Angel City sneaks into playoffs with Dash shutout

Kennedy Fuller and Maiara Niehues scored second-half goals as Angel City FC kept its slim NWSL playoff hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dash on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Angelina Anderson made three saves for her second clean sheet in 20 starts for Angel City (7-11-6, 27 points), which ended a five-game winless streak dating back to a 2-1 win over Bay City on September 1.

The win moved Angel City into a tie for 10th place with the Dash, five points behind eighth-place Racing Louisville (9-9-6, 33 points) for the final playoff spot with just two games remaining.

Abby Smith finished with seven saves for Houston (7-11-6, 27 points).

Angel City dominated the first half, finishing with a 13-4 advantage in shot attempts and a 4-0 advantage in shots on goal, but Smith turned away the best scoring opportunity, a Riley Tiernan header from the left side of the penalty area in the second minute.

Fuller made it 1-0 in the 53rd minute when she slotted a right-footed rebound off a Hina Sugita shot into the bottom left corner of the net. It was the 18-year-old midfielder’s fourth goal of the season.

Houston nearly equalized in the 64th minute, but defender Paige Nielsen’s header from the edge of the penalty area on a corner fell straight off the crossbar to Anderson.

Niehues extended the lead to 2-0 in the 86th minute on a 2-on-1 break, making a no-look backheel pass at midfield, then rounding Smith, who had left his line at the top of the box, and firing a right-footed shot into an empty net for his second goal.

–Field level media