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Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns: Final Score 4-3 as Late Comeback Falls Short

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6 years ago

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The Orlando Pride (2-9-2, 8 points) were second best on Sunday, but it was the same story as it has been for many games this season — conceding careless goals that lead to dropped points. Haley Kopmeyer gifted the Portland Thorns (6-2-4, 22 points) two goals and then poor defending led to the last two. The Pride went down 2-0, fought back to make it 3-3, but then allowed a set piece goal with the last kick of the match. 

It was the expected lineup for the Pride, and there was only one change from a week ago. Dani Weatherholt got the start instead of Joanna Boyles, who was nursing an ankle injury. Alanna Kennedy earned her 50th appearance as a member of the Pride and 65th of her NWSL career.

Portland did not play particularly well in the first half, but Orlando gifted the Thorns goals in dangerous areas. Marc Skinner started the game in a box upstairs — as he did last week — but was forced to come down to the sideline after about 30 minutes. 

In the third minute, Kopmeyer handed Portland the opening goal. The ‘keeper was extremely casual with the ball at her feet and held onto the ball for too long. Hayley Raso came at her fast with the high press, won the ball, and passed it into the empty net. 

Three minutes later, Kopmeyer let a ball go right under her on a low cross. The ball bounced around in the box, and Portland would have gone up 2-0 if not for desperate defending from Orlando. And then in the 11th minute, Weatherholt attempted to pass the ball back to Kopmeyer. It was a feeble and soft pass, and Raso nearly got her brace. 

Six minutes later, it was Carson Pickett’s turn to commit an error in her own box, and she made a few consecutively. First, she made an awful pass that was picked off, and then she missed on a header back to Kopmeyer. Luckily the ‘keeper got to the ball first. 

The Pride had just two chances in the first half. The first came after Marta was fouled outside the box in the 23rd minute. Emily van Egmond stood over it and sent in a bending shot, but Britt Eckerstrom didn’t have to move to save it. In the 40th minute, Chioma Ubogagu put a good cross in for Rachel Hill, but the header stayed up, and it hit the crossbar. 

Kopmeyer had an impressive reactionary save in the 36th minute. Dagny Brynjarsdóttir sent a header that looked like it would find the back of the net, but the ‘keeper tipped the ball over the bar. 

Portland somehow only held a 1-0 lead at the break. The Thorns led in shots (12-3), shots on target (5-1), corners (7-2), and possession (58%). While the Pride were clearly second best, once again the difference was self-inflicted mistakes. 

Whatever Skinner said at halftime seemed to work, and the Pride were much better after the break. Still, the Thorns should have doubled their lead in the 52nd minute. Raso was wide open at the top of the box with time and space. She took her shot, and it somehow went wide of the post. 

Portland got its second in the 58th minute. Kopmeyer whiffed on a punch and Shelina Zadorsky got her head to it but could only knock it back toward her own net. Midge Purce was in on goal and made a simple finish as she headed it past Erin Greening and Zadorsky. 

Then Marta seemed to wake up and put the team on her back. First, in the 61st minute, the ball was bouncing around just outside the box after a blocked shot. Marta stepped up and sent a screamer into the top corner in what will likely be a strong contender for NWSL Goal of the Week. 

Portland responded immediately. The play started from a long throw, and the Pride couldn’t clear it. In fact, they helped flick it on toward goal. A quick tap back to Christine Sinclair allowed the Canadian international to slot the ball into the bottom corner. Kopmeyer had no chance of stopping it. 

A minute later, Marta created another goal. It went down as an Emily Menges own goal, but it was all Marta. Ubogagu played it to the Brazilian, who took on multiple defenders and chipped it into the back of the net. Menges got a piece on it as she tried to clear it, but the Pride cut the lead to 3-2. 

There was an energy and fight to the Pride then. In previous games, the Pride would give up when they were down, but this team kept fighting. Orlando threw numbers forward, and Portland defended well. In the 90th minute, Camila drew a foul. Marta sent the ball in, which Portland defended. The ball fell right to Greening, and she powered it into the back of the net. It was Greening’s first professional goal.  

With the game tied, it looked like Orlando went into Portland and stole a point. Abby Elinksy, who had a physical game since she came entered the match in the 60th minute, was given a yellow card in stoppage time for fouling Meghan Klingenberg. Portland took full advantage of this opportunity. 

The ball fell to Gabby Seiler, and she sent in an excellent shot that forced Kopmeyer into a desperate save. The ‘keeper tipped the ball over the bar and Portland had a corner. A perfect ball in from Klingenberg found Tyler Lussi, who sent her free header into the back of the net and Portland won with the last kick of the game. 

Portland led most of the full-time statistical categories — shots (20-12), shots on target (11-6), corners (8-5), and possession (56%). However, the story of the match is not the statistics, but Orlando’s hustle and heart to fight back, which was necessary because of self-inflicted mistakes, but ultimately did not help the team get a result. 

Orlando comes home next week to play Sky Blue FC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

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Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Drop Second Home Game This Season

The Pride’s offensive struggles continued and a defensive mistake was costly for Orlando.

Published

3 days ago

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May 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride (5-3-1, 16 points) fell at home for the second time this season, losing 1-0 to the Kansas City Current (7-2-0, 21 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. Temwa Chawinga’s 52nd-minute goal was the difference as the Pride failed to win for the third consecutive game.

This was a game everyone following the league had circled on their calendar. The Current came into it in first place with the Pride right behind. The Pride and Current have widely been considered the top two teams in the league and the Current showed they were the team to beat this season.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines only made one change from the team that drew 1-1 with the North Carolina Courage Saturday night. Emily Sams returned to the lineup after a night off, sending Zara Chavoshi to the bench.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kerry Abello, Kylie Nadaner, Sams, and Oihane. Haley McCutcheon and Morgan Gautrat were the defensive midfielders behind Carson Pickett, Marta, and Angelina with Barbra Banda up top.

The Pride got the game off to a fast start and it looked like they would cause problems for the Current all night. But as the game progressed, the visitors took more and more control. After the Current took the 1-0 lead early in the second half, they put more players behind the ball. The Pride held significant possession, looking for a way through, but struggled to threaten in the final third.

It didn’t take long for the Pride to create their first chances in this game, doing so inside the first minute. It started with a poor pass by Izzy Rodriguez that Banda intercepted and carried into the Current box. She tried to beat Lorena to her near post, but the goalkeeper did well to block it with her foot.

The rebound went right back to Banda and her second shot was blocked by Alana Cook. The second block went to Oihane out right. The defender sent her cross over the heads of Angelina and Banda where McCutcheon met it at the top of the six. However, the midfielder’s header was right into the hands of Lorena, ending the threat.

In the seventh minute, Banda played Oihane outside on the right and the defender sent another cross into the box. This time Angelina attempted to turn and volley the ball on target, but the Brazilian couldn’t get over it and sent the shot over the goal.

The Current looked to have their first chances in the ninth minute when Bia Zaneratto played Chawinga behind the Pride back line. Moorhouse made a pair of good saves before Sams cleared the ball away. However, Chawinga was offside on the initial ball.

The visitors finally did get a clean shot in the 20th minute when Zaneratto took a chance from outside of the box. But it was right to Moorhouse and the Pride goalkeeper didn’t have any trouble with it.

Three minutes later, Lo’eau LaBonta sent Debinha behind the Pride back line, and she tried to chip the ball over Moorhouse to the back post. Moorhouse committed to the ball and was able to get enough of her fist on it to send it away.

The Pride finally got back on the front foot in the 44th minute with a sustained attack, primarily through Gautrat on the left. Eventually, the midfielder found Angelina near the top of the Current box. The Brazilian took a shot, but sent it well wide of the near post.

As the first half neared stoppage time, Angelina sent Banda into the Kansas City third of the field. The Zambian didn’t have any teammates with her, so she took it herself. Kayla Sharples stuck her leg in and knocked the ball away, resulting in Banda going down. The striker looked to the referee for a penalty, but Natalie Simon rightly waved play on.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Angelina played Oihane out to the right. The right back sent a low cross to the near post where Banda was making a run. She tried to flick it on goal with her heel, but the ball went wide.

There was a lengthy delay as the video assistant referee looked at the play for a possible handball on Cook. However, nothing came of it and the halftime whistle blew before play could continue.

At halftime, the Current had more possession (50.8%-49.2%), but the Pride had more shots (7-5). Both teams put two shots on target and had a corner kick in the first 45 minutes.

The Current got the first second-half chance and used it to take a 1-0 lead. It started when Sams cleared the ball up the field to Rodriguez, who sent it back the other way. Nadaner was the first one to reach it with Zaneratto on her back. The center back got a touch to the ball, but it got away from her. Chawinga took advantage, getting in on goal and putting it away to give her team the lead.

“We looked at that kind of play before the game, so it’s kind of disappointing to then concede from that. Because we did identify it as a kind of something that they do,” Moorhouse said about the goal. “I mean, obviously, they’ve got the speed up top, and they just like to put the ball on behind for that. So, yeah, it’s just one of those things. Just finished it well.”

“She’s playing against a really good forward in Bia and probably every game she gets away with that touch,” Hines said about Nadaner losing possession on the goal. “But, unfortunately, it gets too far away. And they waited for that one moment and capitalized on it.”

Kansas City looked to double the advantage right away in the 54th minute when Rodriguez earned enough space from Oihane to send a cross to the back post. Hailie Mace and Pickett went up for the ball with Mace sending it wide.

The Pride tried to get one back in the 55th minute when Oihane was played wide. The Spainard sent a cross to Banda at the near post, but Sharples got there first to clear it out for a corner kick. Pickett’s ensuing set piece was caught by Lorena, ending the attack.

In the 60th minute, Sams pushed into the attack. The center back attempted to find Angelina, but it was right back to her. Then she tried to set up Gautrat at the top of the box. The defensive midfielder didn’t get much on the ball, enabling Lorena to make the easy stop.

Hines made his first change of the game in the 65th minute and, down a goal, it was an attacking one. Ally Watt came into the game for the defensive-minded Gautrat.

Chawinga had a chance for a second goal in the 69th minute when Rodriguez’s cross was chested down by Zaneratto. Sams was on the striker, but got turned around, giving Chawinga a clean look. However, her shot was right at Moorhouse who made the stop.

Pickett played a long ball into the box in the 73rd minute, but it went all the way through to Oihane on the other side. The right back lifted a ball into the box for Banda and the striker jumped to get her head to it, sending it wide of the far post.

Immediately after the chance, Simon sent the players to the sideline for the second-half hydration break. Hines made two changes during the stoppage, replacing Oihane and Angelina with Prisca Chilufya and Ally Lemos.

In the 79th minute, Chawinga dribbled across the top of the box with Sams and Marta on her. The striker went down after some contact with Sams and a foul was called. Lemos was in the process of clearing the ball at the time, sending it off the back of Chawinga’s head. Chawinga was down for a while and received attention from the trainer as she underwent a concussion test. However, she was eventually able to continue.

Hines made his final change in the 82nd minute, as Summer Yates came on for McCutcheon. It was Yates’ first appearance since April 12 when she suffered an ankle injury against Seattle Reign FC.

“I’m excited to be back. Thankful that our medical team was able to get me back quicker than expected. So, super excited that I was able to get on the field and, you know, just run around and play again. Not be in a boot,” Yates said about her return. “So, yeah, super excited. And hopefully I can help the team in these up and coming games.”

Mace put a shoulder into Banda in the 85th minute and the referee called for a foul. The ensuing set piece by Pickett was flicked on by Watt and off Banda. However, the striker couldn’t reach it before Lorena collected the ball.

In the 87th minute, Zaneratto played Chawinga towards the Pride box. The striker turned Nadaner and created enough space from Abello to get a shot off. Fortunately, it was right at Moorhouse, who blocked it with her legs.

As a second shot flew wide, Chawinga was hopping away from the play. This time she wasn’t able to continue and had to be substituted.

The fourth official showed 12 minutes of second-half added minutes, giving the Pride plenty of time to find an equalizer.

In the fifth and sixth minutes of stoppage time, the Pride earned three corner kicks as the Current fiercely defended their one-goal lead. However, none of Pickett’s set pieces were put on goal.

In the 10th minute of stoppage time, Nichelle Prince fouled Sams just inside the Current third of the field. Lemos’ set piece was blocked, but the Pride kept possession. A second ball by Yates was sent into the six-yard box and into the arms of Lorena.

Sharples knocked the ball off of Banda’s foot and out in the final minute of stoppage time, giving the Pride one last chance to find an equalizer. Pickett’s set piece was headed away and the final whistle blew, ending the game and handing the Pride their second home loss this season.

At full time, the Pride had far more possession (58.4%-41.6%), crosses (26-8), and corner kicks (7-1). But the Current had more shots (12-11) and shots on target (5-4). But Kansas City was the team able to break through and hold on for the 1-0 win.

“I thought it was a well balanced match,” Hines said. “I think both teams were trying to figure each other out for long periods of the game. What our players put into that game, the effort and the commitment, the desire, was tremendous. And we just fell short today with the result. But I thought the performance was there. Obviously, you never want to lose a game, especially 1-0 at home. But I can’t give the players enough compliments for their efforts tonight.”

“Tough result, obviously,” Moorhouse added. “But I thought we played well. We dominated in parts. It’s always going to be a tough game. We’ve had some tough games in the past against Kansas, so yeah, it’s a disappointing result. But the performance is something to work on and something to keep pushing on.”

The Pride are learning how hard it is to be the hunted instead of the hunters. They were 23 games unbeaten before they suffered their first loss last year with just three regular-season games remaining. This is their third loss this season, second at home, and their third consecutive game without a win.

“I think we’ve got to put everything into perspective, right? Three years ago, this team was the laughing stock of the league. And last year we showed our ability to prove a lot of people wrong,” Hines said. “Winning both shield and championship doesn’t come easy, and so once you’ve achieved that, you earn respect around the league. You know, teams adapt to it. Even teams like Kansas, going to a back five and reducing the amount of space that you can play for. It’s challenging, it’s difficult, and we’ll go through those moments together.”

“Teams are playing different against us,” Moorhouse agreed. “We’re usually coming up against teams sitting back in a low block, defending for their lives. And we’ve got to figure out a way to kind of score goals against that. We were on top for the majority of the past games. And we just need to find a way to score that goal. And then maybe we can relax a little bit. And then we don’t have to chase the game in the dying minutes.”

San Diego Wave FC’s 1-0 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC tonight saw the California-based club jump the Pride in the standings. After spending nearly all of last season the start of this season in one of the top two spots, the Pride are now third in the NWSL, one point behind San Diego and five points behind Kansas City. They could drop further tomorrow night when the Washington Spirit, one point back, host the Utah Royals.

The Pride have a week to brush off this loss as they head back out west to face the Utah Royals next Friday night in Sandy, UT.

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Orlando Pride vs. Kansas City Current: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride return home looking to get back to their winning ways as they host the first-place Kansas City Current.

Published

4 days ago

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May 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (5-2-1, 16 points) return home to face the Kansas City Current (6-2-0, 18 points) in a battle for first place. This is the first of two meetings between the two teams with the return game in Kansas City scheduled for Aug. 16.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Current joined the NWSL in 2021 after the team’s ownership group bought the Utah Royals and relocated the club to Kansas City. It’s the second NWSL team in the city — FC Kansas City played there from 2013 to 2017 before moving to Utah — and the team was known as NWSL Kansas City for its inaugural season.

The Pride and Current have played eight games against each other in the regular season and once in the playoffs. Orlando has a 3-2-3 record in the regular-season series, 4-2-3 in all competitions, and is 1-1-2 at home in the regular season and 2-1-2 at Inter&Co Stadium in all matches.

The two teams last met on Nov. 17, 2024, in the NWSL semifinals in Orlando. Debinha gave the Current the lead in the 33rd minute and Haley McCutcheon equalized just before halftime. Barbra Banda made it 2-1 in the second half and Marta doubled the advantage late in normal time. Vanessa DiBernardo got one back deep in stoppage time from the penalty spot, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride won 3-2 to advance to the NWSL Championship.

Last Sept. 13 in Orlando, the teams combined for 27 shots, but neither converted as the game ended in a scoreless draw.  On July 6 in Kansas City, Banda gave the Pride the lead, but the hosts responded two minutes later through Temwa Chawinga. Despite a second yellow card for Carrie Lawrence dropping the Pride to 10 players just before halftime, Marta converted a second-half penalty, lifting her team to a 2-1 win.

The first time the teams met in 2023 was on April 23 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City. It was scoreless after an hour before the Current got a quick flurry of goals by Debinha and CeCe Kizer, lifting Kansas City to a 2-0 win. On June 23, 2023 in Orlando, the visitors took the lead through Debinha, and Kizer doubled the advantage just before halftime. Marta converted a penalty to pull one back, but the Pride fell 2-1.

Their first meeting in 2022 came on July 31 in Kansas City while the Pride were in the middle of their seven-game unbeaten run. The Pride opened the scoring when Erika Tymrak found the head of Celia and doubled the lead just after halftime through Julie Doyle. The Current stormed back with goals by Elyse Bennett and Kizer, pulling out a 2-2 draw.

The first meeting in 2022 was on May 14 at Exploria Stadium. The Pride took the lead early in the second half on a Gunny Jonsdottir goal. Bennett scored late in the second half, and the visitors appeared to win the game a minute into injury time through Kristen Hamilton. However, Kylie Strom was pulled down in the box five minutes later, resulting in a penalty. With Marta injured, the only player willing to step up to take the penalty was center back Toni Pressley, who drilled the ball into the roof of the net, pulling out a 2-2 draw.

The teams played twice during the 2021 NWSL season, with the first game occurring May 30 at Exploria Stadium. Courtney Petersen found Alex Morgan just outside the six-yard box and the striker headed in the game’s lone goal as the Pride won 1-0.

The Pride and Current met again on June 23 at Legends Field in Kansas City. The Pride had a weakened squad as then-coach Marc Skinner left some key players at home, preparing to lose them to the Olympics. It looked to be costly when Mariana Larroquette gave the hosts the lead late in first-half injury time. But the Pride responded well. Two minutes after Larroquette’s goal, Sydney Leroux’s shot took a deflection off a defender and went in to make it 1-1. Shortly after halftime, Leroux scored on a great individual effort from just outside the box. Marta then scored the goal of the game, beating Kansas City goalkeeper Abby Smith from the top of the center circle, lifting the Pride to a 3-1 win.

Overview

The Pride are coming off a tough road trip where they lost 1-0 to the Portland Thorns and drew 1-1 with the North Carolina Courage. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made multiple changes from his usual lineup in both games, most notably giving Nadaner a rest in Portland and Emily Sams a break in North Carolina.

They nearly lost three of their last four when the Courage took a 1-0 lead into second-half stoppage time. But Prisca Chilufya came to the rescue, scoring her first NWSL goal to claim a point on the road.

Banda and Marta are the driving offensive forces for the Pride as they were last season. However, neither has been able to create anything the last few games, although the Brazilian has racked up plenty of key passes. Banda’s last goal was a 76th-minute goal against Angel City FC on April 25, and Marta’s last goal contribution was a penalty on March 29 against San Diego Wave FC. They’ll be looking to get back to their scoring ways tonight.

Rookie Zara Chavoshi got the start in the two most recent games to give Nadaner and Sams a rest. However, the regular center back pairing should return tonight, providing a boost to a defensive unit that’s been very good again this season.

Tonight, the Pride face their toughest test of the 2025 campaign as they welcome the only team ahead of them in the standings. The Pride and Current have been the league’s two best teams, so this game has been circled on calendars since the start of the season.

The teams had the same number of points heading into last weekend’s games. However, after the Pride drew Saturday night, the Current took advantage of the dropped points by defeating Bay FC 4-1 at home.

In addition to their two-point lead, the Current have the most goals with 18. Meanwhile, the Pride are tied with the Wave and Angel City on 15 goals, second most in the league. Defensively, the Current and Pride are the two best teams in the league, conceding just six times.

The Current are led offensively by the players you would expect. Debinha has a team-leading five goals, followed by Chawinga’s four goals and Lo’eau LaBonta’s three goals. Izzy Rodriguez, Hailie Mace, and Claire Hutton are tied for team lead with two assists each.

Kansas City’s defensive performances have come with a new goalkeeper this year, as the club added Brazilian international Lorena to the side. However, the center back pairing of Alana Cook and Kayla Sharples were with the team last year.

“It’s always an entertaining game against Kansas. It’s a game we’ve done relatively well in recent games, so we’re looking forward to it,” Hines said about tonight’s game. “We’re looking forward to being back home in front of our own fans. It should be a really good atmosphere. You know, (a) Friday night game is always exciting. But it’s good to be home and getting back onto the field.”

There are a few changes to the Pride availability report this week. Aryssa Mahrt (knee) and Summer Yates (ankle) are available for selection. Meanwhile, Julie Doyle (knee) has been upgraded to questionable. Simone Charley (ankle), Luana (illness), Amanda Allen (shoulder), and Rafaelle (thigh) are still out.

The Current will be without Michelle Cooper (lower leg), Hamilton (hip), Alex Pfeiffer (knee), and Gabrielle Robinson (knee).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Carson Pickett, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Morgan Gautrat.

Attacking Midfielders: Angelina, Marta, Kerry Abello.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Cori Dyke, Prisca Chilufya, Summer Yates, Zara Chavoshi, Ally Watt, Viviana Villacorta, Grace Chanda, Ally Lemos.

Kansas City Current (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Lorena.

Defenders: Izzy Rodriguez, Kayla Sharples, Alana Cook, Hailie Mace.

Midfielders: Claire Hutton, Ellie Wheeler, Lo’eau LaBonta.

Forwards: Temwa Chawinga, Bia Zaneratto, Debinha.

Bench: Elizabeth Bell, Vanessa DiBernardo, Bayley Feist, Haley Hopkins, Laurel Ivory, Flora Marta Lacho, Mary Long, Nichelle Prince, Rocky Rodriguez.

Referees

REF: Natalie Simon.
AR1: Art Arustamyan.
AR2: Nicholas Seymour.
4TH: Edson Carvajal.
VAR: Kevin Broadley.
AVAR: Matthew Seem.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: Prime Video.

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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Orlando Pride at North Carolina Courage: Final Score 1-1 as Pride Score a Late Equalizer

The Pride continue to struggle scoring goals, but earned a point on the road thanks to Prisca Chilufya’s stoppage-time goal.

Published

1 week ago

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May 10, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride, Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride (5-2-1, 16 points) scored a second-half, stoppage-time goal to steal a point on the road against the North Carolina Courage (2-3-3, 9 points) in Cary, NC. The home team took the lead in the first half on a goal from Felicitas Rauch. Fortunately for the Pride, Prisca Chilufya scored her first NWSL goal late to keep the Pride from losing two in a row.

“I thought we actually deserved more, considering the dominance in the game, the passes, the chances created,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said after the match. “Obviously, they scored in the first half, but we had really good momentum. I thought we played extremely well today both in possession and out of possession.”

Hines made three changes to the team that lost to the Portland Thorns a week ago. Emily Sams got a rest, with Kylie Nadaner getting the start. Morgan Gautrat and Angelina returned to the starting lineup in the midfield. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was made up of Kerry Abello, Nadaner, Zara Chavoshi, and Oihane. Carson Pickett joined Gautraut, Haley McCutcheon, and Angelina in the midfield, with Marta and Barbra Banda up top.

The Pride came out aggressively early in the match. They made things difficult for the Courage, taking the ball back whenever North Carolina managed to gain possession. Orlando generated a few chances, but the shots were either blocked, wide of target, or straight to North Carolina goalkeeper Casey Murphy.

Disaster struck in the 27th minute, when the Courage scored the first goal of the match against the run of play. Rauch brought the ball up the left in transition and centered it for Manaka Matsukubo to shoot. Moorhouse made a huge 1-v-1 save, but the rebound went right back to Rauch, who put it past Chavoshi for the goal.

North Carolina almost made it two in the 28th minute, but the ball went wide left. The Pride continued to press the Courage, sometimes resulting in a giveaway. Abello lost the ball in the 33rd minute, and earned a yellow card when she committed a professional foul to stop the counterattack. Banda also suffered some fouls as the team pushed forward.

In the 42nd minute, Manaka chested a cross at goal, but Moorhouse was right there to make the easy save. The Courage tried going over the top, but Moorhouse came out to collect the ball after a brief hesitation. On the other end, Angelina put the first shot on target for Orlando in the 45th minute, but it went right to Murphy.

After the first half, the Pride had the advantage in shots (8-5) but the Courage had more shots on target (2-1). The Pride had the advantage in possession (68%-32%) and corners (3-1), but the Courage had the lead. Orlando’s game plan was working in every part of the match except in front of goal — on both sides of the pitch.

The second half started much like the first. The Pride hounded the Courage whenever they managed to have the ball. Despite that, North Carolina was able to generate some chances. In the 53rd minute, Moorhouse came off her line to punch out the ball but she ran into Oihane, hitting her in the head. Oihane needed to be attended to by the trainers since she took a blow to the head, but she was able to continue.

In the 58th minute, Banda finally managed a shot on goal. Marta stole the ball and sent a pass to Banda, but the Zambian international’s shot was pushed over the bar for a corner kick. The Pride had another chance in the 61st minute on a free kick. Pickett put the ball across the face of the goal, but neither Banda nor Oihane were able to get on the ball. In the 67th minute, Hines subbed Emily Sams on for Oihane and Ally Watt for Abello.

In the 77th minute, Ally Lemos came on for Pickett, and Chilufya came on for Gautrat. The Pride kept pushing for the equalizer. Watt attempted a long-distance shot in the 78th minute, but it was blocked. In the 84th minute, Cori Dyke came on for Chavoshi. Referee Brad Jensen indicated there would be at least five minutes of stoppage time.

The equalizer finally came in the third minute of added time. Angelina delivered a corner into the box, and Chilufya sent a looping head over Murphy’s fingertips and into the back of the net.

“It is a long-awaited goal,” Chilufya said. “I feel very happy. I am very excited. I am just looking forward to moments like this when the team needs me most and to just turn up and do what you can and pick everybody’s spirit up. Going in, [Pride Goalkeeper Coach] Paul [Crichton] told me to just go in and get in the box and do what I can. When I was going to the front post, it may sound crazy, but I envisioned it. Like, what if I just go up front and maybe just jump and flick my head. Who knows, I might get a touch on the ball. I did what I was thinking, and with God’s plan, it worked. I can’t believe it, but I did it.”

“A well-deserved goal towards the end. We have this mentality that we never give up, we never say die and we pile the pressure on,” Hines said. “It’s come off a set piece and Prisca [Chilufya] takes it well and gladly it falls into the back of the net.” 

The match ended very strangely. A North Carolina player went down outside the area, but no foul was called. Play continued for a bit, before the referee blew the whistle to stop play. He then indicated the video assistant referee was checking something, but he then called full time. The Pride avoided a second loss thanks to Chilufya’s late equalizer.

At full time, the Pride had the advantage on shots (15-7), shots on target (3-2), possession (63%-37%), corner kicks (8-2), and passing accuracy (88%-76%). Good defending by North Carolina, offset a dominating — but wasteful — performance by the Pride.

“We stuck to the gameplan, and we caused North Carolina a lot of problems at their home field,” Hines said. “I think there is a part of us that is disappointed that we are walking away with a point, but on the road, you will take it.”

At least for the tonight, the Pride are back on top of the standings. Orlando returns home on Friday to face the Kansas City Current.

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