Angel City FC gets a draw after controversial no-goal: ‘That was one that we all thought was a goal’

Houston Dash goalie Jane Campbell dives for the ball in the first half during the NWSL game between Angel City FC and Houston at Shell Energy Stadium on June 15, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

Saturday night saw another chaotic edition of NWSL After Dark with a 0-0 draw between Angel City FC and the Houston Dash.

The scoreless result was largely due to a series of big saves from Dash keeper Jane Campbell, including a huge one off a corner kick in the final minute of stoppage time. But despite Campbell’s heroics, the no-goal was controversial, with Angel City players certain that the goal had crossed the line.

The entire ball must pass the goal line in order to be considered “in,” which is why the refereeing team deemed it as not a goal, even after extensive VAR review.

But other angles of the ball appear to show it going between Campbell’s legs and crossing pretty clearly over the line.

#HOUvLA Looking at the behind the goal camera, there’s two times where it kinda looks like the ball might’ve fully gone over the line…

But alas from behind my keyboard it’s quite easy to watch the replay 20 times and find specific moments pic.twitter.com/5ApAE60h5H

— Taylor Vincent (@tayvincent6) June 16, 2024

After the game, head coach Becki Tweed kept quiet on the issue. Complaining about the refereeing in the NWSL typically results in a hefty fine from the league; San Diego Wave coach Casey Stoney, for instance, was fined several times last season for criticizing officiating.

“I’m going to say no comment because I think I’ll get myself into trouble,” Tweed said, per The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia. “I have my feelings and my thoughts and I’m sure you could see them on the sideline, and I’m just going to keep them to myself.”

#AngelCityFC head coach Becki Tweed:

“I’m going to say no comment because I think I’ll get myself into trouble. I have my feelings and my thoughts and I’m sure you could see them on the sideline, and I’m just going to keep them to myself.” https://t.co/7bVfvlkwvO

— Kamran Nia (@kamran_nia) June 16, 2024

Defenders M.A. Vignola and Jasmyne Spencer were a little more candid than their coach, although they didn’t go as far as disagreeing with the refs explicitly.

“That was one that we all thought was a goal as a team,” Vignola said. “All in all, as a collective, we thought that was going to be the three points that we needed, but it turned out that it wasn’t.”

Spencer noted that the league doesn’t currently have goal-line technology — a tool used in most European leagues and all international competitions.

“I think it’s a good example of why we need continued investment in the league, so we can look forward to things like goal-line technology to have better decisions on those instances,” Spencer said.

With the draw, Angel City sits at 11th place in the NWSL with 12 points, while Houston is in 10th with 13.

PRO, the referee association, typically looks at the week’s video reviews for both the NWSL and MLS, meaning a verdict on the non-goal is likely in the next few days.