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Goals from Kennedy Fuller and Maiara Niehues sealed the win and kept the club’s playoff hopes alive.
The home side came out pressing from the opening whistle. In just the second minute, forward Riley Tiernan nearly opened the scoring, forcing a fingertip save over the crossbar by Dash goalkeeper Abby Smith. Fuller followed up with a golden opportunity in the eighth minute, sending a left-footed strike just wide off a dangerous cross into the box.
Houston’s first real threat came in the 36th minute when it was awarded a free kick just outside the area. However, the attempt was deflected off the ACFC wall, keeping the match scoreless. A minute later, Houston defender Michelle Alozie received the match’s first yellow card for taking down ACFC forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir on a breakaway.
The breakthrough came in the 54th minute when Kennedy Fuller capitalized on a rebound after Hina Sugita’s cross was deflected by the keeper. Fuller slotted her fourth goal of the season into the bottom-left corner to give ACFC a deserved 1–0 lead.
Houston nearly equalized in the 64th minute when Paige Nielsen’s effort struck the crossbar, but the danger was cleared.
Angel City doubled its lead in the 86th minute thanks to a finish from Maiara Niehues, who beat the keeper one-on-one after a through beautiful backheel from Jun Endo, her first assist of the season.
The backline remained solid throughout, limiting the Dash to just three shots on target and securing the club’s fifth clean sheet of the season.