Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 2-1 as Pride Concede Two Late Goals

Published

8 years ago

June 27, 2018

After going up early, the Orlando Pride allowed two goals in four minutes as they fell to the Houston Dash (4-5-5, 17 points), 2-1 in front of a mere 3,215 fans in Orlando City Stadium. The Pride (6-4-4, 22 points) remain in second place for now, pending the outcomes of tonight’s late games.

Alex Morgan put the Pride ahead with her third goal of the season but Orlando wasted several good scoring opportunities in the opening half hour and ultimately conceded a late fluke goal on a Kealia Ohai cross and a penalty to Sofia Huerta just four minutes later.

“I thought the first 30 minutes was the best we’ve played here all season,” Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “Best we’ve played for a long time. We were incredibly dominant in the game and probably should have come in at halftime with a significant lead and finished the game. The lesson tonight that you learn in soccer sometimes is that one-nil is never safe. And we didn’t get that second goal to kinda finish them off.”

Sermanni made three changes to the lineup that beat Washington over the weekend. Emily van Egmond made way for Dani Weatherholt, Marta was brought back into the starting XI and, Kristen Edmonds got a surprise start up top as Sermanni looked forward to Saturday’s clash against North Carolina.

The squad for tonight’s match at home! #ORLvHOU | #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/ca5C4dzBai

— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) June 27, 2018

The Pride controlled the first 30 minutes of the half and held 75% possession for the first half hour. Houston sat back and defended and sent many balls forward that were easily intercepted by Orlando.

Just 40 seconds into the game and Carson Pickett nearly put the Pride up but her shot went over the bar. A few minutes later, Houston had a rare chance as Shelina Zadorsky had a poor turnover but luckily Monica was there to stop the attack.

In the 12th minute, Morgan could not have asked for a better opportunity. She used some nifty footwork to get into the box and was taken down by Clare Polkinghorne. Morgan took the penalty kick and had Jane Campbell diving the wrong way but her shot hit the post and the game remained scoreless.

Alex Morgan earns the penalty, but her attempt hits the post. Still scoreless in Orlando.#ORLvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/mouqWPoa2k

— NWSL (@NWSL) June 27, 2018

Morgan would get redemption though on a bizarre play that put Orlando up 1-0. After winning a corner, Marta put a good ball in that was bouncing around in the box. Houston was able to clear it but Christine Nairn won the ball back and sent it right back into the area. Zadorsky was standing in an offside position, but Polkinghorne headed it backwards negating the offside. At this point the entire Houston team stopped playing and stuck their arms in the air so Morgan had a simple finish standing alone on the back post on Zadorsky’s cross.

The response by the officials after the game of why Zadorsky was not called offside was because “Zadorsky received the ball by deliberate play from a defending Houston player.” The assistant referee did raise the flag but the referee never blew the whistle so play continued.

“You’re told when you are five years old to finish the play,” Morgan said. “So it doesn’t matter if [Zadorsky was offside] or not, I put the ball away. I saw the ref’s flag up then he put it down. You finish a play. It doesn’t matter if that’s on the attacking side or defensive side. I’m really happy that I got a home goal.”

The Pride continued to dominate the match but then after the half hour mark the Dash started to take control of the game. Houston now maintained the possession and looked much more organized defensively. This led to the first shot on goal in the 38th minute for the Dash, as Huerta’s shot went right into the chest of Ashlyn Harris.

The first half ended with the Pride up 1-0 but they could have scored two or three more goals. Their 15 shots in the first half is a team recorded and they held 65% possession. The start of the second half saw the Pride regain control of the match but this only lasted about five minutes as Huerta nearly tied the game in the 49th.

Edmonds had a few opportunities to start the half. She first tried to get on the end of a cross but did not make good contact. Then in the 52nd minute she saw Marta running down the right hand side and but her ball was just a bit too far for the Brazilian.

“I thought Kristen Edmonds had a terrific game,” said Sermanni. “She put in an inordinate amount of work, she was good on the ball, she kept possession for us well most of the time, and she did what Kristen Edmonds does really well. And that is the value of having someone like her in the squad.”

In the 58th minute, the Pride won a corner and Marta put a cross in that bounced around. It ended up getting behind Campbell but Lina Motlhalo was standing on the goal line and cleared it away from danger.

The teams continued to battle in the second half but neither could get many good chances. Weatherholt tried a back heel flick in the 63rd minute that almost found its way in. Ten minutes later, Alanna Kennedy’s got on the end of a free kick but her header hit the post.

“I really wanted [the back heel] to go in but unfortunately did not get enough power on it,” said Weatherholt. “My body position was facing the other way and so I thought the only chance was to flick it on.”

Then, in the 79th minute, Houston took advantage of its chances. First, Ohai looked to cross the ball but mishit it and the ball ended up in the upper 90 of Harris’ goal as Houston leveled the game at one.

This is one way to find an equalizer. @KealiaOhai strikes from distance! @HoustonDash ties it up at 1–1.#ORLvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/rHFUYa0CSQ

— NWSL (@NWSL) June 28, 2018

Then, in the 82nd minute, Ohai again tried to send a ball across — this time from inside the box. The ball hit Monica’s outstretched arm and the referee immediately pointed to the spot and Huerta buried the penalty.

The late comeback for the @HoustonDash is officially underway. Hand ball in the box, and @schuerta converts the PK to give the Dash a 2–1 lead!#ORLvHOU | #NWSL pic.twitter.com/K399OIauNT

— NWSL (@NWSL) June 28, 2018

“I wouldn’t consider the first goal a scoring chance. The first goal was a mishit cross,” said Sermanni. “[Ohai] is always a dangerous player and dangerous players, at some stage in the game, are going to create something. But I don’t sit here and say she produced two bits of magic to win the game because she didn’t. If she did I would say so but it was simply a mishit cross and an unfortunate penalty.”

The Pride tried throwing players forward at the end but could not find another goal. Orlando outshot (21-10), out possessed (60%), and out passed (493-327) the visitors but the Dash came away with the three points. There were also a large amount of fouls called at the end of the match and referee Kevin Broadley handed out four yellows after the 89th minute, all to Pride players.

“I thought it was a solid performance,” Weatherholt said. “We really competed against them and unfortunately gave up a goal late in the game and ultimately a penalty. Unhappy with the result but I thought we played consistent throughout the game.”

The Pride return to action again on Saturday as they take on NWSL leaders North Carolina in Orlando City Stadium at 3:30 p.m.

Related Topics:Orlando Pride recaps SBN_migrated

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Orlando Pride

Reading (Into) the Minutes: How The Pride Might Allocate Playing Time This Season

Here’s how the Pride might replace the minutes played by those players who departed the club during the off-season.

Published

9 hours ago

January 24, 2026

S. Andrew DeSalvo

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

On Tuesday, the Pride held their first practice of the preseason, and even though it is not November, I am giving thanks that they are finally back on the field. There are only so many stories out there during the off-season, when news comes in drips and drabs. It was great to see players back in their Pride practice uniforms and smiling together on the field, and with every passing day, the Pride’s roster will get closer and closer to being set for the 2026 season, and we will know which players will compete to replace the minutes of those who departed the club during the off-season.

At almost this exact time last year I wrote an article about how the 2025 Pride were bringing back nearly every player from their 2024 team, and while just two weeks later the Pride said “oh really, Andrew?” and transferred Adriana to Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, a robust 87% of the minutes played by Pride players during the 2025 NWSL regular season were played by players from that 2024 team. That percentage would likely have been even higher if not for the injury to Barbra Banda, but 87% is still the second-highest percentage of minutes played in the subsequent season by returning players from the league champion in NWSL history, as you can see from the table below:

Year	Playoff Champ	Mins. Played the Next Season	Regular Season Finish the Next Season	Playoff Finish the Next Season
2013	Thorns	54%	3rd	3rd
2014	FC KC	66%	3rd	1st
2015	FC KC	53%	6th	Did Not Qualify
2016	Flash	80%	1st	2nd
2017	Thorns	73%	2nd	2nd
2018	Courage	96%	1st	1st
2019	Courage	61%	6th	5th
2020	No Season
2021	Spirit	81%	11th	Did Not Qualify
2022	Thorns	86%	2nd	3rd
2023	Gotham	60%	3rd	3rd
2024	Pride	87%	4th	3rd
2025	Gotham	TBD	Hopefully last place	TBD

The 2025 Pride had a lot of continuity from that 2024 team, and while we will never know what would have happened if Banda had stayed healthy (my completely unbiased prediction: back-to-back champs, wins in every playoff game by at least 10 goals), we know that when she played, the team had a +10 goal differential in 16 (but really 15) games, and the team was +1.04 goals per 90 minutes better with her on the field than off the field. That stat is courtesy of fbref.com, a phrase I sadly may not be able to say again this season, as fbref’s data provider cut off its data access this week, and sadly one of the world’s best free databases for men’s and women’s soccer statistics is now gone. I am feeling more verklempt than Mike Myers in an SNL sketch. Let’s move on.

There is only a weak negative correlation between the percentage of minutes played by returning players in the subsequent season and a champion’s finish in the subsequent regular season. So, while a negative correlation means as the percentage of minutes played by returning players increases, a team’s regular-season finish decreases (decreasing being good, because the number is getting closer to one, which is first place), the correlation is weak. In plain language, that means just because a lot of players return, it does not imply the team will challenge for the regular-season title.

The correlation is also weak and negative for the relationship between returning player minutes and a team’s finish in the subsequent playoffs, and the numbers back up what most of us inherently think anyway, which is that while it is good to have continuity and bring back championship-winning players, it does not guarantee anything.

This leads me to the roster, as we know it, for the Pride. I wrote a piece in our most recent newsletter, which you can subscribe to by clicking here, about the positional breakdown of the players currently on the Pride’s roster. But if we step back and look at the macro view for the Pride, the following players, who played at least one minute during NWSL play in 2025, are no longer with the club: Emily Sams, Ally Watt, Carson Pickett, Morgan Gautrat, Prisca Chilufya, Simone Charley, Grace Chanda, and Bri Martinez. Those players combined to play almost exactly 25% of the NWSL regular-season minutes last season, and some quick math tells us that means the Pride currently have 75% of their minutes played in 2025 returning for 2026, as it stands today.

Kylie Nadaner’s return date is still to be determined, so that is another 6% currently unavailable (dropping the total down to 69% returning) but will probably be back during the season. The upshot of all this is the team returns approximately two-thirds of its minutes from last year from a team that, when healthy, was among the best in the league.

It is not ideal that the minutes that have to be replaced include one of the league’s best center backs in Sams, who played the full 90 minutes in every game except one, but at the same time, it is ideal that Banda is likely to play 500+ more minutes and Jacquie Ovalle will probably play 1,000+ more minutes than they did in 2025. If those two hit those benchmarks they will replace all or nearly all of the minutes played by the now-departed Watt and Charley, and while they were solid contributors, minutes played by Banda and Ovalle will be considered an upgrade.

Pickett’s departure will likely be covered by a combination of the new defenders who have signed with the Pride in recent weeks, some Kerry Abello minutes in the midfield instead of at left back, and increases in minutes for Julie Doyle, Simone Jackson, or Summer Yates, who hopefully will be fully healthy this year and return to her 2024 form. Thus far, the Pride have signed two attacking players — rookies Solai Washington and let’s-hope-she-doesn’t-wear-number-six Seven Castain — but both players primarily played forward in college, so we do not yet know if they have the ability to play out on the wing.

If they do, those two could also be in the mix to replace Pickett’s midfield minutes as well as the minutes played by Chanda, Chilufya, and some minutes at their natural position of forward. That leaves the one minute played by Martinez, which will be absorbed by the Pride’s deep list of right backs (Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace, Oihane, Nicole Payne). The midfield minutes played by Gautrat can be filled by Ally Lemos, Luana, and Viviana Villacorta, though most likely by the first two.

You surely noticed that I skipped over replacing the minutes from Sams and Nadaner (while she is out). While there are players on the roster who can do that, there is also the ever-present risk of a Rafaelle injury, as she has not been the most durable player while in Orlando. Zara Chavoshi and the recently acquired Hannah Anderson are both center backs, though last season Anderson was the third center back for a bottom-of-the-standings Chicago team and Chavoshi was the fourth center back in Orlando. Both players are young and have the potential to improve, and in Chavoshi’s case she was behind three really good center backs last season, so being fourth on the depth chart is not an indication of her talent.

Some of the Pride’s other outside back players like Abello, Dyke, Mace and potentially others could also play some center back, but it still feels like that position is unsettled at the moment and there is not enough depth, especially with Rafaelle’s injury history and an even longer schedule this year due to the two new expansion teams joining the league.

Speculation season will come to an end soon, but new Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci still has weeks left to make additional signings or trades and firm up the roster (hopefully she ensures Own Goal stays for another year). As the preseason opens, it seems like the Pride have backfill options already on the roster to adequately cover every departed player except for Sams, but that $650,000 they received for her is some dry powder that Carducci surely will make use of at some point to acquire additional new talent. Perhaps Anderson, Chavoshi, or another defender will show so much in preseason that those funds can be deployed elsewhere, or maybe Carducci will go center back shopping, but either way, there will be a new center back pairing when the season opens.

The countdown is on until the season opener on March 15 at home against Seattle, and while right now most fans are focused on how many days are left until that game, you can be assured that in the front office and among the coaching staff they are having just as many conversations about how to allocate the game minutes as they are how to allocate those practice days.

Both conversations matter, but none more than how game minutes will be allocated. Pride leadership will make minute examinations of minute details, parsing minute distinctions to determine who ultimately earns major minutes.

Vamos Pride!

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Sign Jamaican International Forward Solai Washington

The Pride add attacking depth by signing former Florida State forward Solai Washington.

Published

5 days ago

January 19, 2026

Michael Citro

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has signed Jamaican international forward Solai Washington. The former Florida State Seminole through the 2027 season with a mutual option for the 2028 season.

“Solai is a player we’ve had an eye on for a while during her two years in college,” Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines said in a club press release. “Her composure on the ball, her ability to break lines, and the maturity she showed at Florida State make her a fantastic fit for what we’re building here. She brings energy, versatility, and a real competitive edge, which is what we look for in players. We’re excited to have her here in Orlando and to see the impact she can make in our environment both on and off the field.”

The 20-year-old attacker from Atlanta made 35 appearances in her two years in Tallahassee, scoring eight goals and adding four assists while helping the Seminoles win the 2025 NCAA national championship and the 2024 ACC tournament. Washington was a member of the 2024 ACC All-Freshmen Team, the 2024 All-ACC Academic Team, and was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s postseason Top 100 Freshman list (at No. 42).

On the international stage, Washington has already represented Jamaica at the senior level on the biggest stage, making three appearances with the Reggae Girlz at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, debuting in a scoreless draw with France.

What It Means for Orlando

The Pride’s need for depth in the attacking positions is well documented, and Washington is a young player with a ton of upside in an area of need. From that perspective alone, this is a signing that makes sense. While it would be nice for the club to sign some proven NWSL-level scorers to provide depth for Barbra Banda, Marta, and Jacquie Ovalle, it’s always good to develop young talent. Since the abolition of the NWSL Draft, teams must work harder to secure the services of players like Washington.

It will require some time to know whether Orlando’s faith in Washington will be rewarded, and she wasn’t the most prolific scorer at FSU, but it says something about a player that they can get minutes at age 17 in a World Cup. It will be up to Hines and his staff to develop Washington, who will have no shortage of great mentors as teammates.

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Announce 2026 NWSL Schedule

We now know who, when, and where the Pride will play during the 2026 NWSL regular season.

Published

1 week ago

January 15, 2026

Sean Rollins

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

The National Women’s Soccer League schedule was announced this morning, telling us who, where, and when the Orlando Pride will play this year. The 2026 season will once again feature a balanced schedule with all teams playing the other 15 teams once at home and once on the road. The addition of Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC will see each team play 30 games, making it the longest regular season in league history.

The Pride will begin the season at home, facing the Seattle Reign on March 15. This season begins with a two-game homestand, ending with the club’s first-ever match against the Summit and the return of Ally Watt. The first road game will occur on March 25 when the Pride face Chicago Stars FC in Evanston, IL.

The Pride’s home schedule will end on Oct. 25 when they face NJ/NY Gotham FC. They’ll then travel west to face Seattle on Decision Day in the return game on Nov. 1, concluding the team’s 11th season in existence.

Orlando’s games this year are well distributed among the league’s various broadcast partners. The Pride will play nine times on Victory+ — the league’s new free streaming partner. Additionally, they’ll play six times on Prime Video, five times on Ion, twice on CBS Sports Network, once on ESPN, and once on ESPN2. The remaining games will be available on NWSL+.

Should the Pride qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year, the quarterfinals will take play Nov. 6-8, followed by the semifinals on Nov. 14-15. The championship game will take place on Nov. 21 at a location yet to be determined.

The longest homestand this year is two games and will occur three times. As previously mentioned, the Pride begin with a pair of home games against Seattle and Denver on March 15 and March 20, respectively. They’ll host the Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage on May 2 and May 8, respectively; the Kansas City Current and Boston on July 10 and July 15, respectively; and Utah Royals FC and the Houston Dash on Aug. 29 and Sept. 6, respectively.

The longest road trip this year is a three-game swing in May. Orlando will face Boston at Gillette Stadium on May 12, Denver on May 16, and San Diego Wave FC on May 24.

The league will take a month-long break during June as the country hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Pride’s final game before the break is on May 29 at home against Bay FC and they will return to action on July 3 against Angel City FC in Los Angeles.

The busiest months of the season will be May and July, when the Pride will play six times in each month. They’ll play four times in March, August, and September, three times in October, twice in April, and once in November.

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of the regular season:

March — 4
April — 2
May — 6
June — 0
July — 6
August — 4
September — 4
October — 3
November — 1

The most common day the Pride will play this year will be Friday (11 times), the same as last year. They’ll play nine games on Sunday, seven on Saturday, two on Wednesday, and one rare Tuesday match.

Here’s the Pride’s breakdown by day for the regular season:

Monday — 0
Tuesday — 1
Wednesday — 2
Thursday — 0
Friday — 11
Saturday — 7
Sunday — 9

For fans that follow Orlando City and the Pride, the teams will play on the same day five times. However, two of the days won’t see the games overlap. On May 2, the Pride hosts the Spirit at 4 p.m. and the Lions face Inter Miami away at 7 p.m. On Sept. 19, the Pride host the Portland Thorns at 4 p.m while City plays at the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m.

The teams’ games will overlap on three occasions, but they never start at the same time. On May 16, Orlando City hosts Atlanta United at 7:30 p.m. before the Pride play in Denver at 8:45 p.m. On Aug. 15, Orlando City hosts FC Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. and the Pride play in Portland at 8:45 p.m. On Aug. 29, the Pride host the Royals at 7 p.m. and Orlando City faces Minnesota United FC away at 8:30 p.m.