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Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Blanked in Battle for Playoff Spot

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8 years ago

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There was no spectacular two-goal comeback in Orlando tonight.

After a long, 57-minute weather delay, the Orlando Pride (6-7-0, 18 points) were unable to fight back from a first half goal from the Chicago Red Stars (6-4-3, 21 points) and fell, 1-0, in front of an announced crowd of 7,247 at Camping World Stadium. The loss prevented Orlando from wrestling fourth place from the Red Stars in the battle for playoff positioning.

It was a fairly even game throughout and both sides had plenty of opportunities to score, but Taylor Comeau's header was the difference for the visitors.

The Pride thought they had a game-tying goal in the 88th minute after Christina Burkenroad found the back of the net from the headed pass of Jasmyne Spencer, but the goal was called back for offside. This was probably one of the best chances on the night for Orlando, who were out-shot, 12-6.

"I was happy with the effort of the team. I thought we put in a good effort tonight and kept going to the end," Orlando Head Coach Tom Sermanni said after the game. "I thought at times our execution wasn't as good as it should have been and I thought at times the tempo could have been a little bit higher, particularly early in the game."

Orlando did have some good plays on the defensive end throughout the game, which kept the scoreline within reach. That all started in the 13th minute, when Jen Hoy got behind the defense, but Toni Pressley came and slid in for a tough challenge to knock the ball out of play for a corner, which eventually was cleared away.

The first chance for the Pride came in the form of Spencer in the 19th minute. After losing the ball behind her, Spencer took the ball through the defense and took a tailing shot curling towards the near post, which was saved by Red Stars keeper Michele Dalton.

The only goal came just a few minutes later, in the 23rd minute, as Chicago struck. A fantastic cross into the box by Sofia Huerta met the head of Taylor Comeau and left Kaitlyn Savage with no chance. Cami Levin, who was marking Comeau, got beat to the ball as the only goal of the match hit the back of the net.

The Pride turned things up a bit after the opener. In the 33rd minute, Jamia Fields got free on the wing after a pass from Levin sprung her, but her cross into the box with three Pride players inside missed everyone.

Five minutes later, Chicago's Vanessa DiBernardo, after dribbling from the right to left side of the pitch, tried a left-footed shot that beat Savage, but didn't beat the post, as it bounced back into play. The follow-up from the Red Stars was whistled offside. On the other end of that play, Spencer once again took it into the teeth of the Red Stars defense and was knocked down by three Chicago defenders and remained down for a moment, while the Red Stars went down to Orlando's end again and had a chance on goal which was cleared away.

Halftime came and went with no changes for either side as the dark clouds began to roll into the vicinity of Camping World Stadium.

The biggest, and really only play in the first 15 minutes of the second half was a fantastic save from Savage, who came off her line to make a save.

Just seven minutes later, a scramble in the box allowed Kaylyn Kyle to get a shot, which was tipped wide for a corner. Off that corner, Kyle again came incredibly close to scoring, but Arin Gilliland was able to head it off the line and into the hands of Dalton.

A while later, the rain started to come down at the campground and a huge crack of lightning sent the fans and players into cover just around the 73rd minute of the game.

An hour later, play resumed, but both teams looked a bit off, as expected after sitting in a locker room for that much time. Besides the offside chance mentioned earlier, the final 15 minutes didn't let anything in for either team and the final whistle blew, signaling the Pride's second home loss of the year.

Having finished their four game home stand, the Pride will travel across the country next weekend to face a Hope Solo-less Seattle Reign. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 23.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Evelina Duljan

The young Swede signed early in 2024 but didn’t make a mark on the pitch until the midsummer cup competition.

Published

23 hours ago

on

December 4, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride signed Swedish youth international Evelina Juljan from Juventus on a one-year deal on Jan. 2. A professional player since the age of 14, Duljan was a tantalizing prospect at attacking midfielder with her technical ability and skills in tight spaces. Bringing in a player so young — she was just 20 at the time of her signing but has since turned 21 — on just a one-year contract was an interesting move by the Pride at the time. It seemed to be a compromise of sorts, with Orlando not locking down the player in hopes of developing her over time, while not making a longterm investment from the club’s side if she things didn’t work out.

Duljan didn’t crack Head Coach Seb Hines’ regular rotation in 2024, but she did show flashes of a potential emerging talent during her Summer Cup appearances and sparing use in league play. Let’s look back at her first (only?) season in Orlando.

Statistical Breakdown

The Kristianstad, Sweden native appeared in eight matches in the regular season, starting one, and played 174 minutes. Duljan didn’t have a goal contribution in NWSL play, attempting just one shot that wasn’t on target. She passed at a 75% success rate on 84 attempts, with no key passes and one successful long ball. A strong challenger on the ball, Duljan won nine of 12 tackles (75%), tallied two interceptions, and won four headed duels. She committed eight fouls, suffering six, and was not booked.

The Summer Cup is when Duljan really got an opportunity to shine. She played in all three of the Pride’s matches, starting two, and played a total of 191 minutes She scored her first goal with the Pride on Aug. 1 against Racing Louisville for her lone goal contribution of the season. In the tournament, Duljan attempted four shots, putting three on target and completed 81.25% of her 64 passes. Defensively, Duljan contributed six tackles and an interception. She did not commit or suffer a foul and was not booked in the competition.

Duljan did not appear in the NWSL playoffs.

Best Game

The Swedish-Nigerian attacker’s best match came in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup on Aug. 1 in Orlando’s 1-1 draw against Racing Louisville at Inter&Co Stadium. Duljan started the match and played 85 minutes, attempting two shots — tied for her season high — with one on target. She made that shot count in the 38th minute, getting across her defender and putting her head to a cross from Kerry Abello, putting it in the net to give the Pride the lead.

In addition to her goal, Duljan passed at a 71% rate and played with some bite to her game, winning five tackles to tie a season high, recording an interception, and committing three fouls (also tying a season high).

Unfortunately, the Pride couldn’t hold the lead, conceding an equalizer in the second half. Duljan had been subbed off, so she did not participate in the postgame penalty shootout, which the Pride lost, 4-3.

That game, and her performance overall in the Summer Cup, must have caught Hines’ eye, as all of her regular-season minutes came after the competition, including 30 in the second half against the Kansas City Current and a start at Portland.

2024 Final Grade

As with the previous Season in Review subjects we’ve done so far this postseason, The Mane Land staff cannot give Duljan an official grade due to not meeting the minimum number of minutes played (400), so she will receive an incomplete for the 2024 season.

2025 Outlook

Duljan’s deal was through 2024, so if she is to be part of the Pride’s future, she would have to sign a new contract. Whether she did enough to earn a new deal is up to Hines and Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter. She still has a lot of upside and her skill set isn’t something that a lot of players in NWSL have. She simply needs to develop those skills a bit and add more control to her game.

Her return is a two-way street. Orlando has to want her back and Duljan must have a willingness to stay in North America with the Pride, knowing she will have to battle for minutes. The Pride typically lock down players they like early, avoiding situations where they have to negotiate new deals in the off-season. That didn’t happen with Duljan, so I would question whether she’s back in purple in 2025.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Luana

Her season was over almost before it began, but Luana was still a key part of the group with the 2024 Orlando Pride.

Published

2 days ago

on

December 3, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride signed Brazilian international central midfielder Luana on Dec. 13, 2023, looking to bolster that area of the club after spending resources beefing up the back line and the attack. She agreed to a deal that runs through 2025 with a mutual option year in 2026. The Pride’s central midfield was a strength throughout the team’s 2024 championship run, but the former Corinthians star sadly wasn’t part of it after the first few games.

After appearing in the Pride’s first three matches of the season, Luana was listed on the availability report as an excused absence for three games before a shocking announcement came from the club on April 29— she had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Luana missed the rest of the season to undergo treatment. Thankfully, the treatment looks to have worked, with reports in mid-November that her recent scans had shown no sign of the disease.

Luana’s true impact on the team goes beyond what took place in the season’s first three matches. We will never forget players holding up their hands in an ‘L’ shape to honor her when celebrating goals or the pictures of her with her teammates following her treatment. Clearly, she was an inspiration to the team and it’s not difficult to imagine how her illness may have strengthened a group as close as the 2024 Pride. Clearly, she was never far from the other players’ thoughts.

Although she missed almost the entire season, Luana is a member of the Pride who played and is still with the team. As such, we will honor her and look back at her 2024 season.

Statistical Breakdown

Luana made her Pride debut on opening day, March 16, in Orlando’s 2-2 road draw at Racing Louisville FC. She started that match and appeared in the team’s first three games (two starts), playing 192 of the available 270 minutes. Luana did not have a goal contribution, but depending on where you look, she did record a shot attempt (off target). Her stats page on the NWSL website does not show her having a shot, but her game log on the site does. The Pride’s game notes and statistics page have a shot, so we’ll say one shot. She was effective in helping control the middle of the pitch, winning two of four tackle attempts (50%), tallying three interceptions, and winning four headed duels. She completed 80% of her 75 pass attempts across the three games, including a successful long ball and a cross. Her bite in the midfield shows in her five fouls conceded, six fouls drawn, and two yellow cards. In the two games after her debut in Louisville — in which Orlando rallied from two goals down inside of 19 minutes and got a road result, despite Kylie Strom being sent off in the 62nd minute — the Pride conceded only once in the run of play.

Best Game

The Sao Paulo, Brazil native’s best match came in her second start of the season, a 1-1 home draw against the Chicago Red Stars. The Pride allowed only a Mallory Swanson goal in the match, with Luana starting and playing 71 minutes, completing 77.3% of her passes, committing two fouls (including a yellow card), and drawing three free kicks from the opposition. The Pride were dominant in the match, out-shooting the visitors 21-9, with Luana helping the team keep 59.2% of the possession in the match. Although the Pride drew their third consecutive match to start the season, it was a promising performance that the Pride built on, winning their next eight games — an NWSL record.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff cannot give Luana an official grade due to not meeting the minimum number of minutes played (400), so she will receive an incomplete for the 2024 season. However, we can (and do) give her a 10 out of 10 for her courage and grace during an extremely difficult time.

2025 Outlook

It’s difficult to say what Luana’s outlook will be for next season, as there are obviously some unknown variables. If her scans remain clean, as we all hope, she would presumably work to recover her fitness and could compete for a starting spot in central midfield in 2025. The Pride had the best defense in the league in 2024 and that was after losing someone who started two of the first three matches and played 45 minutes off the bench in the second game. Conceivably, the Pride could be an even better team with a healthy Luana on the pitch. Whether she even plays another minute for the club, however, our main concern is that she remains healthy. It would be understandable, for example, if she decided to rethink her career entirely in light of what she’s been through. Thankfully, she has a good support system with the Pride.

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2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Viviana Villacorta

Viviana Villacorta returned to the field late in the 2024 season. Let’s see how she performed this year.

Published

3 days ago

on

December 2, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride selected Viviana Villacorta with the ninth overall pick of the 2021 NWSL Draft out of UCLA. The defensive midfielder opted to remain in school for her senior season, but tore her ACL shortly after, which kept her out of action for the 2021 NWSL campaign. She suffered an ankle injury in the 2022 season that required surgery and tore her ACL for the second time late in the 2023 season.

Villacorta didn’t re-enter the team until late in the year in 2024, making some league appearances and a playoff appearance as the season wound down. While she didn’t have a significant impact on the championship run, the fact that she got back onto the field was an accomplishment.

Let’s take a look at how Villacorta did in the few minutes she received in 2024.

Statistical Breakdown

Villacorta was in the team for the first time this season on Sept. 28, coming on as a substitute at home against the Houston Dash. She made three regular-season appearances in 2024, starting one — the last game of the season against Seattle Reign FC. She played 69 minutes in the regular season without a goal or an assist, completing 31 of 35 passes (91.2%). Villacorta attempted one shot but it was not on frame. Defensively, she recorded one tackle and two interceptions, commited three fouls, and was not booked.

She also came on as a substitute in the first playoff game against the Chicago Red Stars, making her professional playoff debut. The midfielder played three minutes in the match without a goal contribution, helping to see out the game. She completed four of her five passes (80%).

Best Game

The 25-year-old’s best game has to be her lone start against Seattle on Nov. 2. She had a season-high 26 touches, completed 95% of her 18 passes, and recorded one of her two interceptions in 45 minutes of action. She also took her only shot of the season in that game, though it was off target. She was replaced by regular starter Angelina at halftime.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff gave Villacorta a 5.5 for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but she didn’t play enough minutes (400 across all competitions) this year to get a grade. As a result, she receives an incomplete grade for the 2024 NWSL season.

2025 Outlook

Despite suffering multiple season-ending injuries, the Pride continue to believe in Villacorta, signing her to a new contract on July 16 that runs through the 2025 season with a mutual option for 2026. The defensive midfielder has shown her quality when healthy, but she’s been unable to remain on the field for long periods of time. The Pride have also strengthened that position, adding Angelina and Morgan Gautrat to the roster, as well as Luana, who is attempting to work her way back from cancer treatment. As a result, it will be hard for Villacorta to get significant minutes, even if she is able to remain healthy. With her experience, however, she can be a key depth player at the position.

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