Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (5-0-3, 18 points) look to continue their eight-game unbeaten run and five-game winning streak against NWSL newcomers Bay FC (2-6-0, 6 points). This is the first of two games the teams will play against each other with the other scheduled for Sept. 20 in San Jose, CA.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

Bay FC is one of two expansion teams to enter the NWSL for the 2024 season. However, while the Utah Royals previously existed and have some history with the Pride, Bay FC is in its inaugural season. As such, tonight’s opponents have yet to face off.

There’s also little connection between the two teams. When Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC entered the league in 2022 — the last expansion year — the teams had multiple former Pride players on their rosters. The only former member of the Pride on Bay FC is forward Rachel Hill, who played in Orlando from 2017 to 2019. However, she is injured and will miss the match.

Overview

The Pride are off to an excellent start to the 2024 NWSL season and their best since entering the league in 2016. The current eight-game unbeaten run is the second longest in club history and the longest to start a season in team history. After drawing their first three contests, they’ve won five straight, equaling the team’s longest winning streak set in 2017.

The run can be attributed to multiple factors, including the play of 2023 NWSL Draft fourth-round selection Summer Yates and the arrival of Zambian international Barbra Banda. Yates began the year with three goals in the first six games after minimal inclusion in 2023, and Banda has scored four goals in the last three games following her debut on April 19.

The team has also benefited from a strong defensive effort, despite missing multiple key players at times this season. The Pride have earned clean sheets in three games this year — including back-to-back shutouts in April — and have only conceded once in three games. Unsurprisingly, the three shutouts have all resulted in wins.

Tonight’s opponent has gotten its inaugural season off to a tough start. Bay FC currently sits on six points from its first eight games with only two wins and six losses. Their 13 goals scored is fourth in the league, but they’ve struggled defensively, conceding a league-high 19 goals. They started with a 1-0 win over Angel City on March 17, but have conceded multiple goals in each of their subsequent games.

While seven Pride goals have come from two players, conversions by Bay FC have been spread around. Tess Boade, Deyna Castellanos, Racheal Kundananji, Asisat Oshoala, and Kayla Sharples lead the team with two goals. Joelle Anderson, Dorian Bailey, and Alex Loera have also contributed with one goal each. The assists have also been spread around, with Anderson’s two leading the team.

The defensive struggles this year haven’t been due to inconsistent lineups. Lysianne Proulx has started in goal in all but two games so far, and the back line has usually included veterans Sharples, Emily Menges, and Caprice Dydasco, often joined by rookie Savannah King. Despite not being listed on the availability reports, Sharples has been replaced at times by Jen Beattie.

“Listen, they’ve recruited some really top, talented players, both domestically and internationally, and they’re a team that we’re going to have to be fully aware of and prepared for,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s opponent. “You know, their attack, they have some really dangerous players who can hurt you in any given moment. But I think we just approach it like we have approached every game. Knowing a few of their tendencies and what they like to do, but also focusing on ourselves and building on what we’ve achieved so far and just reinforcing that message that we have to stay hungry for more success and more points.”

The Pride continue to get healthier with Marta (lower leg) being removed from the availability list. Angelina (knee), Simone Charley (right leg), Luana (illness), Megan Montefusco (right heel), and Viviana Villacorta (left knee) remain out for this game. Bay FC will be without Jordan Brewster (lower leg), Maya Doms (ankle), Hill (leg), Alex Loera (knee), and
Melissa Lowder (knee).

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Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Rafaelle, Bri Martinez.

Defensive Midfielders: Morgan Gautrat, Haley McCutcheon.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Summer Yates, Adriana.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bay FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Lysianne Proulx.

Defenders: Savannah King, Kayla Sharples, Emily Menges, Caprice Dydasco.

Midfielders: Dorian Bailey, Caroline Conti, Deyna Castellanos.

Forwards: Racheal Kundananji, Scarlett Camberos, Tess Boade.

Referees

REF: Danielle Chesky.
AR1: Zeno Cho.
AR2: Katarzyna Wasiak.
4TH: Daniel Gutierrez.
VAR: Shawn Tehini.
AVAR: Maggie Short.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: Ion.

Streaming: None.

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @ManeLandSean and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

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Enjoy the match. Go Pride!

The Orlando Pride (5-0-3, 18 points) won the battle of the unbeatens, defeating Racing Louisville FC (1-1-5, 8 points) 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. Barbra Banda scored her fourth goal in three games and the Pride held onto the lead for 73 minutes.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made one change to the team that beat the North Carolina Courage 4-1 on Wednesday night. Angelina was out after suffering a knee injury during that game and was replaced by rookie Ally Lemos, who made her first professional start. 

“There were some nerves but also some excitement,” Lemos said about her first start. “You know, this is what I’ve been working towards ever since preseason and the season started. So I was just really excited to get out on the field and show what I can do and ultimately help the team win today.”

Starting in a 4-4-2 for the second straight game, the back line in front of Anna Moorhouse was Emily Sams, Rafaelle, Kylie Strom, and Kerry Abello. Haley McCutcheon, Lemos, Julie Doyle, and Summer Yates were the midfielders, with Ally Watt and Banda again partnering up top.

This was far from the Pride’s best performance of the season, but they were able to grab a first-half lead and hold onto it. Chances by Louisville, which had drawn five of its first six games, were few and far between while the Pride searched for a second goal. Despite the narrow margin, only two late chances caused hearts in the stands to skip a beat.

Louisville took the first shot of the game in the fourth minute when Elexa Bahr received the ball outside the box. With nobody in purple closing her down, the forward turned and shot. However, she was unable to keep the attempt down, sending it over Moorhouse and her goal.

The visitors had a second chance in the seventh minute when Uchenna Kanu sent a cross across the face of goal. Moorhouse got her right hand to it, but only to Bahr on the far side. The forward took her second shot in the opening minutes of the game, again sending it over the target.

The Pride had their first attack in the ninth minute when Watt laid the ball back for Doyle. Dribbling inside, Doyle attempted to play Banda through, but it was well defended by Arin Wright.

In the 10th minute, Yates looked to get to the Louisville end line and send a cross in, but Wright got in front of the attempt, knocking it out of play. The ensuing corner kick by Yates bounced off the knee of Rafaelle, but the Brazilian center back couldn’t control it and the visitors cleared the danger.

Banda had a chance in the 12th minute to give the Pride the lead when Lemos won the ball back from Kayla Fischer. The midfielder sent it forward for Banda whose third touch was a shot from outside of the box. Lund went down to block the attempt away, but it didn’t appear to give the goalkeeper too much trouble.

Doyle had a chance to open the scoring in the 14th minute when Watt sent a great ball across to the back post. The midfielder was wide open to shoot on goal, but missed the target.

The Pride finally broke through in the 17th minute and from a familiar source. It started with a give-and-go between McCutcheon and Sams on the right side. The defender took a touch towards the end line and sent a cross to the back post, where Banda, despite being among the most threatening strikers in the league, was wide open. It was an easy header for the Zambian, who gave the Pride the early lead.

.@BarbraBanda starts the scoring off for the @ORLPride! pic.twitter.com/j4Fgw6UvWY

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 5, 2024

It was Banda’s fourth goal in the last three games, which sees her surpass Yates as the team leader. The cross by Sams resulted in her first professional assist in her second season.

“Just naturally you have to be a little bit higher, both in the attack and defense, higher up on the pitch. So I was just higher already and wanted to support Haley and she gave me the ball back and I just chipped it across and hoped someone was there to finish it. And luckily Barbra was there,” Sams said. “So yeah, I’m super happy to get my first assist.”

Louisville finally had another chance in the 30th minute when Emma Sears knocked the ball off Strom and out. Carson Pickett took the corner looking for Abby Erceg at the far post. The center back and Louisville captain climbed over Strom, but the ball went out of play, ending the threat.

Abello tried to make something happen on her own in the 36th minute. She played a give-and-go with Doyle to get her behind the Louisville defense and sprinted into the box. Banda was making a run and Abello looked for her, but two defenders were on the goal scorer, so Abello shot herself. Unfortunately, the attempt was directly to Lund, giving her no trouble.

In the 39th minute, Yates was trapped on the sideline, but chipped the ball to spring Doyle. Fischer took down Yates after the pass, and referee Alyssa Nichols called the play back when it was clear it wouldn’t result in an attempt on goal, issuing Fischer a yellow card. The ensuing set piece by Yates connected with the head of Rafaelle, but Lund tipped it over the crossbar.

Fischer nearly equalized in the 43rd minute when the attacker took a shot from outside the box. It looked to be heading inside the far post, but Moorhouse got down and tipped it wide. The corner kick was headed towards goal by Taylor Flint and Erceg was behind the Pride defense, but Moorhouse was quick to react, reaching the ball before Erceg could tap it in.

Banda nearly had her second goal in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. The forward beat Wright to a long ball by Abello and entered the Louisville box. She cut inside to lose Erceg and had nobody else in front of goal except Lund, but the center back did well to recover. She deflected the ball into the arms of Lund, keeping the score 1-0 at the break.

After 45 minutes of action, Louisville had more possession (56%-44%) and corner kicks (3-2) and better passing accuracy (88%-83%). The Pride had more shots (8-7), shots on target (6-2), and crosses (6-5). They arguably should’ve had a bigger lead, but missed some excellent chances in front of goal.

Despite a strong first half, Hines made two halftime substitutions. Adriana and Cori Dyke came into the game for Yates and Abello.

The Pride came out of halftime strong, immediately creating chances. In the 48th minute, Doyle found McCutcheon at the top of the Louisville box. Since nobody closed her down, McCutcheon went for goal. Lund initially jumped for the ball, but it sailed well over the target.

A minute later, Watt nearly doubled the advantage. After a poor pass into the middle was knocked back out, she quickly won it back from Kanu. The forward took a touch inside and fired towards the far post. It beat the diving Lund, but bounced off the far post.

Ally Watt came thisssss close to grabbing a 2nd for @ORLPride 😮 pic.twitter.com/YNxJp1AIcg

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 5, 2024

Hines made the Pride’s third and fourth substitutions in the 58th minute. Amanda Allen and Morgan Gautrat entered the contest for Watt and Doyle.

In the 66th minute, the Pride had a free kick when Adriana was fouled by Lauren Milliet. The ensuing free kick by Lemos into the box was headed out, but only to Banda. The striker attempted a volley towards goal that was nowhere near the target.

Lemos had an opportunity in the 70th minute when she received a ball back from Adriana outside the box. The midfielder took a shot that was deflected by Erceg, resulting in Lund diving the wrong way. However, the deflection sent the ball over the crossbar.

The ensuing corner kick was tipped beyond the box by Lund, but the goalkeeper went down immediately after and required attention. During the set piece, her foot was stepped on by teammate Reilyn Turner. In the meantime, the players headed to the sideline for instructions and, after a brief stoppage, Lund was able to continue.

Louisville lacked any real threat in the second half, but Fischer tried to create something in the 78th minute. Receiving the ball outside the box, she sent a curling low ball towards the back post. It would’ve been dangerous if someone in white had been making that run, but nobody was and it went harmlessly out of play.

In the 82nd minute, Pickett sent a long ball for Bahr, who beat Strom into the opposing third. Moorhouse did well to come out and block the shot, but Turner was following and got to the ball. Fortunately, Rafaelle made a good tackle to knock it away before Turner could put it on goal. Rafaelle’s attempt to carry the ball out of the box was blocked by Sears to Sams and Sears fouled the defender, ending the threat.

Anna Moorhouse coming up CLUTCH 💪 pic.twitter.com/aKFygiMsnh

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) May 5, 2024

“Anna did a really good job today of keeping that clean sheet,” Hines said about the save and her performance. “You know, could easily have been another goal for Louisville.”

The Pride made their last change in the 87th minute. After a strong performance in her first professional start, Lemos was replaced by Carrie Lawrence as the hosts looked to see out the game.

Erceg won a late corner for Louisville in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time when Lawrence knocked the ball out. Pickett’s set piece was into the six-yard box and it looked like Moorhouse had it. But she bobbled the ball briefly, scaring the 6,837 fans in attendance before grabbing the ball and falling to the ground.

At the full-time whistle, Louisville had more possession (54%-46%), corners (5-4), and crosses (12-11) and better passing accuracy (83.4%-80.3%). But the Pride had more shots (14-9), shots on target (8-3), and the all-important goal.

“I think today it was a tough game, obviously with the quick turnaround and everything that we put into on Wednesday. The emotions that we had to go through after Wednesday and then just to turn it around against a good Louisville team, who had a week to prepare for this game with a lot of energy,” Hines said about the game. “You could see towards the end, the players were on their last legs. But I can’t say enough compliments for them. You know, to have that grit, that determination, the attitude, the mentality to see the game out and walk away with three points and end the week with nine points with three games. I’m really, really proud of all the efforts that they put into it.”

“It’s tremendous,” Sams added. “I mean, all of us just had that determination to get that shutout and get those three points for all 90 minutes. It was a grind for 90 minutes. We came into this game not as fresh as we could have been, or especially as the other team, but we didn’t let that be an excuse to not play our best or try to play our best at least.”

The Pride have now won five consecutive games, tied for the team record. The other five-game winning streak came during the 2017 NWSL season, the only year in which they qualified for the playoffs.  The win also extends their unbeaten run to eight games, one short of the team record, also set in 2017.

The Pride have shown an ability to win games in different ways this season. They won a high-scoring 3-2 game against the Washington Spirit 10 days ago and have now won three games 1-0. It’s a team-wide approach and the success didn’t go unnoticed by their coach.

“I can’t just pinpoint on the back line because they are doing a great job, but it’s the whole team,” Hines said about the defensive effort. “Everyone’s doing their role and it’s really nice to see. And even the players who are coming onto the field, they have to do their job and their roles and responsibilities to, again, see the game out.”

The three points lifts the Pride over the Kansas City Current, who drew earlier in the day, to claim first place by a point. While the Current have a game in hand, it’s something to celebrate for a Pride team that has missed out on the playoffs in all but one of its previous seven NWSL seasons.

 “It’s just all smiles. We’re so happy,” Sams said about how the team feels about being in first place. “The team chemistry that we have, it’s just great. You know, we’re all joking and trying to have a good time around the facility and in the locker room. I think that carries over to the field too. We all just want to work for each other and play for each other. So it’s great. I mean, we’re all just having a good time all the time.”

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After playing three games in 10 days, the Pride will now have nearly a week before they take the field again. Their next game is Saturday when they welcome league newcomers Bay FC to Orlando.

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (4-0-3, 15 points) play the second game of a three-game homestand against Racing Louisville FC (1-0-5, 8 points). This is the second of three games the two teams are scheduled to play this year and the final regular-season contest. They’ll also play in the NWSL X LigaMXF Summer Cup on Aug. 1.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

This is the fourth season of existence for Racing Louisville. The two teams have played nine times so far, with the Pride going 2-3-4 (2-3-3 in NWSL games and 0-0-1 in the NWSL Challenge Cup). The Pride are 2-0-2 against Louisville in Orlando, all in league play.

The most recent meeting between the two teams was on March 16 in Louisville, the season opener for both teams. It looked like it would be a long day 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 62nd minute. However, Amanda Allen and Summer Yates combined in the 86th minute as the Pride pulled out an unlikely 2-2 draw.

The first game last year occurred 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 was 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 started in the 70th minute with goals by Kristen Davis and an own goal by Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, resulting in the Pride losing the critical game 3-2.

The first meeting between the two in 2022 was on Sept. 16 in Louisville. The Pride got off to a quick start, but Louisville 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 of 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 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 on 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 was 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 have gotten off to a great start to the 2024 season, going seven unbeaten and winning four straight. The most recent game was on Wednesday night when the Pride hosted the North Carolina Courage at home. Seb Hines changed the formation for the game, moving from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2, with Barbra Banda and Ally Watt starting up top. Watt had a goal and an assist and Banda had two goals and an assist, proving Hines right with the formation change by running away with a 4-1 win.

Tonight, the Pride will play their second game of a three-game homestand as they welcome Racing Louisville. These are two of the three NWSL teams with unbeaten records to start the season, along with the Kansas City Current. However, while the Current and Pride have five and four wins respectively, Louisville only has one win and five draws. But it’s an impressive start for a Louisville team with a new head coach in Bev Yanez.

The only win Louisville has this year was a 5-1 thumping of the Utah Royals at home on April 20. While the Pride played Wednesday night, tonight’s opponent has more rest heading into this game, last playing to a 1-1 draw against NJ/NY Gotham FC in New Jersey a week ago.

Despite five draws in their first six games, Louisville has the fourth-highest goal difference in the league and a greater difference than the teams around it. The Kentucky-based team has scored 10 goals this season and has only conceded six times for a +4 goal differential. Racing is led in the attack by Kanu, who has scored three more times after her goal against the Pride for four total. DeMelo and Reilyn Turner have two goals each, with Bahr and Emma Sears splitting the other two.

Defensively, the Pride caught Louisville without one of their newest acquisitions and starting center back Arin Wright in the first game. However, the other three in front of Katie Lund were Carson Pickett, Abby Erceg, and Lauren Milliet. That unit has earned two clean sheets in the first six games and has only given up multiple goals twice — both times conceding twice.

“There was so much excitement going into that first game of the season against Louisville, not really knowing what to expect with, you know, Bev’s come in with a coaching change,” Hines said about tonight’s opponent. “We’ve now seen them play a lot of games, both home and away. They’re still unbeaten, so it’s going to be a challenge for us. I think we’re in a different place to where we were at the start of the year. We want to continue the momentum moving forward. You know, some of the personalities have changed since we last played them as well. So it’s nice that we’ve gone through that experience early on in the season. But the teams look completely different and, obviously, the environment’s different. They’re coming to our place now, our home stadium, in front of our own fans, and we need our fans to push us through all the way to the final whistle.”

Angelina (knee) is out for this game after suffering an injury against the Courage Wednesday night. Simone Charley (right leg), Luana (illness), Megan Montefusco (right heel), and Viviana Villacorta (left knee) are also out tonight. Meanwhile, Marta (lower leg) has been upgraded to questionable. Adriana (leg) and Morgan Gautrat (lower leg) are available after being listed as questionable Wednesday night.

Louisville has five players out for this game, including Pikkujämsä (knee), DeMelo (concussion), Yuuka Kurosaki (knee), and Kirsten Wright (knee). Additionally, Jaelin Howell (leg) is listed as questionable.

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Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Rafaelle, Bri Martinez.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Summer Yates, Ally Watt.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Adriana, Amanda Allen, Morgan Gautrat, Mariana Larroquette, Celia, Carrie Lawrence, Brianna Martinez, Cori Dyke.

Racing Louisville FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Katie Lund.

Defenders: Carson Pickett, Abby Erceg, Arin Wright, Lauren Milliet.

Defensive Midfielders: Marisa DiGrande, Taylor Flint.

Midfielders: Kayla Fischer, Emma Sears, Uchenna Kanu.

Forward: Elexa Bahr.

Bench: Ellis Jean, Jaelin Howell, Linda Motlhalo, Maddie Pokorny, Jordan Baggett, Parker Goins, Jordyn Bloomer, Reilyn Turner.

Referees

REF: Alyssa Nichols.
AR1: Nicholas Seymour.
AR2: Ricardo Ocampo.
4TH: Alejo Calume.
VAR: Greg Dopka.
AVAR: Maggie Short.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 6 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: Bally Sports Sun.

Streaming: NWSL+.

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

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Enjoy the match. Go Pride!