Dash players use Inspiring Women's Night warm up tops to showcase women who inspire them

On Saturday, August 26, the Houston Dash will celebrate Inspiring Women's Night presented by Kroger. In addition to a pre-game Inspiring Women's Event presented by Magellan, every player of the Houston Dash will step onto the field for warm ups with a special edition warm up top for the evening. On the back of each top, instead of a name and number, players will wear the name of a woman that inspires them.

Here are a few of the names that will be featured on the pitch on Saturday evening.

As someone who excels both on the pitch and in the medical field, it’s rare to find someone who is on a similar path as you. However, for forward Michelle Alozie, she’s found inspiration right here in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Nadia Nadim is a forward for Racing Louisville FC. A veteran in the league and on the Denmark Women’s National Team, Nadim has found success in the medical field. She graduated medical school in January of 2022 with a degree focused on reconstructive surgery.

"I obviously look up to her because I'm also in the medical field and it's something I really want to pursue post my soccer career," Alozie said of the Louisville striker. "But she was able to do it while she was playing soccer which I think is insane."

From one professional athlete to another, forward Diana Ordóñez will be representing hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin Levrone on her warm up top.

McLaughlin-Levrone has won two gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well as three gold medals and one silver at the World Championships. She holds the current world U20 record of 53.60 seconds, and was the youngest athlete since 1980 to qualify for the 2016 US Olympic track team.

"She is the best in the world at what she does, and her reverence for the Lord and commitment to His glorification is very admirable," Orodóñez explained. "I hope to one day bring the same light to the field that she does to the track."

Midfielder Shea Groom didn't even hesitate on the name she chose to represent on her back. She chose teammate and friend, Dash forward Nichelle Prince to represent on the field this Saturday.

Prince, who became friends with Groom when the midfielder joined the Dash in 2020, most recently returned to the field in the 2023 Women's World Cup after suffering an achilles injury in November of 2022. She made her 2023 Dash debut just last week on August 19 against the Washington Spirit, marking her first appearance in orange since the 2022 NWSL playoffs.

"I've seen her go through one of the most challenging injuries, but she took it one second at a time," Groom said. "She never had expectations and then to see her at a World Cup was honestly one of the most inspiring moments and I'm so proud to be her friend and teammate."

Goalkeeper Emily Alvarado feels close to home when she thinks of the name on her back. She will be representing her cousin, Vero Orozco Lares.

Vero is Emily's cousin who is fighting cancer and receiving treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center here in Houston, which the logo on the front of the Houston Dash jersey even more special for the goalkeeper.

"Her faith, positivity, and willingness to keep on fighting is an inspiration to me our whole family and Amy's students whose lives she's touched as a teacher," Alvarado said. "Being able to show her how much she inspires me is very important, just to show her she's not alone when she's fighting this cancer."

Similar to Alozie, rookie Sophie Hirst is looking to break into the medical field after her her soccer career ends. The Harvard graduate will be representing scientist Jennifer Dounda on her warmup top.

Jennifer Doudna is a biochemist, Nobel prize winner and the pioneer in CRISPR technology and introduced a groundbreaking gene editing resource to the world of science.

"I chose her as my inspiration because she truly left her mark not only in the biochemistry world but created a technology that will be useful in preventing many diseases in the future," Hirst explained. "I am very interested in the research myself and love to see how great an impact one amazing woman can have."

The Houston Dash will celebrate Inspiring Women's Night on Saturday, August 26. Kickoff is at 7:30 pm CT which a special pre-game event featuring Voice in Sport CEO and co-founder Stef Strack. Tickets are available womenssoccer/2023-08-26-7-30-pm/5935824?sgo_ac=23InspiringWomen">here.