Orlando Pride
2017 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Aubrey Bledsoe

Last season, Orlando Pride goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe appeared to have a good opportunity to show what she could do. Starter Ashlyn Harris would be going off to Brazil to join the United States Women’s National Team for the Rio Olympics, giving Bledsoe the chance to shine.
But Bledsoe suffered a broken leg during training in June and missed the remainder of the 2016 NWSL season. It was a tough blow for the Cincinnati native, who came to the Pride from Sky Blue FC in the final round of the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft. Bledsoe would have to wait for her opportunity.
That chance came in 2017, when Ashlyn Harris sustained a quad injury while taking a goal kick against the Seattle Reign on May 21. Ironically, Bledsoe was again hurt at the time, having sustained a concussion on a freak play while warming up at halftime of the previous home game. Emergency goalkeeper Caroline Stanley finished the game at Seattle — a 1-1 draw — but Bledsoe was cleared to play in time for the next Pride game on May 27 on the road against her old team, Sky Blue.
Bledsoe went on to play in 11 consecutive matches while Harris recovered from injury, and the Pride didn’t miss a beat. Since today is Aubrey’s birthday, it seems a good time to give her season grade, since it’s a good one.
Statistical Breakdown
Bledsoe went 5-4-2 over her 11 appearances in the net — all starts — from May 27 to Aug. 8, including shutout wins at home against Boston and Washington. She played a total of 990 minutes, allowing 15 goals and making 35 saves on 51 shots on goal, with a save percentage of 70% and a 1.36 goals-against average. She made a season-high six saves at Sky Blue on May 27, but in a losing effort as the hosts won, 2-1.
Three times during 2017 Bledsoe captured NWSL Save of the Week honors — Week 9, 12, and 13, stopping Carli Lloyd, Tori Huster, and Brittany Ratcliffe, respectively.
She also nearly scored a goal in 2017. While down 1-0 late to Chicago, Bledsoe came forward on a set piece and headed one on frame that was cleared off the line by a defender.
Best Game
Bledsoe faced eight shots, but stopped all three that were on frame in a 2-0 home win over the Boston Breakers on June 3. It was a rainy, sloppy day and yet Bledsoe was able to keep her first ever NWSL clean sheet.
Despite not having to make many spectacular saves, and few stops overall, Bledsoe commanded her penalty area and kept the defense organized throughout the match — half the battle for a goalkeeper. She certainly made tougher saves and more stops in other games but it was the Pride’s first shutout of the season and an important bounce-back win for Bledsoe’s confidence after a blown lead at Sky Blue the week before, because it was the 25-year-old’s (now 26 as of today) first win of the year.
Final 2017 Grade
The staff at The Mane Land gave Bledsoe a very solid 7.5 composite grade for the 2017 season. In terms of saves, save percentage, and goals-against average, Bledsoe put up similar numbers to Harris this season, albeit in two fewer games. From a goalkeeping perspective, the Pride hardly missed a beat with Bledsoe between the posts instead of their captain and U.S. international. The only real knock would be the disparity in results (Harris went 6-2-5 to Bledsoe’s 5-4-2) but that’s admittedly not entirely on the keeper since the team was without Alex Morgan when Bledsoe took over and just starting to bang on all cylinders when Harris returned.
2018 Outlook
Tom Sermanni and the Pride exercised the club’s option on Bledsoe following the 2017 season, so she’s under contract for 2018. Provided nothing unforeseen happens in regard to Harris this off-season, Bledsoe will be the backup again next season. But we’ve seen over the last two years how valuable that position can be. Harris isn’t getting any younger at age 32, and as a U.S. international, she’s often called away for national team duty — which can play havoc with the league schedule at times. Now that Bledsoe is a proven commodity, Sermanni has some flexibility to rest Harris when she’s done some international traveling and the Pride have a reliable player to fill a vital role when needed.
Previous 2017 Player Season in Review Posts (Date Published)
- Dani Weatherholt (11/17).
- Nickolette Driesse (11/18).
- Ashlyn Harris (11/19).
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride at Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Pride need to do to secure a victory against Bay FC on the road?

The Orlando Pride head to California to take on Bay FC Friday night. The Pride are coming off a win, thanks to a last-second winner from Cori Dyke at home. Unfortunately, I won’t be in San Jose to lend whatever small bit of mojo I have to the outcome, so it’s going to be all on the players (as if it isn’t always that way, of course). With that being the case, what do the Pride need to do to take all three points from Bay FC at PayPal Park?
A Quicker Start
In the last match against the Houston Dash, Seb Hines rested the players returning from international duty to start the match. As such, the stout Dash defense was able to keep the Pride off the scoreboard in the first half. Even after the normal starters returned in the second half, it took until the very last kick of the match to secure the win. Let’s not repeat that this time.
Whenever a club plays in a different time zone, it can mess with the sense of normalcy you want on a match day. That is especially true when going all the way across the country. The beginning of the match will feel like the same time the match would normally be ending at Inter&Co. As such, I want to see the normal starters jump on Bay FC very early. Get the early lead — perhaps multiple goals — and see out the match with whichever players Hines may want.
Open it Up
Except for Barbra Banda’s hat trick against the Utah Royals, the Pride attack has been lacking some bite for over a month. The club has generated plenty of chances, but the finishing has been less than stellar. Orlando needs to turn the scoring faucet back on and pour on some goals.
The final bit of quality needs to be better from everyone in the attack. In the last five matches, the Pride have scored four goals on 70 shots, with 30 on target (43%). That means the Pride have scored on 6% of shots taken and only 13% of their shots on target. For a team with Marta and Banda, that isn’t good enough.
This may be my recency bias, but one area the team can change to improve its chances is to not take short corners. As I said on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast, I lost count of the missed opportunities due to short corners against the Dash. Just put the ball into the box and sometimes weird things happen. It is much more likely that the ball goes in the net than is sent on a counter by the opposition. There are chances for a handball resulting in a penalty, a foul resulting in a penalty, or an own goal being scored. Just get the ball in the darn box!
Lock It Down
I know that the Pride secured yet another clean sheet against the Dash, but it was partially down to luck. Anna Moorhouse was fortunate that the ball that went through her hands went out of bounds and that the Dash were offside when she got caught in no-woman’s land on a ball over the top. That can’t happen. The difference between a team that wins championships and one that doesn’t comes down to limiting mistakes and a bit of luck. Only one of those two can be controlled.
I want to see the lock-down defense we saw in 2024. I think Emily Sams is maintaining her level of play and Oihane has been an improvement — albeit a small one — at right back. Kylie Nadaner has struggled a bit this year after a phenomenal 2024 season. I think she can step it back up, but she needs to do so sooner rather than later. Left back has had a rotating cast, with Kerry Abello, Carson Pickett, and even Dyke seeing time at the position.
Bay FC has spread the goals out over several players, with Penelope Hocking leading the way with three. That being said, the California side has plenty of players who can score, including Zambian National Team forward Racheal Kundananji. We know all too well how dangerous Zambian strikers can be. Moorhouse and the back line must tighten things up. No mistakes on the road.
That’s what I’ll be looking for late Friday night. Where do you think the game will be won or lost? Let us know in the comments section.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride Returning to Winning Ways at Right Time
The Pride are gaining momentum as the summer break approaches.

The Orlando Pride got off to a flying start in 2025 before their first three-game winless run since the beginning of the 2023 season. However, they’ve bounced back strong in recent weeks, hitting their stride at the right time.
The Pride came into the 2025 season with huge expectations. They won the NWSL regular-season and playoff championships in 2024, making them a target for the opposition. However, they won five of their first six games this year, with the only loss being a 1-0 defeat against the Washington Spirit, who currently sit tied in second with the Pride.
Following a 3-2 comeback win over Angel City FC, the Pride went on a skid unseen in two years. It started with a 1-0 loss away to the Portland Thorns and a draw against the North Carolina Courage, before they returned home and lost 1-0 to the Kansas City Current — the team’s first loss at Inter&Co Stadium since Aug. 25, 2023.
The skid ended on May 23 with a historic performance by Barbra Banda. The striker netted three goals in the first 38 minutes against the Utah Royals for the first hat trick in team history. More importantly, she lifted her team to a 3-1 win away from home.
The first half Saturday against the Houston Dash looked like it might be a disappointing night. At halftime, possession was even and the Pride had a slim 6-4 shot advantage. After putting 11 of their 13 shots on target in Utah, they only put one on frame in the first half against a team near the bottom of the NWSL standings.
Fortunately, it looked like a different team in the second half. They dominated possession and put constant pressure on the Dash defense, reuslting in Cori Dyke scoring the game-winning goal with the final kick of the ball.
The wins are coming at a great time for the Pride as an extended summer break approaches. Following the team’s June 20 game in Louisville, they won’t play again until Aug. 3. The last thing the players on the team want is to spend more than a month thinking about their current struggles before taking the field again.
“We talked about going into the Utah game, our form wasn’t great, so we knew how important that Utah game was leading into the international break,” Pride center back Kylie Nadaner said following the team’s win over Houston. “And now these three games leading into an even longer break for the Euros. So, we want to get that momentum back and just keep growing and learning each game.”
The team knew this season was going to be much more challenging. Heading into the 2024 campaign, the Pride had only made the playoffs once in eight years. They only missed out on goal difference in 2023 and were heading in the right direction.
Despite the improvements, nobody expected them to go 23 games unbeaten, winning both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. This year, they have a target on their backs, something Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made sure his team knows.
“We’ve said it at the start of the year, we’ve got a target on our backs. You know, teams can come to Inter&Co Stadium and maybe be content with a 0-0. That’s where we’re at,” Hines said after Saturday night’s win. “Teams may have a completely different game plan against us in those two recent other games. So, we know that that’s the challenge.”
The win over Houston, combined with San Diego Wave FC’s 2-1 loss to Seattle Reign FC, saw the Pride jump the California-based team into second place. Even though Washington matched the Pride’s point total with its win Sunday, the Pride have a better goal differential.
The Pride now go on a difficult two-game road trip, where they’ll face two teams hovering around the last playoff spot. It starts with a cross-country trip to San Jose, CA, where they’ll face Bay FC, currently in the last playoff position.
Then, they’ll head to Kentucky for the final game before the extended break, facing a Racing Louisville team that sits in sixth. Both opponents will be desperate to get points and stay in the top eight.
The game in Louisville will be the 13th of the year, marking the halfway point of the season. Sitting in second, even if it’s still five points behind Kansas City, will be a positive spot heading into the break. More importantly, the team will have momentum when the league restarts in August.
“Momumtum is massive,” Hines said. “I think we showed that last year.”
The Pride entered that Utah game knowing they had to start winning again to get themselves back into an advantageous position. They’re now halfway to ending the first half of the season on a four-game winning streak, precisely what they needed. Wins in the next two would put them in a great spot entering the final 13 games of the 2025 campaign.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 1-0 as Cori Dyke’s Goal at the Death Lifts Pride
Cori Dyke’s last-second goal lifts the Pride to a much-needed home victory.

Cori Dyke scored on nearly the last kick of the game to lift the Pride (7-3-1, 22 points) to their second-straight win, as Orlando defeated the Houston Dash (3-6-2, 11 points) 1-0 tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. It was Dyke’s first professional goal and it was a difference maker in front of an announced crowd of 9,766.
Coming out of the international break, the Pride made three changes to the team that beat the Utah Royals 3-1 on May 23. Oihane, Ally Lemos, and Julie Doyle entered the lineup in place of Dyke, Angelina, and Barbra Banda.
“We made a lot of changes going into this game and I stick by it,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about the lineup. “You know, you have to take into consideration the amount of travel that some of our players have done, the competitiveness of international football as well. And it’s not ideal, but this is why we have a great squad. And so, players come in and they play a role in what you’re trying to achieve.”
Additionally, Hines made a late change, replacing Morgan Gautrat with Summer Yates. The time of the change meant the Pride used their first substitution before kickoff.
“Listen, we make a decision to select a starting lineup. We leave it until as long as possible. Morgan was just feeling a little bit underwhelmed going into the game and we just have to make a decision,” Hines said about the last-minute change. “And Summer was ready. She was brilliant, Summer, with a quick turnaround for herself. And, yeah, like I said, you just have to be adaptable in those moments.”
The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was made up of Kerry Abello, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Oihane. Yates, Lemos, Haley McCutcheon, and Carson Pickett were in the midfield, with Doyle and Ally Watt up top.
The first half was evenly played with both teams struggling to create good chances. But the Pride took off in the second half, completely controlling the final 45 minutes. The substitutions of Banda, Marta, and Prisca Chilufya sparked the Pride, who pushed hard for a winner until the dying moments. They found the goal in their final attack, claiming a big three points.
Neither team created a shot until the 17th minute, when Delanie Sheehan found Yazmeen Ryan approaching the box. However, the veteran attacker’s shot from distance was blocked by Sams.
Two minutes later, Moorhouse misplayed a long shot by Barbara Olivieri out for a corner kick. The set piece by Olivieri was long to Evelina Duljan, who sent the ball back into the six-yard box. Katie Lind tried to redirect it on goal but was unable to get over the ball, allowing Moorhouse to make the jumping catch.
The Pride’s first chance of the game came in the 20th minute, when Pickett played the ball back for Lemos. The second-year midfielder fired from distance, sending her shot over the target.
Pickett attempted an ambitious shot in the 32nd minute, trying to chip Abby Smith from the top left corner of the box. The shot appeared to be going wide, but it was close enough for Smith to tip it out of play.
Olivieri tripped Yates just outside the Houston box in the 33rd minute, giving the Pride a free kick in a dangerous position. It was cleared, but only to the top of the box, where Lemos collected it. The midfielder played the ball to Nadaner, whose first touch was heavy, but she was able to turn and shoot. However, Maggie Graham got in front to block the attempt.
The Pride were unable to do anything with the ensuing set piece and the visitors were able to clear the danger.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Duljan blocked a pass by Abello out for a corner kick. Lemos’ ensuing set piece was short to Doyle, whose cross was punched out by Smith. However, it went to McCutcheon at the top of the box. Unfortunately, the midfielder’s shot was over the target.
Quick passing in the fourth minute of stoppage time saw Olivieri send Ryan behind the Pride back line. The attacker cut back to lose Sams, forcing Moorhouse into a good save. However, the flag went up for offside.
That was the last chance for either team as the game went into halftime scoreless. After 45 minutes, possession was even. The Pride had more shots (6-4), but Houston put more on target (2-1). Meanwhile, the Pride had more corner kicks (5-1) and the Dash had more crosses (6-5) and better passing accuracy (88%-85%).
The Dash created the first second-half chance in the 47th minute when Sheehan lifted the ball to the back post. Kiki van Zanten got her head to it but sent her attempt wide.
A minute later, a give-and-go between Oihane and McCutcheon saw the former send Watt towards the endline. The speedster’s first touch was a low cross for Banda. However, the striker sent her shot wide of the target.
Ryan and van Zanten combined in the 57th minute to get Ryan behind Nadaner. However, the pass forced her to shoot from a tight angle, creating an easy save for Moorhouse.
Banda intercepted a pass from Olivieri to Lind in the 58th minute and darted towards goal. Lind tried to pull her back, but Banda kept going. The striker was aiming for the near post, but Smith did well to get down for the stop.
Seconds later, another poor pass in the back by the Dash allowed Yates to intercept and get in on goal. This time, Smith could only block the attempt over the crossbar for a Pride corner kick.
Banda redirected a hard pass by Lemos forward for Sams in the 61st minute, allowing the center back to get into the box. She passed the ball thorugh the box for Pickett on the far side, but her shot was right at Smith.
Hines made another substitution in the 62nd minute, replacing Watt with Marta.
Banda was sent into the box in the 64th minute, twisting and turning Natalie Jacobs to get a shot off. The striker opened up to put it around Smith, but hit it directly at her.
Ryan Gareis sent Ryan behind the back line in the 65th minute. Moorhouse was indecisive, standing in place until the ball bounced. She then rushed out, but Ryan got there first, tapping it past the goalkeeper and in. However, the flag went up for offside. There was a pause for a review, but the attacker was clearly a step offside.
The Pride’s final change came in the 72nd minute, when Chilufya came on for Oihane in an attacking move.
Chilufya tried to make an immediate impact in the 73rd minute, dribbling to the end line and finding Banda in the box. The Zambian tried to turn a shot on goal, but sent the attempt wide of the near post.
Marta sent a cross into the box in the 82nd minute that found the head of Banda. The striker turned the attempt on goal, but it went off Lind’s arm and out of play. The referee waited as the video assistant referee checked for a possible hand ball in the box, deciding the arm was in a natural position.
Marta sent another cross into the box in the 85th minute. McCutcheon was waiting for the ball, but Nadaner attacked it first, sending her header off the hands of Smith. McCutcheon went after the free ball, sending it wide.
In the 88th minute, Yates fouled van Zanten from behind near the top of the Pride box, earning a yellow card. Ryan’s short free kick to van Zanten resulted in the Jamaican’s shot going off Chilufya.
The Dash kept possession, sending it wide for Graham. The Dash’s leading goal scorer sent a cross into the box that went off the shin of Paige Nielsen and right to Moorhouse.
Dyke sent Chilufya down the right in the second minute of stoppage time and the attacker played a hard cross across the box. However, Smith got a piece of it before it reached Yates charging in at the back post.
Chilufya’s cross in the seventh minute of stoppage time found the head of Yates making a back-post run. But it was a little behind her and the midfielder couldn’t turn it on goal.
A minute later, Lemos’ cross into the box fell for McCutcheon. The defensive midfielder’s shot was blocked by the arm of Lind. The Pride players appealed for a penalty, but the referee determined Lind’s arm was in a natural position.
The Pride had one more attack as the game neared the ninth minute of stoppage time. Yates made a run into the box and sent a cross that went through Smith. It bounced out to Dyke just beyond the top corner of the six-yard box. The defender fired the ball off Sophie Schmidt and past Smith to give the Pride the late lead.
“Shout out Summy for, you know, she’s so good at that, getting to the end line, beating her players, putting a great ball in,” Dyke said. “And I think I just saw that space in the back side and wanted to get in there. I knew it was the last play, so I was like, let’s take a chance on it. And then when it fell to me, I just was, all that was going through my head was just stay composed and get it on frame.”
“Great finish as well from a defender,” Hines added. “I don’t think defenders get enough credit for their finishing ability. So, yeah, she took her goal really well.”
As soon as Houston restarted play, the final whistle blew, making Dyke’s goal nearly the last kick of the game.
At full time, the Pride had the advantage in possession (56.2%-43.8%), shots (21-8), shots on target (8-4), crosses (30-10), corner kicks (11-1), and passing accuracy (87.1%-83.9%).
“A roller coaster of emotions, but managed to get the job done tonight,” Hines said. “You know, one thing I’ll give credit to this team — we’ll go until the final whistle. And we’re so pleased that we managed to get that goal towards the end and come away with three points.”
“That was crazy,” Nadaner added. “You know, we were pretty much in control of the game. We had a feeling we were going to score, like it was coming. We were putting it on them. They were playing great defensively. Their back line, their keeper made some unbelievable saves. So, they were a tough opponent, for sure. And had to have Cori come in and have the game winner. I’m so pumped for her. That was so big time.”
The Pride went on a three-game skid with two losses and draw leading into their May 23 win in Utah. They’ve now won two straight with two games remianing until the summer break that lasts until Aug. 3.
“Momentum is massive. I think we showed that last year, but I think it’s a different type of challenge this year,” Hines said. “Obviously, we’ve said it at the start of year, we’ve got a target on our backs. You know, teams can come to Inter&Co Stadium and maybe be content with the 0-0. That’s where we’re at. Teams may have a completely different game plan against us in those two recent other games. So, we know that that’s the challenge. We know that winning in this league is incredibly difficult, no more so than having a team come here and sit everyone back and be content with 0-0. So, like I said, early on in this the players are giving absolutely everything. They’re not leaving a drip of sweat off the field, and so they are putting absolutely everything into it. And you can see, when you do that, you can get the rewards that you aspire to do at the start the game.”
“We talked about going into the Utah game,” Nadaner added. “Our form wasn’t great, so we knew how important that Utah game was leading into the international break. And now these three games leading into the even longer break for the Euros. So yeah, we want to get that momentum back and yeah, just keep growing and learning each game.”
The game marked Nadaner’s 100th appearance with the club. The center back became the second Pride player to reach 100 appearances, following team captain Marta. With Marta on the bench, Nadaner — the club’s vice captain — wore the armband to start the game.
“It’s a surreal moment for sure,” Nadaner said about her 100th appearance for the club. “To be honest, it’s something I never thought I would achieve. My journey has been kind of crazy, even before here. Even since I got here. So, to achieve that and to have my family and my husband and all my teammates here, it was a really special moment to celebrate with the fans and everybody. It’s up there in my career for sure. And I have to thank Cori Dyke for putting the cherry on top, because it wouldn’t have been as sweet without the win. Without the win, I don’t enjoy that half as much as I did. So thank you Cori.”
“She epitomizes this club. She epitomizes what this team’s about,” Hines added about his vice captain. “It’s been an amazing experience to be part of Kylie’s growth, to see her when she first came in to where she’s at now. And she probably won’t mind me saying this, it’s been night and day. She really took a leadership role when I took over. She stays true to our values, our core values. She’s had buy-in from it. We’ve put faith in her, and she’s rewarded us with the performance she’s put in. And she’s such a great role model to any player that comes into our environment. I just can’t believe that it’s been 100 games. It’s just flown by. My credit to her, because she has put her head down, she’s got on with it, she’s made herself available, and hopefully she can get a lot more games moving forward. But there’s not enough words to describe how great she has been for myself and for this club.”
The Pride will look to carry this momentum into a two-game road trip before the looming summer break that will last more than a month. It starts with a long trip to San Jose, CA, where the Pride will face Bay FC on Friday night.
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