HIGH WYCOMBE, ENGLAND - JUNE 04: A portrait of Rachel Daly of England ahead of the UEFA Women's European Championship Qualifying match between England and Serbia at Adams Park on June 4, 2016 in High Wycombe, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Houston Dash player Rachel Daly collapsed during the final minutes of the team’s soccer match against the Seattle Reign on Saturday. The National Women’s Soccer League match was played in Houston, Texas, where the temperature hovered around 90 degrees Fahrenheit through out the weekend.
At the 3 p.m. kick-off, the temperature in BBVA Compass Stadium was 92 degrees. The afternoon start time was intentionally scheduled for May in order to avoid such warm conditions, according the the NWSL.
Daly, a former forward on the English National team, was immediately taken to the hospital and treated for heat illness. She was released from the hospital later that night.
“I’m doing better after being treated with heat exhaustion. It was a frightening experience,” Daly wrote on Twitter. “Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a player who will give everything and those conditions are not safe to play at your maximum.”
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The NWSL released a statement on Twitter addressing the incident as well. The league mentioned that it had worked with the Dash prior to the start of the season to schedule nationally televised games in the afternoon earlier in the year, with the hopes of avoiding the smoldering summer temperatures in Texas.
“The safety of our players is always our top priority and due to the high temperature today in Houston, we implemented water breaks to provide additional opportunities to help the players stay hydrated,” the statement read.
“Prior to the season, we also worked with the Dash on scheduling any nationally televised afternoon games earlier in the year in an attempt to avoid the summer heat that unfortunately we experienced today. We will immediately review these measures to prevent this situation from occurring in the future.”
The Reign won the match 2-0 and improve their record to three wins, one loss, and three ties. The Reign are currently in fourth place in the ten team league, with 12 points. The Dash have a record of two wins, five losses, and no ties, after Saturday’s match. Houston is in ninth place with six points.
The Dash won’t play in their hometown again until Saturday, June 17, when they will host the Orlando Pride. The game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST.
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