Alozie reignites WAFCON magic with late winner for Houston Dash

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Michelle Alozie, the Super Falcons star who stunned South Africa with a last-gasp strike in the 2024 WAFCON semifinal, brought that same magic to the NWSL on Sunday.

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The forward scored a dramatic stoppage-time goal to hand Houston Dash a 2-1 comeback victory over NJ/NY Gotham FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Just like in Morocco where her 90+4 finish carried Nigeria into the continental final, Alozie struck in the 93rd minute, this time finishing off a perfectly weighted pass from Sarah Puntigam.

She controlled the ball neatly before slotting home past goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger for her first goal of the season.

The goal also gave Puntigam her first assist of the year.

“So good.. simple, I score goals for a living, you know”, Alozie playfully said after the match.

This latest win extended Houston’s unbeaten run to three matches and marked their second consecutive victory.

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The Dash have now collected seven points from their last three games and top the league in points recovered from losing positions, with 11.

Gotham had drawn first blood in the eighth minute when Rose Lavelle’s shot hit the post and Gabi Portilho pounced on the rebound to set up Esther González for the opener.

Houston equalised shortly after halftime when Emily Sonnett, under pressure from Kiki Van Zanten, sent a back pass into her own net.

Van Zanten, who has scored in back-to-back matches since the summer break, again showed her relentless pressing ability to spark the turnaround.

ALSO READ: WAFCON: Alozie reflects on stoppage-time strike, Super Falcons’ final push

Dash captain Jane Campbell made four vital saves to keep her team in the game, while Gotham’s goalkeeper was also tested by efforts from Paige Nielsen and Maggie Graham.

New signing Clarissa Larisey, a forward from Crystal Palace, was named in the Dash matchday squad for the first time since joining in July.

With Alozie once again proving her knack for decisive goals, Houston return home full of confidence ahead of their clash with Seattle Reign FC at Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday, 24 August.