Goalkeeper Jane Campbell is embarking on her tenth NWSL season this year. She’s a rarity in the league in that she’s spent her whole career with the Houston Dash after joining the team in 2017 out of Stanford University.
“I guess the milestone is funny to think about, it just means I’m old,” Campbell laughed. “But I’m very thankful I’ve made it 10 years, you know, and not many people make it that far, so that’s really cool. I’m very honored to be with Houston all 10 years.”
Over most of her tenure with the club, Campbell has been consistent and solid in goal. In 2023 the Dash allowed just 18 goals and Campbell was named the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
But the Dash have seen their share of turbulence. The team has made the playoffs just once, in 2022. Since the suspension of coach James Clarkson that season, the team has had seven interim and permanent coaches.
Before the 2025 season, the Dash brought in Angela Hucles Mangano as president of women’s soccer and Fabrice Gautrat as head coach. This year Houston added former USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore as the team’s technical director.
Culture shift
Last season got off to a rocky start for the Dash. They fell to twelfth in the standings before the summer break.
But the team started to gel in the second half, coming close to making the playoffs. One highlight was a 1-0 victory at home over Kansas City that snapped the Current’s 17-game unbeaten streak.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t this shining season, where we’re winning the championship and we’re undefeated. Of course, we all wanted that. But, in reality, I think last year was really good for us, because we realized what communication didn’t work, why we weren’t on the same page, and then we also realized what communication did work, and how to get on the same page quite fast, especially when we did hit speed bumps in the second half.”
That the team was able to get on the same page in the second half has given Campbell hope for the upcoming year. The Dash open the season on Saturday on the road against the San Diego Wave.
“I think for us, for Houston especially, we were so fortunate that in the summer, we had that break where there were no games, and we almost treated it as like a second preseason where we were like, `OK, let’s just reset here. Let’s all catch our breath. Let’s all figure out why we’re not on the same page and talk about that.’” Campbell said. “I think that that time period was so important for all of us, because we all could really take a step back, we could reset, really figure out what we’re all trying to talk about.”
Time to prove it
The team’s theme this season is “Prove It.”
“I’m sure we’re going to hit a speed bump here in the first half of season, but I think now we’re really equipped and prepared to handle those speed bumps much more efficiently, and hopefully it’ll continue on and keep progressing the momentum we had at the end of last season, and hopefully this year will really, really be able to make an impact for the long haul,” she said.
Campbell is the third goalkeeper in league history with 600 career saves. She has also reached 15,000 career minutes, becoming the only NWSL goalkeeper to hit those milestones with a single club.
Campbell has also made 10 appearances for the U.S. national team. She was on the roster for the Tokyo Olympics and was an alternate for the Paris Games.
Asked about her favorite moment with the Dash, Campbell said it’s yet to come.
“To be fair, I think I haven’t achieved what I have wanted to achieve yet with this club, and that’s exciting because there’s still time, knock on wood,” Campbell said. “When I was drafted here, I said to everybody that I want to make this group a championship club and get us into playoffs and get us some winning seasons. So still trying to achieve that goal and be consistent winning and being a club that you know is well respected around the league and around the world. So, still more to come.”
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