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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Final Score 3-0 as Pride’s Goal Drought Continues

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7 years ago

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It was more of the same story for the Orlando Pride (0-7-1, 1 point). Orlando struggled in the final third and had difficulty getting off shots. The North Carolina Courage (3-2-3, 12 points) capitalized on Orlando’s errors, and Kristen Hamilton netted a hat trick, as the Courage won 3-0 in front of 4,427 fans in Orlando City Stadium. Orlando’s goal drought has now reached 260 minutes after this match. 

“If you watch the match, you’ll see what the truth is in the matter,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner said. “We competed with the champions for 60 minutes and then a mistake. They have to attack from deep because they can counter attack us because we have to go and get a goal. And if you open up the game, [North Carolina] has the players that can hurt you on the counter attack. I think up until that point I was really proud of the girls and the effort they put in. It’s just always going to be a matter of quality. And that’s the thing that has to improve. I’m pleased with them and what they’ve given to the shirt but now it’s a quality issue.” 

Skinner sent out the exact same starting XI as a week ago. Bridget Callahan stayed in the midfield, even after a poor outing against Utah. The lone surprise was that Kristen Edmonds was not in the 18 at all, missing the game because of a coach’s decision. Edmonds had a knee injury but was back with the team last week. For the Courage, expected starting goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland was benched, and National Team Replacement Player Sam Leshnak started in net for the visitors. 

The game started out with both teams playing directly. The Pride won a corner in the second minute, and Hamilton sent a shot over the crossbar a few minutes later for the Courage. After about 10 minutes the game settled down and both teams had longer spells of possession. 

Both teams held possession well in their own half but struggled in the final third. Orlando tried to play down the right side of the field in the first half, and this led to Erin Greening having the most touches for Orlando in the first 45 minutes. 

It looked like the visitors would go ahead in the 33rd minute. McCall Zerboni got behind the Pride defense and fired a shot inside the 18. Haley Kopmeyer came up with the huge kick save to deny Zerboni and keep the game goalless. 

At the end of the half, Kopmeyer again came up huge. Jaelene Hinkle sent in a cross after a short corner. The ball was bouncing around, and it fell to Carson Pickett’s feet. Leah Pruitt somehow kicked it between Pickett’s legs and Kopmeyer made the quick reaction save. Abby Elinsky cleared the ball for Orlando, but the Courage kept possession. Moments later, Hinkle took a shot from distance that banged off the crossbar. 

The story at halftime was the poor passing accuracy from the Pride. Six players had a passing accuracy at 50% or below. Rookie midfielder Marisa Viggiano had the highest rating, with 80%. Orlando also held just 36% possession. The Pride took two shots, both from Rachel Hill, but neither were on target. Still, it was the first time all season that Orlando did not concede a goal in the first half. 

Orlando came out strong in the second half. In the opening minutes, Hill should have put the Pride up 1-0. Chioma Ubogagu sent in a perfect ball. It took a few bounces before reaching Hill, who beat Leshnak to the ball. That left an open net, but the forward sent the ball wide and high. Hill should have hit the frame in what would have been a turning point in the match. 

“I think on the ball we need to stay more composed, be comfortable with the ball at our feet, and when we’re hitting those crosses we need to be hitting the right spaces,” said Hill. “When the balls are in the right spaces, our willingness to get on the end of the ball and the hunger to be there in the box and put it away needs to be better.”

Ubogagu had the ball down the left side in the 52nd minute. After a good move, she fell to the ground and looked to have been fouled, but there was no call on the play. 

The breakthrough came in the 60th minute. Kopmeyer could not hold what should have been a routine cross. She fumbled the ball, and Hamilton was first to jump on the rebound and put the Courage up 1-0. 

“I think that this team is establishing a culture where we have the mindset of never giving up,” Callahan said. “That was the moral [after the first goal] amongst every single player. At times I feel like we would let up and put our heads down, but I felt like we would just try to go, go, go.” 

The Courage struck again six minutes later. Pruitt fed a ball to Hamilton. The midfielder easily got past two Pride defenders, and shot from inside the box. The ball went into the top corner and North Carolina went up 2-0. 

Skinner made his first two changes at the same time after going down 2-0. Danica Evans and Joanna Boyles came on for Viggiano and Ubogagu. Neither player made a significant impact in the game and had a combined one shot.

“I thought Evans and Boyles did well,” said Skinner. “The consistency of performances last week with Marisa and Bridget meant that they got another start. Danica has slowly, slowly, slowly worked herself back into the play. I’m going to be really honest with you, Danica was not up to scratch when we first came in. Now, she’s swallowed that, she’s worked hard in training, and now she’ll get her opportunities to get what she needs to do. I love the girl to bits, but she has to work harder. Because for this team you have to want to die and until we get that they’re not going to play. And I’ll take the flak of her that she’s good that this and she’s good and that. If you don’t run, you don’t play. And that girl now has turned her attitude around, she’s worked hard at what she needs to do, and now she’ll start to get her opportunities. Because she’s earned it and now I can look at her as a player for this team.” 

Hamilton got her hat trick in the 85th minute. Hinkle put in a perfect cross, but the Pride were all caught ball watching. Hamilton was wide open inside the 18 and hit a right footed shot off the half volley.

Evans nearly had a goal in the dying minutes. The ball was bouncing around in the 18. It fell to her, and she took a shot at the empty net. It was going goal bound, but Hill was standing in the way and kept the ball out. 

The game ended 3-0, and after the opening goal, the Pride fell apart. Orlando finished with 41% possession, seven shots, and just one shot on target. The lone shot on target was a free kick from Pickett in the dying minutes on the game.

North Carolina doubled up the shots on Orlando, 14-7 (7-1 on target), keeping 59% of the ball, and easily out-passing the Pride, 70.5%-59.3%.  

The Pride return to action on Saturday, June 15 against the Houston Dash in BBVA Compass Stadium at 8:30 p.m., still searching for their first win and looking for their first goal in quite some time.

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Orlando Pride Sign Jamaican International Forward Solai Washington

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

Published

2 days ago

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January 19, 2026

By

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.

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Orlando Pride Announce 2026 NWSL Schedule

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

Published

6 days ago

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January 15, 2026

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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.

2026 Orlando Pride Schedule (All Times Eastern)

  • Sunday, March 15 — vs. Seattle Reign FC, 4 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, March 20 — vs. Denver Summit FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Wednesday, March 25 — at Chicago Stars FC 8 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Sunday, March 29 — at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, April 3 — vs. Angel City FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Friday, April 24 — at Racing Louisville FC, 5:30 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Saturday, May 2 — vs. Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. (ION)
  • Friday, May 8 — vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Tuesday, May 12 — at Boston Legacy FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Saturday, May 16 — at Denver Summit FC, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
  • Sunday, May 24 — at San Diego Wave FC, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, May 29 — vs. Bay FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Friday, July 3 — at Angel City FC, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Friday, July 10 — vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Wednesday, July 15 — vs. Boston Legacy FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Saturday, July 18 — at Utah Royals FC, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
  • Friday, July 24 — vs. Chicago Stars FC, 8 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, July 31 — at North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Saturday, Aug. 8 — vs. Racing Louisville FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Saturday, Aug. 15 — at Portland Thorns, 8:45 p.m. (ION)
  • Sunday, Aug. 23 — at Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
  • Saturday, Aug. 29 — vs. Utah Royals FC, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Sunday, Sept. 6 — vs. Houston Dash, 7 p.m. (Victory+)
  • Friday, Sept. 11 — at Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Saturday, Sept. 19 — vs. Portland Thorns, 4 p.m. (ION)
  • Sunday, Sept. 27 — at Bay FC, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
  • Friday, Oct. 2 — vs. San Diego Wave FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Sunday, Oct. 18 — at Houston Dash, 1 p.m. (CBSSN)
  • Sunday, Oct. 25 — vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 3 p.m. (CBSSN)
  • Sunday, Nov. 1 — at Seattle Reign FC, 5 p.m. (TBD)
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How the Orlando Pride Can Return to the Mountaintop

What needs to happen for the Pride to win hardware in 2026?

Published

6 days ago

on

January 15, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

A fall-off after winning the double in 2024 was probably inevitable, yet the Orlando Pride still managed to come within minutes of playing in a second straight NWSL championship match. Many of the pieces are still there, and there are resources to get more. However, there have been some big changes in personnel on and off the pitch.

What needs to happen for the Pride to challenge for another double in 2026?

Reinvigorate the Attack

The return of Barbra Banda is the balm to soothe the worries of Orlando Pride fans. Even when the Pride struggled before she was injured, Banda scored plenty of goals. The biggest problem is she was left on an island as the team tried lobbing the ball up the field to her, hoping she’d do it all herself. Jacquie Ovalle didn’t take the NWSL by storm as we hoped, but it sometimes takes time for a player to adjust to a new league and club. If they had been able to work together, it’s likely the Orlando attack wouldn’t have faltered. Ovalle’s ability to deliver the ball into the box, combined with Banda’s ability to put the ball in the net, is a dangerous combo.

Of course, the Pride will need more than the two of them if the club is to win some trophies in 2026. I made this point several times last season, but Marta needs to find her form from 2024. With Banda and Ovalle in the attack, it should allow Marta the freedom she needs to be creative without having to carry the offense. Additionally, the Pride need other attackers to also find their 2024 form. I’m looking at Julie Doyle and Summer Yates in particular.

Fill the Roster

Haley Carter didn’t leave the cupboard bare when she departed for the wicked Washington Spirit. As such, Seb Hines and new Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Caitlin Carducci don’t have too much to do. But, the transfer of Emily Sams did create a need at center back. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride received $650,000 in intraleague transfer funds for Sams. That kind of cash can go a long way to filling the gaps in the roster.

With Kylie Nadaner on maternity leave and Rafaelle seemingly always on the verge of injury, finding a replacement for Sams is a priority. Some might point to Zara Chavoshi, but unless she levels up quickly, Carducci will need to look elsewhere. Offensively, as important as Banda is, adding another striker is necessary for quality depth. The departures of Ally Watt and Prisca Chilufya mean there’s a spot for an even better backup striker. I’m also not opposed to a quality left back.

Find the Grit

In 2024, the entire Pride team was personally offended if the opposition scored a goal. The level of defending up and down the pitch was a big factor in breaking records and winning hardware. The players need to pick up the chip and put it back on their metaphorical shoulders. I somewhat addressed this with the need to replace Sams, but there’s more to it than that. The Pride wore teams down over the course of a match, meaning it wasn’t necessary to score tons of goals. Of course, it’s not just the back line that needs to be better, but the entire team. Fortunately, Hines knows a thing or two about defenses. The Pride still have Marta to motivate them, and that — while not everything — is not a small advantage.

Those are the things I will be looking for in 2026. Let me know your thoughts or ideas in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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