Orlando Pride at Seattle Reign: Five Takeaways

The Orlando Pride traveled across the country to take on the Seattle Reign on Sunday night. It was the fifth away match in six for the Pride. Despite having such a difficult stretch of games, the Pride were able to get a result. What did we learn from the match?

Draw, Draw Again

This is the fourth consecutive draw between these two teams. Neither can seem to break out against the other. During the first half of the match, Seattle was clearly the better team, and had more chances to score. The script was flipped in the second half, as Orlando did a much better job of building out of the back and creating opportunities. Regardless, the match ended without a goal, and the two teams held steady in the standings.

Kopmeyer’s Clean Sheet

The Orlando Pride are incredibly lucky to have Haley Kopmeyer. She could likely start for several teams in the league. With Ashlyn Harris being called up to the USWNT, Kopmeyer got her chance to start against her former team, and she didn’t disappoint. She kept a clean sheet for the Pride, with several key saves.

Depleted Not Defeated

The Pride were without Marta, Alex Morgan, Rachel Hill, Ali Krieger, and Ashlyn Harris. Despite not having some of the bigger stars for the match in Seattle, the Pride were able to secure a draw. To be fair, Seattle was missing some players as well, but it’s always harder to get a result on the road

Pickett’s Spectacular Service

Carson Pickett was Tom Sermanni’s go-to choice for set pieces. Her delivery was consistently excellent all game, whether during the run of play or from a free kick. Some of Orlando’s best chances came from Pickett’s service. As usual, she played a part in the attack, roaming up the entirety of the pitch. Generally, her defense was good on the night, making some key plays, though she did get beat on one of Seattle’s earlier chances. It’s only a shame Orlando couldn’t capitalize on her contributions — including a free kick that Kennedy headed off the woodwork before Leroux missed wide from just a few feet away.

Points on the Road

The Pride are unbeaten in their last five away matches and have secured 11 points on the road. It’s the type of run that can make the difference between making the playoffs or not. The schedule becomes more favorable for the Pride in the second half of the season, and if they can keep this streak going, it will just be which place in the playoffs they secure.

There you have it. Did I miss an important point, do you agree or disagree with one or all? Let us know in the comments below. Go Pride!