Week 2 Preview: Sky Blue, Houston look to build on early season success

Two teams seeking to continue early season momentum will battle at Rutgers University's Yurcak Field when Sky Blue FC hosts the Houston Dash in Week 2 of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season.

First kick is set for 7 p.m.

Sky Blue FC opened its season on the road with a 1-0 win over FC Kansas City, using a goal from Nadia Nadim and stellar goalkeeping from Brittany Cameron on a bend-but-never-break team effort.  The win was a franchise-best sixth straight dating back to last year.

Houston won, 2-0, over the Washington Spirit with US international Carli Lloyd and Kealia Ohai finding the back of the net. A victory over Houston will tie a league record.

"The motivation for us is to keep our momentum going that dates back to last season," said Jim Gabarra, Sky Blue FC technical director and head coach. "However, Houston is a team that is also carrying momentum. They are coming off a victory in their opener last week, and they have a much improved roster this year. We are looking forward to playing a good team while having the support of a home environment on Saturday."

The game could turn on the ability of Houston's defense with Canadian international defender Allysha Chapman will debut on the backline and goalkeeper Erin McCleod could get the start in goal.

For New Jersey, Nadim will look to continue her scoring spree. With last week's score, Nadim has now registered eight goals in her first seven career NWSL matches.

Against Houston, Sky Blue FC will again have the service of defenders Christie Rampone and Kelley O'Hara, both of whom were selected this week by U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) head coach Jill Ellis onto the roster for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.

‘Rampone and O'Hara will remain in New Jersey for one additional game after this weekend, with their final NWSL appearance until after the World Cup coming at Yurcak Field next Sunday, April 26.