 3-1 against Houston Dash

In the spring heat of Houston, Texas, three young stars powered Angel City F.C. to a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dash. Angel City finishes out week four of the NWSL unbeaten, remaining one of only three other teams to do so. Riley Tiernan, Macey Hodge and Alyssa Thompson’s performances kept Houston on their toes as Angel City fought hard throughout both halves.

Although the first half was rocky, Saturday’s match highlighted the capability of a young roster to deliver and the team’s ability to deal with pressure. Early in the third minute, Angel City saw their first chance, but it wasn’t until the 13th minute when the scoreboard lit up. Forward Claire Emslie sent a low cross from the right wing into the box, where midfielder Kennedy Fuller was lurking. Fuller’s shot ricocheted off a defender and fell into the late-arriving run of Hodge. Hodge netted her first professional goal in the NWSL by sending a low, driven shot past multiple defenders.

“Excited to be able to contribute to that win on the score sheet. It feels nice to obviously get the first goal of my career, but the result is the most important,” said Hodge. 

Hodge’s journey to professional soccer has been filled with unexpected turns, but Angel City provides the development and support for her to succeed. “It’s just a dream come true. I always reflect on how five years ago, I didn't think I was ever going to play soccer again. To be on the stage with my teammates that I have, doing the things that I'm doing is kind of surreal. It keeps everything in perspective for me, being super thankful and grateful for the opportunity that I have,” said Hodge. 

“To grow up watching some of the people that I'm playing with now in itself is so surreal to me. To be able to learn from the people that I'm around and have them help me grow, it's super amazing. I’m thankful for it all, it feels like a dream.” 

Angel City continued strong into the 30th minute with a sequence that doubled their lead. Fuller combined with Thompson and then Emslie to work the ball into the final third. As Houston failed to force a turnover outside the 18, the ball fell to Tiernan, who took a touch, turned, and sent the ball just inside the post. 

Tiernan, who started the preseason as a non-roster invite, has now scored twice in two games.

Houston responded in the 61st minute when Barbara Olivieri forced a turnover in the final third and tapped the ball sideways to former ACFC player Messiah Bright, who made a forward run into the box. Olivieri followed, picking up the lateral pass from Bright and sending her shot past Anderson to bring the score to 2–1.

Thompson, 20, finished off the match with a goal in the 86th minute. Midfielder Katie Zelem won the ball in the midfield and tapped a short pass to Tiernan, who sent a through ball into the space left by Houston’s high defensive press. Thompson ran up the left, cutting inside and finding the back of the net. 

In her 50th club appearance, Thompson became the second youngest player in NWSL history to earn 10 goals and 10 assists. “It feels really amazing. I am super happy. I've been working really hard to get to this point, and I owe a lot to my teammates for lifting me up and believing in me, knowing that I can do this from the beginning. From their belief I have confidence in myself now to continue to be a better player on the field and score an assist for the team,” said Thompson. 

It was back-and-forth throughout the entire match, but the Angel City offense had great success. As with the last three matches, the team is showing improvement in areas that dragged them down last season. However, the lack of consistent stamina remains a thorn in their side. 

“When we have players like [Alyssa Thompson] in possession, and especially in transition, we know how deadly they can be. We did identify some spaces that we thought were going to be available against Houston, and in behind the back line ended up being one of them, but what you saw early in the first half was the game plan, and the players executed it to a tee. To be two goals up pretty quickly in a game away from home is really positive,” said head coach Sam Laity. 

“And of course in the second half, we dropped off a lot, we looked tired, we looked fatigued, so from then it was about mentality. But good start, really good pictures; second-half mentality, absolutely sensational. The subs that came in made a big, big impact on the game, so kudos to everybody.”

Angel City remains fourth on the league table and returns home to BMO for a match against Gotham F.C. on April 18 at 7:30 pm.