Tigres UANL Femenil 2-1 Houston Dash

A late penalty kick gave Tigres Femenil a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dash at Estadio Universitario this evening. This was the first meeting between both teams and the first match for an NWSL team in Mexico.

Houston took the lead in the third minute after Kristie Mewis found Kealia Ohai in space outside the box. The Dash captain dribbled to the top of the six yard box and her right-footed shot beat the Tigres goalkeeper for the first goal of the game.

Tigres equalized in the 71st minute off a counterattack from Katty Abad, the midfielder found Lizbeth Ovalle near the heart of the box to level the score. Tigres took the lead in the 84th minute after Liliana Mercado converted from the penalty spot.

Tigres almost equalized in the 8th minute when goalkeeper Bianca Henninger was called into action at her near post to save a shot from distance. The Dash shot stopper made a point-blank save six minutes later and finished the game with five saves.

Houston almost doubled their lead seconds before the end of the first half off a corner kick from Sofia Huerta. The forward found Amber Brooks near the penalty spot who brought the ball down for Betsy Brandon. The midfielder’s volley just missed the bottom of the crossbar as the first half came to an end.

CeCe Kizer sparked the first opportunity for Houston in the second half after a one-two with Kristie Mewis at the edge of the box. Mewis dribbled to the goal line and forced a corner kick in the 54th minute.

Jane Campbell entered the game in the 67th minute and was immediately called into action on a free kick. Tigres’ free kick bounced off a Houston defender and Campbell secured the ball at her near post to quell the danger.

The Dash close the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 12 when they travel to Rio Tinto Stadium to face Christen Press and the Utah Royals.