Yazmeen Ryan scored her fourth goal of the season to seal a 1-0 home win for Houston over the Chicago Stars on Friday night.

The narrow victory preserved narrow playoff hopes for the Dash (7-9-5), who are in ninth place — two points behind eighth-place North Carolina for the last spot.

The loss snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak (1-0-7) for the last-place Stars (2-10-9).

The Dash took the lead when Ryan scored from 15 yards out in the 28th minute. The 26-year-old forward created the chance for herself by forcing a high turnover on Sam Staab outside the Stars’ box.

Ryan missed a penalty kick and a chance to make it 2-0 in the 89th minute. Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was quick to dive to her right and parry away the spot kick by Ryan.

The Dash played the majority of the match with

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