Dash fall at North Carolina 1-0 on late penalty

A hotly-contested 87th-minute penalty call in favor of the North Carolina Courage was enough to give the home side a 1-0 win over the Houston Dash this evening at WakeMed Park.

With the match scoreless in the waning minutes, referee Thomas Snyder awarded a penalty to North Carolina, judging that Dash midfielder Kristie Mewis fouled Courage forward Crystal Dunn inside the penalty area. Mewis was issued a yellow card moments later for dissent after disputing the call. North Carolina midfielder Sam Mewis converted the penalty to put the Courage ahead.

The penalty was the only ball to get past Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell, who finished with four saves in a brilliant performance, including…