Angel City rallies past Houston to remain undefeated

Three minutes.

That was all Angel City needed to turn a 1-0 deficit into a one goal lead against the Houston Dash. Facing its first bit of adversity of this young season, Angel City showed a resolved that hadn’t always been there in past seasons to the tune of two unanswered goals, and that resolve left them solely atop the NWSL standings following the 2-1 win over the at BMO Stadium.

“There is no ceiling for this team,” Head Coach Alex Straus said. “We can be the best team in the world — but we will not be there tomorrow.”

Sveindis Jonsdottir and Riley Tiernan were the catalysts on Friday night. Jonsdottir stunned Houston with a very early second half equalizer and Tiernan scored what eventually was the game winner shortly after, and Angel City emerged from this early season test victorious, and thus stakes their claim as the only undefeated team in NWSL.

“It’s all about how you respond, and there are two halves to a game,” Tiernan said. “We might not have necessarily won the first half, but that doesn’t matter – we have to put that behind us, and a one-nil lead is dangerous to have. So I think knowing that one goal [would get]us back in the game was the sliver of hope that we needed.”

Trailing going into the second half, Angel City needed just 28 seconds to get back into the match. Jonsdottir three and inbounds pass into the penalty area, Maiara Niehues headed a ball to Kennedy Fuller, who then sent a header at goal, but it went off the crossbar, but Jonsdottir kept the play alive, as she collected the ball, then fired a left-footed volley just inside the box, and the ball beat keeper Jane Campbell far post to level the match.

Three minutes later, Angel City suddenly found themselves in front. Angelina Anderson sent a goal kick long, Jonsdottir brought the ball down, fought off a challenge from Maggie Graham, played a ball to Fuller, who then then sprung Gisele Thompson down the right side. Thompson dribbled into the penalty area, sent a ball into the six-yard box, Niehues headed a shot on goal, but the ball first deflected off Houston defender Avery Patterson, then Campbell somehow got her left hand on the ball, but the ball remained inside the six, and Tiernan came in and buried the point blank rebound chance into the back net to vault Angel City into the lead.

“Sveindís putting the ball in the net in the first [few minutes]of the second half really helped us to get some confidence and continue to play,” Tiernan said.

In this early season battle between two teams that had started off the season with back to back wins, it was the Dash that seized the advantage in the 10th minute. Patterson sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area, Makenzy Robbe headed a ball high into the six-yard box and Graham came in and headed a ball point blank into the empty net to give Houston the early lead.