Orlando Pride at Chicago Red Stars: Player Grades and Player of the Match

The Orlando Pride failed to find its second win of the season after losing 1-0 to the Chicago Red Stars in the Windy City. The first half saw a hard-fought battle between both teams, with Chicago unfortunately getting the advantage late in the second half.

Here is what we thought of how each player did.

Starters

G, Ashlyn Harris – 8 (POTM) – Harris came up big in the 12th minute to save a shot from Christen Press. Once again, Harris made a save off a shot from Press in the 43rd minute. In the second half, Harris made a big save from outside the 18 in the 56th minute and then again made what could possibly be considered the Save of the Week in the 79th minute off a header. While she may have let one slip through into goal, Harris kept Orlando’s hopes alive until the final whistle.

D, Josée Bélanger – 7 – Came out attacking in the first half and showed some fancy footwork in the final third. Bélanger sent in a header in the 32nd minute that fell directly into Alyssa Naeher’s hands. Continued to be a workhorse on the right side, pushing up and creating chances and shutting down opportunities for Chicago.

D, Laura Alleway – 7.5 – Made an excellent recovery save in the 42nd minute to prevent a goal and almost had the equalizer in the 90th minute.

D, Mônica – 6.5 – Worked well with Alleyway, not forced to make any dramatic saves, but pushed Chicago out wide and limited their chances. Had a few slip-ups that allowed Chicago’s forwards to get into the box and made Harris work harder to keep the team’s chances alive.

D, Steph Cately – 7 – Created multiple chances in the first half and saw quite a bit of action defensively, aiding Alleway in shutting down a goal in the 42nd minute. Played a significant role in keeping Press quiet for most of the night, which kept the score line closer than it should have been.

MF, Kristen Edmonds – 7 – Moved into more of a midfield position with the formation change. Created some excellent chances in the first half, including a shot in the 15th minute that was blocked by Naeher. Adapted well to the new position and had several shots on goal that kept Naeher on her toes for most of the night.

MF, Kaylyn Kyle – 6 – Started the first half quietly, but did make some nice through passes for Kristen Edmonds. She continued to be an unnoticeable player for the rest of the game, though, and in soccer that’s never a good thing.

MF, Lianne Sanderson – 6.5 – In her first game in the starting lineup, Sanderson came out well with several through-ball passes in the first half, including one that almost led to a goal in the 15th minute. However, many of her pass seemed slightly off and her fitness was lacking.

MF, Maddy Evans – 6 – Played aggressive in the first half, only a making significant contribution in the 40th minute with a booking after pulling down a Chicago player. Failed to make opportunities for the forwards to convert into goals and seemed more of a body than a contributor.

F, Sarah Hagen – 6 – Also received her first start for Orlando and made her presence felt, working well with Alex Morgan to attempt to create some combinations in the first half. Hagen shot in the eighth minute that came up a little short on the through-ball from Sanderson. Came up short in the 46th minute when her header went wide. Seemed to not be able to connect with the midfield serving in the balls

F, Alex Morgan – 6 – Could not seem to connect tonight, whether that be from crosses, through balls, or headers, every shot went far off target and didn’t help Orlando’s chances. The few chances she did have were thwarted by Chicago’s defense or easily wrapped up by Naeher. Her best opportunity came in the 84th minute when she broke away inside the box and shot wide.

Substitutes

F, Jasmyne Spencer – 7.5 – Coming off the bench, Spencer made the most impact she could with the time she was given. She had several chances, including a shot that narrowly missed the goal in the 90th minute.

MF, Becky Edwards – 6 – Came into the game late with Orlando down, attempted to create some chances, but didn’t seem to actively contribute to the somewhat chaotic final minutes.

Polling Closed