Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Final Score 3-2 as Pride’s Late Comeback Falls Short
An early first-half goal and two early second-half strikes doomed the Orlando Pride (7-7-7, 28 points) as they fell 3-2 to NJ/NY Gotham FC (7-6-8, 29 points) at Exploria Stadium. After falling behind 3-0, the Pride climbed back into the game on goals by Erika Tymrak and Marta, but it wasn’t enough as they fell by a goal.
The Pride had placed themselves in a difficult position after a strong start to the season. Sitting in the final playoff spot, they were just one point ahead of the Washington Spirit and two points ahead of Gotham FC heading into this key match-up. The loss was a crucial one in the race for a playoff spot.
Pride interim head coach Becky Burleigh made two changes from the team that lost 3-0 to OL Reign two weeks ago. Marisa Viggiano, who replaced Meggie Dougherty Howard at halftime of that game, entered the starting lineup. Additionally, Marta re-entered the lineup after starting on the bench in Tacoma.
Our Pride XI for tonight's big clash 😈 @orlandohealth | #ORLvNJNY pic.twitter.com/GJK1tfrOMs
— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) October 9, 2021
It was yet another poor start by the Pride, something that has become a trend with this team. Despite kicking off, the Pride soon gave the ball away in their own third when Ashlyn Harris sent a clearance straight out of play.
It didn’t take long for the visitors to take advantage of the slow start. In the third minute, Ifeoma Onumonu was able to turn Ali Riley, sending the ball across the top of the box. Caprice Dydasco’s first touch was a layoff to Gaetane Thiney, who quickly fired on goal. The long-distance shot appeared to deflect slightly off the head of Amy Turner — just enough to avoid the outstretched hand of Harris.
MON DIEU, @GaetaneThiney! 💥#ORLvNJNY | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/ODm7gj6OVR
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 9, 2021
The game paused in the sixth minute as all players met in a circle at midfield in a show of solidarity after the recent events plaguing the league. In addition to the sixth-minute display, Pride players refused to answer any questions not directly related to the recent events or changes within the NWSL.
“That’s really a great show of solidarity,” Burleigh said about the midfield moment. “And you’ve seen it, not just in this league, but now even some of the European teams have also followed suit. And I think that’s so impressive to see such unanimous support for something that’s happening in this league, it’s amazing.”
When the game restarted, Onumonu immediately created a chance on goal, but missed the target.
The Pride had their first and best first-half chance in the 12th minute. Receiving the ball in the box, Alex Morgan created enough space to get a shot off. It was on target, but Gotham goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was able to palm it away.
Two minutes later, Riley sent a long cross toward the back post, aimed for Sydney Leroux, who was charging in. However, Sheridan did well again, getting her hand to the ball and knocking it away from the oncoming Leroux.
Gotham nearly doubled its lead in the 18th minute. Carli Lloyd sent Midge Purce in behind the Pride defense and into the box. As Purce set up to shoot, Harris did well to cut down her angle. The shot was at the body of the Pride goalkeeper, who made herself big, and the ball was eventually deflected out of play for a corner kick.
The Pride nearly had a similar chance in the 20th minute. An excellent ball into the box looked like it would get through for Jodie Taylor, giving the striker a chance at her first goal since Aug. 14. But Gina Lewandwoski made a last-ditch diving header to clear it out of play and avoid a one-on-one between Taylor and Sheridan.
As the game drew closer toward halftime, both teams had a few chances. In the 30th minute, a long ball was searching for Morgan, but it was headed away. Three minutes later, Gotham played a dangerous ball into the box. It reached Onumonu, who had gotten behind Turner, but her shot was nowhere near the target.
In the 42nd minute, Purce created another opportunity, sending a dangerous ball across the six-yard box. No Pride players were able to clear it, but there weren’t any Gotham players in the box to get on the end of it. It ended up with Dydasco at the top of the box and the defender sent it well over the target.
The Pride had their chances, but the visitors led in most important categories. Gotham led in shots (9-3), corners (3-2), passing accuracy (84.5%-83.2%), and possession (50.6%-49.4%). The game was only close because Gotham only put two of their nine shots on target.
While the Pride had a tough start to the first half, it was even worse in the second. Just two minutes into the second period, a foul set up a Gotham free kick just outside the box. Thiney stepped up to take the kick, which went directly on target. Harris got a hand to it, but a bit too late and she didn’t get enough on it, as the ball bounced off her hand and into the corner of the goal.
MON DIEU TIMES TWO.
It's @GaetaneThiney again! 😱#ORLvNJNY | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/nGWU6VIpVy
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 10, 2021
It got worse for the Pride in the 49th minute, when Onumonu found Purce wide open in front of goal. It was an easy finish for the attacker, with no Pride defenders anywhere near her. The defenders lifted their arms to claim offside, but the referee determined that she was at least even with the last defender.
Team football at its finest from @GothamFC 📈#ORLvNJNY | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/zrapROAS2k
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 10, 2021
The third Gotham goal seemed to wake the Pride up, but by that point it was too late. Finally, the Pride played with a sense of urgency, realizing that the game had gotten out of reach. In the 53rd minute, Leroux brought a long ball down in the box and created enough space to get a shot on target. However, it was right at Sheridan who made the stop.
Two minutes later, Marta took a low, hard shot on goal. It was a better chance than Leroux’s, but Sheridan did well to get low and make the save.
The best chance for the Pride came in the 61st minute. Marta lost the ball near the end line, but won it right back with no other defenders near her. Carrying the ball into the six, she attempted to beat Sheridan high, but the ball bounced off the crossbar. The ball landed at the feet of Morgan, who was all alone at the back post. She quickly fired on goal, but was slightly off balance and the shot sailed high of the target.
Three of the four primary Pride scorers had good opportunities early in the second half and Taylor got hers in the 64th minute. Diagonal runs by teammates distracted defenders, creating a lane to the top of the box. Taylor sent a low, curling shot toward the far post that was beyond the reach of Sheridan. Unfortunately, the ball wrapped around the outside of the far post, and the Pride just missed getting one back.
The Pride finally got their first goal of the game in the 85th minute, with some help from Gotham’s usually dependable goalkeeper. It started with a poor goal kick taken by Sheridan that went directly to Erika Tymrak. The Pride’s second-half substitute quickly found enough space to take a shot, which was right at the Canadian international. Fortunately for Tymrak and the Pride, the ball bounced awkwardly off Sheridan’s hands and rolled into the corner.
Orlando pulls one back through @eTYMrak!#ORLvNJNY | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/ec7PgGh2JS
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 10, 2021
A game that appeared to be over got much more interesting two minutes later when Estelle Johnson took down Morgan in the box and referee Brad Jensen pointed to the spot. Marta stepped up and sent Sheridan the wrong way, cutting the deficit to one.
… game on in Orlando? 👀#ORLvNJNY | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/JWTPFfrrwa
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 10, 2021
As the game entered injury time, both teams had chances. Four minutes into the added time, great individual skill by Lloyd set up Brianna Pinto, who took a shot that appeared to be headed to the corner. But Harris got down and blocked it wide.
Sheeeeesh, @CarliLloyd 🥶#ORLvNJNY | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/W36sQa0ny7
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 10, 2021
The Pride desperately went to the other end, trying to find the equalizer. They nearly did with the last kick of the game. A long ball into the box by Harris landed at the foot of Toni Pressley, who fired on goal. The deflected shot hit the post and bounced right to Harris, who had continued forward after the set piece, but her shot was blocked. Petersen had a third chance, but was heading away from goal and wasn’t able to get much on it.
WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED. 🤯#ORLvNJNY | https://t.co/iecT7II54a | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/w3MdhSyMIS
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 10, 2021
The late flurry was the final chance for the Pride to equalize as the referee blew the final whistle once the ball was cleared.
“As far as the match tonight, I felt like it was tough giving up the deflection early,” Burleigh said after the game. “It sort of is difficult to give up a goal that early, but I thought our team bounced back well. I think the things to take from this game were that we really had a lot of fight in the end of the game. I thought the people who came into the match really did a good job of sustaining pressure and creating pressure and were game changers. And I think the big thing is we’ve got to figure out, is our defensive identity to mid block and then counter out of it? Is our defensive identity to press? And, obviously, you give up something different with each of those. And that’s I think where we are right now is figuring out what is the best solution for this particular group.”
After the third Gotham goal, the Pride had a much better second half. In the end, the Pride led in shots (18-16) and shots on target (9-5). However, in addition to goals, Gotham led in most statistical categories, including corners (5-4), duels won (59-52), total passes (461-425), passing accuracy (79.8%-79.3%), and possession (52.3%-47.7%).
The result, combined with a Spirit win over Racing Louisville at the same time, moved the Pride from sixth to eighth, two spots below the red line. In addition to taking maximum points from the final three games, the Pride will need some help if they have any hope of qualifying for the NWSL playoffs for the second time in team history.
The Pride will take the field again on Wednesday night in Bridgeview, IL as they take on the Chicago Red Stars at 8 p.m.. The game was recently rescheduled after last weekend’s league games were postponed.
Orlando Pride
Pride Must Finish More Chances
A look at the Pride’s shot conversion and chance creation.
There are a lot of nice things about the NWSL’s expansion from a 26-game regular season to a 30-game regular season, but one in particular is that it is much easier to break the season out into definable percentages. Every three games is 10% of a 30-game season, so the Pride are a nice, even, 20% of the way through the 2026 season. Last season’s total of 26 games does not divide well, aside from splitting it in half into 13-game segments, and with some obvious exceptions like Duncan McGuire and Jacquie Ovalle, most people tend toward being triskaidekaphobiacs.
And now that we are done with gratuitous word choices, let’s focus on the Orlando Pride’s first 20% of the season.
In this week’s TML membership newsletter, UpRoar, which you can sign up for by clicking this hyperlink, Michael Citro wrote about some of the Pride’s defensive issues through six games and how opposing teams are converting a high percentage of their shots on goal into goals. Not great. The Pride are doing a little better on the offensive side of the ball, and offense is generally more fun to write about anyway, so let’s dive into the numbers on the Pride’s attack.
The good news for the Pride is that they have been working hard, though not so hard that the attack is going to give themselves a heart attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack (timely Billy Joel reference), and through the first six games they are averaging 1.5 goals scored per game. At first glance I did not think that 1.50 was very good at all, but then I took a look at Opta’s top-ranked women’s leagues around the world and found the following:
| League | Nation | 1.5 goals per game would rank… |
|---|---|---|
| WSL | England | 6 of 12 |
| NWSL | USA | 6 of 16 |
| Primera División Femenina | Spain | 5 of 15 |
| Frauen-Bundesliga | Germany | 9 of 14 |
| Serie A Femminile | Italy | 3 of 12 |
| Feminine Première Ligue | France | 5 of 12 |
- * I did not include Sweden’s Damallsvenskan because that league’s season just started
In every league except the German league, 1.5 goals scored per game would at least be in the top half of the league. If we focus just on the NWSL, 1.5 goals scored per game ranks sixth currently and is tied for 44th all-time out of 142 total team-seasons, which puts it just inside the top third.
The eye test says that the Pride probably should be doing even better than 1.5 goals per game, however, and the data backs that up. According to Opta’s tracking on fotmob.com, the Pride’s expected goals (xG) tally is 10.7, so with only nine goals scored they are underperforming in that metric. That metric is always a hotly contested one, but what is not contested is that Orlando leads the league in shots taken, averaging 17 per game (34% higher than the league average) and is putting 39% of its shots on target, which ranks third in the league. Unlike the Pride’s opponents, who are scoring on nearly half of the shots they put on target, the Pride are only converting on 23% of their shots on target, which ranks 12th among the 16 offenses.
This is now a two-year trend for Orlando, as it ranked last in the league in goal conversion for shots on target in 2025 at 21%. Absent that trend, one would expect some positive regression to the mean for the conversion rate, but this might just be the reality for this Pride attacking group, most of whom were also on the team last season. They are quite good at getting shots off, and even putting them in between the posts, but they are not great at putting them into the back of the net. There is so much goal and so little goalkeeper, perhaps they need to try to hit the goalkeeper instead, and take advantage of missing that target.
With a low conversion rate, the onus then becomes on creating chances, and in particular big chances. The table below shows Opta’s tracking for how the Pride are doing at chance creation among the 192 players who have played at least 100 minutes and created at least one chance thus far this season:
| Category | In Top 50% | In Top 25% | In Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Chances Created | 6 | 5 | 2 (Banda, Ovalle) |
| Chance Creation per 90 | 6 | 6 | 1 (Ovalle) |
| Total Big Chances Created | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Big Chances Created per 90 | 8 | 5 | 1 (Ovalle) |
It is not too surprising to see a lot of Pride players in the top segments of these categories, as the team leads the league in shots taken. An issue, however, is that Ovalle has been the top creator on a per-90-minute basis, and she is out for a still yet-to-be-announced period of time. Marta is back and played nearly 60 minutes in the game against Racing Louisville, but she did not look fully healthy and still might not be for the Washington Spirit game this weekend. Seven Castain, Solai Washington, and Summer Yates need to match the first letter of their names (a la a certain superhero) by helping set their teammates up for super goal scoring opportunities, especially if Ovalle is going to be out for a while.
The teammate they of course will primarily, secondarily, and tertiarily be looking for is Barbra Banda, the current league leader in goals and the league’s second-leading goal scorer since she arrived in 2024. Banda is once again Wonder Woman for the Pride, as she leads the team in both goals scored and chances created and is the only player in the league who is in the top five leaguewide in both categories. Banda is outperforming her expected goals, with five actual goals as compared to an expected 3.5, and she is probably the single-most game-planned-against player in all of NWSL. That is partly a testament to her skill, but also to the Pride’s reliance on her for their offense, especially since they still have yet to be able to roll out a lineup featuring Banda, Marta, and Ovalle.
Orlando dominated the box score against Louisville, but its season-long issues with finishing left them short on the scoreboard at the final whistle. Washington has several gifted offensive players, chief among them Trinity Rodman and Leicy Santos, and Orlando will need to continue to create a high number of chances and improve its finishing in order to protect its home turf and pick up all three points.
The Pride have the talent and the personnel to make it happen, and like it has so many times in her career, it will probably come down to Banda and her ability to convert her chances. Thus far this season she has scored three goals on the road and two at home, and I recommend that she at least equalize those numbers, if not flip the home tally to be leading the road tally by the end of the game on Saturday. Since I quoted Billy Joel earlier, I might as well once again, and ask Banda to take advantage of the white hot spotlight and be Big Shot Banda. Hopefully she will start the fire.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC: Final Score 3-2 as Pride Fall On The Road
The Pride dominated in every statistical category except goals as they remained winless on the road at Racing Louisville.
The Orlando Pride (2-2-2, 8 points) fell to previously winless Racing Louisville FC (1-3-1, 4 points) 3-2 this evening at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, continuing their winless streak in Kentucky. The hosts took the lead through Lauren Milliet in the 19th minute before Barbra Banda equalized just before halftime. However, early second-half goals by Sarah Weber and Milliet were too much for the Pride to overcome. Banda scored a consolation goal in stoppage time as the Pride come away with a difficult loss.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made just one change to the team that beat Angel City FC 2-1 on April 3. Jacquie Ovalle was out injured and replaced by Marta.
Goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse started before a back line of Cori Dyke, Rafaelle, Hailie Mace, and Oihane. Angelina and Ally Lemos were the defensive midfielders behind Marta, Haley McCutcheon, and Solai Washington with Banda up top.
If you looked at the statistics of this game without knowing the score, you’d think the Pride had the game won by halftime. But poor finishing and some excellent goalkeeping by Jordyn Bloomer had the game even at 1-1 at the break. The team then fell apart defensively for a brief three minutes, allowing Louisville to take a 3-1 lead. The rain began to fall as the second half progressed, dampening more than the field. The game lost the intensity it had in the first half, limping towards the final whistle. The Pride surged in an attempt to come back in stoppage time but could only find one goal — not enough to get something from the game.
Shots too close to the goalkeeper or off target were Orlando’s biggest problem in the match, and it started early. In the fifth minute, McCutcheon dribbled to the end line before playing the ball behind her for Marta. The Pride captain went down after contact from Katie O’Kane in the box, but referee Alyssa Pennington determined it wasn’t enough to point to the spot. McCutcheon took possession and laid it off for Angelina who fired straight at Bloomer.
McCutcheon intercepted a poor Louisville pass in the ninth minute and played it forward for Marta. After dribbling outside to find space, the Brazilian sent Banda behind the back line. It looked like it would result in the opening goal, but Bloomer did well to get down and make the stop. It wouldn’t have counted anyway as the flag went up for offside.
Moorhouse nearly made a costly mistake in the 13th minute when the Pride goalkeeper came out of her box to field a ball. Instead of clearing it up th field, Moorhouse tried to turn and take it into the box to recover it, however, she misplayed it, allowing Kayla Fischer to challenge her. The Pride were lucky Fischer didn’t make them pay as the ball went off her and out of play for a goal kick.
McCutcheon and Marta combined for a chance again in the 14th minute when a short pass back to the top of the box gave Marta some space. Unfortunately, she was leaning back and sent the attempt over the crossbar.
The Pride almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Banda made a run to the end line before playing it central for Washington. The rookie’s shot was blocked, but she got it over to McCutcheon. The second shot was too close to Bloomer again, allowing her to get her fingertips to it, sending it off the far post and keeping the game scoreless.
On the other end, Louisville took the lead in the 19th minute from an unlikely source. Milliet dribbled to the top of the box and no one closed her down. She fired a rocket of a shot toward the upper left corner that was past Moorhouse before the goalkeeper could get to it, giving Louisville the 1-0 lead.
The Pride had another good chance to score in the 21st minute when Banda made a run down the left before playing it back for Lemos at the top of the box. The near-post effort was again toward the Louisville goalkeeper, who did well to block it away.
The Pride won the ball back from Louisville at midfield in the 28th minute, with McCutcheon taking over. The midfielder immediately played the ball to Banda on the left, and the Zambian international beat Milliet to get a shot off toward the near post. However, the attempt was just wide.
Washington had a chance in the 38th minute, when a long pass across the field gave her the ball in space. Opting not to take a long shot, she went one-on-one with Milliet. The attacker beat the right back into the box and shot toward the far post, but Bloomer had only to shift slightly to her right to make the save.
A minute later, Rafaelle sent Banda down the right. The striker outran the back line before laying it off for McCutcheon in space entering the box. McCutcheon’s first touch was a shot over the crossbar, wasting a big chance.
Lemos’ shot from outside of the box in the 41st minute forced Bloomer to dive to her right for the block. The ball went into the center of the box, but nobody was there to put the rebound in, allowing Louisville to clear.
Banda had another chance in the first minute of stoppage time, turning to create a shot toward goal. Her attempt went between center back Ellie Jean ‘s legs and behind Bloomer but wide of the far post.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, a Pride clearance landed at the feet of former Pride defender Courtney Petersen, who sent a beautiful cross to the top of the six-yard box. It went straight to Weber, who put it on target, forcing Moorhouse into a quality one-handed save.
The Pride immediately went the other way, with Mace sending the ball forward for Marta. The Brazilian’s second touch led Angelina making a run forward. The midfielder quickly sent a ball over the top that put Banda behind the Louisville back line. The striker shot early, placing the ball past Bloomer and just inside the right post to even the game at 1-1 just before the break.
The hosts created one last chance when a poor clearance attempt allowed O’Kane to play it forward for Weber. The striker did well to shield Rafaelle and get a shot off, but it was wide.
At halftime, the Pride had the advantage in possession (61%-39%), shots (15-7), shots on target (6-3), crosses (11-5), corner kicks (3-1), and passing accuracy (84%-64%). But some good saves by Bloomer, wasteful shooting, and wide-open misses had the game scoreless at the break.
It didn’t take Louisville long to retake the lead after the restart, doing so in the 48th minute. Ella Hase made a strong run down the left and attempted to cross, but Oihane blocked it out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece found Weber’at the back post. The striker put her header off the hands of Moorhouse and in to give her team the lead.
Moments later, the lead grew to 3-1. Dyke blocked Taylor Flint’s long ball from the right in the 49th minute, but it went right to O’Kane, who immediately sent the ball out wide for Emma Sears. The attacker dribbled to the end line before sending a low cross into the box. Milliet got a touch on it, putting it past Moorhouse and in for the right back’s first-ever brace.
“We were very complimentary of the first half,” Hines said. “I thought we’d create some really good opportunities. We felt we’re back into the game, just getting the goal just before halftime, and it’s just been a moment where we just switched off, and then we concede another one, and we just can’t allow that to happen. I do feel like it’s the start of the second half. As soon as that whistle goes, we’ve got to be straight at it. And we were very passive in that moment, and so we got punished for it.”
Washington received a long ball on the left in the 51st minute, taking Milliet one-on-one. The rookie cut inside to create enough space for a shot, sending her attempt over the crossbar. In the 55th minute, Washington received a pass from Banda, but her heavy touch allowed Milliet to take possession. Out of frustration, she pushed Milliet down with an extended arm, getting called for the foul.
Hines used the stoppage to make his first change of the game, replacing Marta with Summer Yates. Looking for a way back into the game, Hines made three more changes in the 63rd minute. Hannah Anderson, Seven Castain, and Simone Jackson came on for Washington, Lemos, and Oihane.
“The message was, the game’s not over yet,” Anderson said. “And lock it down in the back, but also create any chances we can up front.”
The Pride’s best buildup came in the 68th minute, when pressure forced Louisville into a turnover in its own third. Angelina played it forward for Mace, who played a quick give-and-go with Yates. Mace’s first touch was a shot that was blocked out of play by Arin Wright. Flint won the ensuing corner kick, and Louisville cleared the danger without Bloomer having to do anything.
Hines made his final change in the 75th minute, replacing Dyke with Julie Doyle.
In the 81st minute, Yates made a run into the Louisville third of the field before being taken down by O’Kane. Angelina took the set piece, which was too far in front of Banda for the striker to get on the end of it. Instead, it went straight to Bloomer.
Louisville won a pair of corner kicks in the 84th minute, resulting in a good chance to put the game away. The first set piece was a near-post ball that was knocked out of play. The second found Makenna Morris with space. The second-half substitute didn’t get much on the ball, sending it wide.
Banda received the ball in the 87th minute and dribbled into the box before laying it off for Castain. After briefly settling the ball, the young attacker sent a shot straight to Bloomer, causing the goalkeeper little concern.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Angelina found Banda at the top of the box. The striker turned and fired, but her shot was deflected just wide.
Angelina’s ensuing corner kick found Anderson, who headed it down and into the six-yard box. Shielding her defender, Banda got a toe on the ball, sending it off Bloomer’s hands and in to make it a 3-2 game.
“Ang has such great service. So, I told her I would find it,” Anderson said. “I told her, just to find the middle of the box and I would get on it. Thankfully, Barb was in there just to redirect it in the goal.”
Yates had a chance for an equalizer in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Rafaelle touched the ball forward. The substitute fired from the top of the box but didn’t get much on it, sending it straight to Bloomer.
A minute later, Angelina saw her shot from outside the box blocked. The ball ended up with Castain, who tried to put the ball over Bloomer, but she again sent it over the crossbar.
The Pride won a pair of corner kicks in the dying moments, but neither resulted in a shot on goal. The final touch was a header over the crossbar and would have been another Pride corner, but the referee blew full time and the Pride came away with a disappointing loss.
At full time, the Pride had the edge in possession (62%-38%), shots (27-11), shots on target (11-5), crosses (26-14), corner kicks (10-5), and passing accuracy (79%-66%). But a poor three minutes at the beginning of the second half was the difference.
“Frustrated, obviously. Never like losing games, especially in the way, or the manner, that we lost today,” Hines said. “I thought we did well in the first half, created a lot of opportunities. They scored a great goal from the edge of the box, but we get ourselves back into the game going into halftime, and then we just came out flat. You know, allowing a team like Louisville to go two goals up after five minutes into the second half. We can’t allow teams to do that. And so we built momentum into the second half, created some decent opportunities, got one right at the end. And it just didn’t land for us to get that equalizing goal. And it really did come down to those five minutes in the second half. We talk about it a lot. How do we get that intensity? How do we start the half how we finished? And that’s going to be a real reflection point for us going into the next game.”
“I think we kind of talked about it. Last 20 minutes or so, we were on fire,” Anderson added. “So, we kind of just need to have that leading into all minutes of the game, being present the whole game, however many minutes it is, on offense and on defense. It’s a tough one, but I think there’s definitely lessons to be learned.”
Being the first team to lose to Louisville this season will be a tough pill for the Pride to swallow, especially with how they dominated the possession and chances. It leaves Boston Legacy FC as the only team in the NWSL without a win.
The Pride will have to bounce back from this one as they return to action on May 2 when they host the Washington Spirit.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride return to action after an extended break as they face Racing Louisville in Kentucky.
Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (2-1-2, 8 points) travel to Kentucky where they’ll play Racing Louisville FC (0-3-1, 1 point) in a late afternoon affair (5:30 p.m., Victory+). It’s the first of two meetings between the teams this season, with the return game in Orlando scheduled for Aug. 7.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
This is the fifth season of existence for Racing Louisville, and the Pride have played the Kentucky-based side 13 times in that span, with Orlando going 3-4-4 in NWSL games and 3-4-6 in all competitions (0-0-1 in both the NWSL Challenge Cup, and the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup). The Pride are winless in Louisville all-time in league matches (0-4-1) and in all competitions (0-4-2).
The most recent meeting between the two teams occurred on Aug. 9, 2025, in Orlando. Marisa DiGrande scored against her old team just before halftime to give Louisville the halftime lead. It looked like the visitors would claim all three points until an Ary Borges own goal in second-half stoppage time resulted in a 1-1 draw. On June 20 last year in Louisville, Arin Wright gave the hosts the lead at the half-hour mark and former Pride midfielder Taylor Flint doubled the advantage in the second half as the Pride fell 2-0 to end the first half of the season.
The first game in 2024 between the two took place on March 16 in Louisville. The season opener for both teams looked like it would be a long day for Orlando, as Elexa Bahr and Uchenna Kanu gave the hosts a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes. The Pride got on the board in the 24th minute with an own goal by Elli Pikkujämsä, but the task was made more difficult when Kylie Strom received her second yellow card in the second half. However, Amanda Allen and Summer Yates combined on a late goal by Yates, as the Pride pulled out an unlikely 2-2 draw.
On May 5, 2024, in Orlando, an Emily Sams cross in the 17th minute found Barbra Banda’s head at the back post, and she nodded home the game’s only goal in a 1-0 Pride win. On Aug. 1, 2024, in the Summer Cup, Evelina Duljan scored her lone Pride goal to give the Pride the lead. However, Reilyn Turner equalized, sending the game into penalties. The Pride took the early shootout lead when Jaelin Howell missed, but saves by Jordyn Bloomer on Morgan Gautrat and Ally Watt saw Louisville take the extra point.
The first game of 2023 was held on May 6 at Exploria Stadium. Messiah Bright gave the Pride an early lead, and the hosts held on for 69 minutes for the 1-0 win. It was the first home win of 2023 for the Pride and their second win of the season. The second meeting took place on Oct. 6, 2023, in Louisville. The Pride got off to a great start with goals by Marta from the spot early and an excellent individual effort by Kerry Abello to make it 2-0. However, Bright took Savannah DeMelo down in the box just before halftime and Nadia Nadim converted the penalty. A five-minute swing with a goal by Kristen Davis and an own goal by Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse resulted in the Pride losing the critical game 3-2.
The first meeting between the two teams in 2022 took place Sept. 16 in Louisville. Racing struck first when Nadim was left open in front of goal for a tap-in. The hosts doubled their lead on a great strike by DeMelo from outside the box, and the Pride fell 2-0.
The first meeting of 2022 was in a unique setting, taking place at Daytona International Speedway on July 3. The game was a part of the 2022 Daytona SoccerFest and was the first time a professional soccer game was played at a racetrack. Emina Ekic gave Louisville a halftime lead and DeMelo doubled the lead shortly after the break. However, the Pride fought back with goals by Strom and Darian Jenkins, pulling out a 2-2 draw. The game launched a seven-game unbeaten run that pulled the Pride back into the playoff race.
The first year the two teams met was in 2021 during the NWSL Challenge Cup in Louisville. CeCe Kizer gave the hosts the lead early, but Taylor Kornieck equalized just before halftime. It looked like the Pride would win when Abi Kim scored late, but Brooke Hendrix equalized in second-half injury time and the teams drew 2-2.
The teams played three times in the 2021 regular season, with the first meeting coming on July 9 in Orlando. Ebony Salmon gave Louisville the lead, but Sydney Leroux scored to force a 1-1 draw with a goal in second-half injury time. The second meeting was held Sept. 11 in Orlando. The Pride took a 2-0 lead into the break with goals by Leroux and Marta. Kizer got one back, but Alex Morgan’s conversion sealed three points for the Pride.
The final meeting of 2021 came in the penultimate game of the year for both teams. The Pride needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and they got off to a good start when Jodie Taylor scored in the third minute. However, the game slipped away as Salmon and Katie McClure scored on either side of halftime and Yuki Nagasato made the final 3-1.
Overview
The Pride got the season off to a tough start, claiming just one point from a two-game, season-opening homestand. However, they turned things around away from home, defeating Chicago Stars FC 3-0 and playing to a scoreless draw against NJ/NY Gotham FC. They kept that momentum going by defeating Angel City FC 2-1 at Inter&Co Stadium on April 3, just before the international break, when the league halted for two weeks.
While some teams welcomed the two weeks to regroup, the Pride likely aren’t one of them. The team was playing much better than it had in the first two games and the new players were getting acclimated to their new club.
However, the break comes after a flurry of games. Since the start of the season, the Pride haven’t gone more than five days between games. The rest was surely welcomed by the players before they get back into the run-up to the FIFA World Cup break.
The back line has been a strength for the Pride, which has only conceded multiple goals in the season opener. Hailie Mace and Rafaelle have been the primary center backs and have gotten better since the first homestand. When Hannah Anderson was inserted while Rafaelle was injured, she performed well, netting her first goal for the Pride and helping the team to a clean sheet.
After looking unfamiliar with each other in the season opener, Banda and Jacquie Ovalle connected for the lone Pride goal in the team’s 1-1 draw against Denver Summit FC. They followed that up with a game in which both scored and Ovalle added an assist on Anderson’s goal. Unfortunately, Ovalle is out for this game with a thigh injury. As a result, the Pride will be looking elsewhere to provide service for Banda.
The most recent scoring threat has been an unlikely source. After the team played to a scoreless draw in New Jersey, Haley McCutcheon scored twice against Angel City, including the winning goal in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time.
Tonight, the Pride take on a team that’s struggled to open the season. Louisville has claimed just one point in its first four games, a 2-2 draw at home against the Washington Spirit. Racing is coming off a 4-3 defeat to the Houston Dash in Texas.
Louisville is led from the back by veteran goalkeeper Bloomer, who’s been with the club since 2022. The back line features two former Pride players in Flint and Courtney Petersen. While Petersen has been primarily a left back throughout her professional career, it’s a new role for Flint, who was previously a midfielder. The team’s leading scorers are striker Sarah Weber and Flint, each with two goals. Meanwhile, Emma Sears, Kayla Fischer, and Macy Blackburn each have scored one.
Sears has been the leading provider with two assists, while Weber and Fischer each have one.
“It’s always a tough environment to go play (in). Bev (Yanez) has done a great job in the last couple of years, really installing an identity,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about today’s opponent. “They’re physical, they’re fast, they’re direct, and we’ve got to face those challenges whilst also trying to play our own game. We want to build on the first five games. We’ve had a nice break and just start to kick on now.”
The Pride will take the field today without Kerry Abello (hip), Zara Chavoshi (lower leg), Cosette Morche (ankle), Ovalle (thigh), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). Louisville will be without DeMelo (illness), DiGrande (maternity leave), and Olivia Sekany (knee). Erynn Floyd (hand) and Mirann Gacioch (quad) are listed as questionable.
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Cori Dyke, Rafaelle, Hailie Mace, Oihane.
Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Angelina.
Midfielders: Solai Washington, Haley McCutcheon, Marta.
Forward: Barbra Banda.
Bench: Cara Martin, Luana, Julie Doyle, Nicole Payne, Summer Yates, Seven Castain, Reagan Raabe, Hannah Anderson, Simone Jackson.
Racing Louisville FC (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Jordyn Bloomer.
Defenders: Courtney Petersen, Arin Wright, Ellie Jean, Lauren Milliet.
Defensive Midfielders: Taylor Flint, Katie O’Kane.
Midfielders: Ella Hase, Kayla Fischer, Emma Sears.
Forward: Sarah Weber.
Bench: Maddie Prohaska, Makenna Morris, Macey Hodge, Taylor White, Quincy McMahon, Maja Lardner, Avery Ciorbu, Macy Blackburn, Audrey McKeen.
Referees
REF: Alyssa Pennington.
AR1: Jacob Little.
AR2: Jackson Krauser.
4TH: Thomas Snyder.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Karsten Gillwald.
How to Watch
Match Time: 5:30 p.m.
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium — Louisville, KY.
TV: None.
Streaming: Victory+.
Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.
Enjoy the game. Go Pride!
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