Following a string of losses and sitting in last place, the Washington Spirit were hoping to get out of a rut before the upcoming international break began. Cheyna Williams got the Spirit off to a good start with a 3rd minute goal, and 19-year-old Mallory Pugh followed it up by scoring her first ever professional goal. Washington made those strikes count, fending off the Houston Dash the rest of the way en route to a 2-0 win.
Houston was carrying a bad streak as well: the team had four straight losses ahead of Saturday’s game, and head coach Randy Waldrum was fired on Monday.