Chicago, IL – As the amount of games remaining in the 2014 National Women’s Soccer League season continues to shrink, the Red Stars are battling for the fourth-place spot that puts them in the NWSL playoffs. The next challenge the team faces is the Houston Dash on Saturday, July 26, at 1:00 p.m. CT.

The Red Stars (7-6-6, 27pts) are coming off of a road trip to Seattle where the team was able to tie the league-leading Seattle Reign FC 1-1. It has become a pattern as of late for the Red Stars to make a strong push toward the end of the match and come back from deficits for a tie. The past four of five matches have resulted in draws for the Red Stars. It was Red Stars forward Christen Press who scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute off an assist from forward Jen Hoy against Seattle on July 12. The draw guaranteed the Reign a spot in the playoffs, leaving only three positions available for the eight remaining teams.

Houston Dash (5-10-2, 17pts) are coming off a bye week after playing the Washington Spirit on July 17. The Dash went down a goal early, but rookie defender Marissa Diggs netted her first professional goal to cause a 1-1 draw. The game against the Red Stars is the start of a tough set of matches for Houston. The Dash’s next three games consists of hosting Seattle Reign FC, then traveling to play Portland Thorns FC, and facing Seattle Reign FC on the road for a final time, which is similar to what July has looked like for the Red Stars after meeting Portland 3 times and the Reign twice in just over 2 weeks.

Houston features a pair of former Red Stars players in Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod, who was traded by Chicago to the Dash on January 7 in exchange for fellow Canadian forward Melissa Tancredi. Houston also selected forward Ella Masar in the expansion draft on January 10.

The Red Stars are looking for their first series sweep of the season on Saturday, after shutting out the Dash 1-0 at home on May 11 and winning 3-1 at Houston on May 23. This match is crucial for the Red Stars playoff hopes.

Red Stars vs. Houston Dash will take place at Benedictine University. For tickets, visit chicagoredstars.com/tickets/ or call 773-697-8699. The match will be streamed live for free at https://chicagoredstars.com/live. Fans can also receive live in-game updates from the Red Stars official game day Twitter: @redstarslive.