Riley Tiernan's Club-Record Fourth Game-Winner Lifts Angel City FC Past Houston Dash 2-1 to Stay Perfect

For 45 minutes on Friday night, Angel City FC looked like a team about to learn what losing feels like. Then Sveindís Jónsdóttir and Riley Tiernan needed about two minutes to make sure that lesson got postponed.

Angel City beat the Houston Dash 2-1 at BMO Stadium in front of 13,896 fans, erasing Maggie Graham's 10th-minute header with goals from Jónsdóttir in the 47th minute and Tiernan in the 49th. In a meeting of the league's last two unbeaten teams, Angel City moved to 3-0-0 with 9 points, which the club said makes it just the eighth team in NWSL history to open a season with a 3-0-0 record. Houston fell to 2-0-1 with 6 points.

Houston Takes the Early Punch

Houston came out swinging. In the 10th minute, Kat Rader whipped in a cross, Makenzy Robbe headed it back across the face of goal, and Graham nodded it in from very close range into the bottom left corner. 1-0 Dash, and per Angel City, the first time all season the hosts had trailed.

The visitors kept coming. Avery Patterson put a shot just over in the 12th minute, Rader's free kick in the 15th cleared the bar by a whisker, and Angelina Anderson had to make a save on Robbe from the center of the box in the 18th. Robbe got another clean look from very close range in the 32nd minute and blazed it over. Paige Nielsen's header in the 36th and Kiki van Zanten's header in the 40th both missed narrowly.

Angel City, meanwhile, barely registered. Kennedy Fuller had a shot blocked in the 34th minute and Evelyn Shores fired over in stoppage time. That was more or less it. Houston went to the locker room up 1-0 and could easily have been up more.

The 132-Second Flip

Whatever got said at halftime worked fast. In the 47th minute, Jónsdóttir's long throw found Fuller, whose header clanged off the crossbar, and the rebound dropped near the top of the area. Jónsdóttir, the reigning NWSL Player of the Week per Angel City, hammered it with her left foot into the top left corner. 1-1.

Two minutes later, Angel City went ahead. Gisele Thompson floated a ball into the box, Maiara Niehues got her head to it from the left side of the six-yard box, and Jane Campbell stopped the first effort. Tiernan was waiting to finish the rebound from very close range with her right foot. 2-1. Ninety minutes of soccer, and the whole thing basically turned in the time it takes to microwave a burrito.

Anderson Holds the Line

Houston did not fold. In the 51st minute, van Zanten got a clean shot away from the center of the box and Anderson punched it over the crossbar, the save of the night. Graham headed high and wide off a set piece in the 60th, Patterson's shot from distance just missed the top left corner in the 65th, and in the 72nd minute van Zanten and Leah Klenke both missed off a corner. Houston finished with seven corners to Angel City's three and 21 crosses to eight, and still could not find the equalizer.

Angel City's bench helped close it out. Rookie Taylor Suarez came on for Nealy Martin in the 73rd minute and had a deflected shot from outside the box in the 78th. Houston made only two changes, with Messiah Bright replacing Danielle Colaprico in the 74th minute.

Stars of the Night

Jónsdóttir's goal was the spark. One shot, one goal, and the long throw that started the whole sequence. Tiernan's winner was her fourth game-winning goal for Angel City, which the club said is a club record, set early in just her second NWSL season.

Tiernan was also honest about the first half. "It's all about how you respond, and there are two halves to a game," she said. She added that Jónsdóttir's equalizer "really helped us to get some confidence and continue to play."

Anderson made two saves, and the punch on van Zanten mattered as much as either goal. For Houston, Robbe was a constant problem, with three shots and the assist, and Graham's header was her first goal of the season, per the Dash. Patterson made her 50th regular season appearance in the NWSL, all with Houston, according to the club.

The Turning Point

Jónsdóttir's equalizer in the 47th minute changed everything. Houston had dominated the chances in the first half and Angel City had looked flat. One long throw and one rebound later, the hosts had life, the crowd had a reason to get loud, and two minutes after that, Tiernan made them believe it.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Houston 15, Angel City 9.
• Shots on target: 3 apiece. Angel City scored on two of theirs.
• Corners: Houston 7, Angel City 3.
• Clearances: Angel City 39, Houston 14. The hosts spent a lot of the night clearing their lines.
• Fouls: Angel City 21, Houston 12.

What It Means

Angel City has now beaten Chicago Stars FC 4-0, Bay FC 3-1 and Houston 2-1, and the club called it its best-ever start. Head coach Alex Straus set the bar about as high as it goes. "There is no ceiling for this team," he said, before cautioning that the group will not get there overnight. Angel City heads to the Orlando Pride next.

Houston's 1-0 win at San Diego Wave FC and 3-0 home win over Boston Legacy FC had made the Dash one of the early stories of the season. Per the club, Houston has now scored the opening goal in three straight games. This time, it could not hold on. The Dash return home to face Racing Louisville FC next.

Closing Take

Houston won the first half on the scoreboard and on the eye test. Angel City spent 45 minutes on the ropes and then landed two haymakers in two minutes. Undefeated teams find ways. This one found it in about the length of a TikTok.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and match notes as reported by Angel City FC and the Houston Dash.