SALT LAKE CITY : The Houston Dash upset the odds to win their first National Women\u2019s Soccer League title on Sunday by beating the Chicago Red Stars 2-0 to capture the Challenge Cup.
\nThe NWSL, the first major pro league in North America to return to action amid the COVID-19 outbreak, held the month-long standalone tournament in a \u201cbubble\u201d in Salt Lake City, Utah.
\nThere were no positive COVID-19 tests out of more than 2,000 conducted over four weeks.
\nHouston took an early lead after Sophie Schmidt converted a penalty five minutes into the game after Kristie Mewis was fouled in the area.
\n\u201cI just stuck with the plan and knew that I was going to deliver for my team,\u201d Canadian international Schmidt told a sideline reporter at halftime.
\nMidfielder Shea Groom sealed the win in the first minute of stoppage time by rounding goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to score, giving Chicago, runners-up in the 2019 league campaign, no hope of coming back.
\nTournament MVP and England international Rachel Daly said the victory was vindication of the hard work of her team mates.
\n\u201cGrit and determination and courage – and I think I could use all those cliche words but they actually mean something,\u201d said Daly. \u201cNothing breaks our circle.\u201d
\nSoaked in his team\u2019s celebratory beer, Dash head coach James Clarkson told reporters that his players \u201cdeserve all the credit.\u201d
\n\u201c(I) couldn\u2019t be any prouder of them,\u201d said Clarkson. \u201cThe commitment and effort and desire from players is ultimately what makes the difference.\u201d
\nIt was heartbreak yet again for the Red Stars, who lost 4-0 in last year\u2019s NWSL championship decider against the North Carolina Courage and had hoped for redemption at the one-off Challenge Cup tournament.
\n\u201cI think we overachieved from what we came here to do,\u201d Red Stars head coach Rory Dames told reporters. \u201cDoesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re not disappointed about losing the game.\u201d
\nThe team had numerous injuries throughout the tournament and were without several key players including defender Casey Short in the final.
\nSunday\u2019s action started with a salute to the Challenge Cup\u2019s \u201creal heroes\u201d – medical experts, support staff and other personnel who helped operate the tournament – followed by the playing of the national anthem, during which many players knelt in support of racial justice.
\nThere was no confirmation on when the new NWSL season would begin, although Chicago coach Dames told reporters at the end of his news conference, \u201cSee you in eight months.\u201d
\nLeague commissioner Lisa Baird said she\u2019s eager to get players back on the pitch soon after the tournament, but that they have yet to settle on \u201cany competition format.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SALT LAKE CITY : The Houston Dash upset the odds to win their first National Women\u2019s Soccer League title on Sunday by beating the Chicago Red Stars 2-0 to capture the Challenge Cup. The NWSL, the first major pro league in North America to return to action amid the COVID-19 outbreak, held the month-long standalone […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n