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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Final Score 6-1 as the Pride Fall on the Road Again

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5 years ago

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The Orlando Pride (4-14-2, 14 points) fell to the North Carolina Courage (11-4-4, 37 points) 6-1 in Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in front of a Courage record crowd of 9,563. The crowd was there for Heather O’Reilly, as the club was celebrating her career. Despite a great effort by Ashlyn Harris, the Courage had too much firepower for the Pride to handle.

The Courage scored two goals in the first half, and Orlando added an own goal. North Carolina doubled that number before the match was out with five different players scoring. Rachel Hill managed the Pride’s only goal of the match.

With Alex Morgan and Marta still unavailable, Marc Skinner made some changes to his starting XI. The Pride came out in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kristen Edmonds, Shelina Zadorsky, Ali Krieger, and Erin Greening started on the back line. Dani Weatherholt and Alanna Kennedy in the defensive midfield, with Abby Elinski, Marissa Viggiano, and Claire Emslie in the attacking midfield. Danica Evans started up top.

The Pride came out fairly aggressively against the league’s top team. For five minutes, the Pride’s sense of purpose seemed to catch the Courage off guard, but in the sixth minute Lynn WIlliams put into the ball into the back of the net to give North Carolina a 1-0 lead.

In the ninth minute Kristen Hamilton made it into Orlando’s area, but Harris was able to get a hand on it to keep the score even. On the ensuing corner kick, Harris made another save, but couldn’t hold onto the ball. It bounced around, and fortunately the ball went out for a goal kick. In the 11th minute, Hamilton made another run up the left side, and Greening got a hand on her. The result of which was a yellow card for Greening, and a penalty kick for the Courage.

Abby Dahlkemper took the spot kick for the Courage, but Harris dove to her left, and made a huge save. The ensuing corner kick looked to have given North Carolina its second goal, but it was ruled offside.

In the 19th minute, Lynn Williams made another run for the Courage. Again, Harris came off her line, cut down the angle and Williams sent the ball wide right. The Pride continued to try to push the ball forward, but couldn’t seem to get into the final third of the pitch.

North Carolina was relentless, with a wide open Debinha missing a header, sending the ball right to Harris. Harris made a save in the 22nd minute, and in the 25th minute another Williams shot went just over the goal.

Finally, in the 28th minute Elinski made a long run up the middle of the pitch, but ended up with a yellow card when she tried to get the ball back after losing it. Less than a minute later, Kennedy also received a yellow as the Courage tried to get the ball going back the other way.

The Courage continued to attack, with Debinha taking a shot that was once again saved by Harris. Unfortunately, Harris was unable to make the save against Edmonds, who scored an own goal while trying to clear the ball over the goal in the 37th minute.

In the 41st minute, Jess McDonald one-touched the cross from Jaelene Hinkle just inside the right post to give the Courage a 3-0 lead.

Despite four minutes of stoppage time, the Pride were able to see the half out.

The second half picked up right where the first left off, with the Courage on the front foot and the Pride trying to press up the pitch. In the 47th minute Edmonds earned the Pride’s first corner kick of the night, but they were unable to capitalize.

North Carolina went back on the attack, and in the 51st minute, McDonald looked to have a chance for the Courage, as Harris came out to make another save, but the play was ruled offside. Less than a minute later, Debinha had another shot, but it went wide left.

Harris took a hard shot after making a save in the 54th minute. It looked as though she may have taken a cleat to the chest. Fortunately for the Pride, she was able to continue. North Carolina had several more shots that were off target, and in the 72nd minute Heather O’Reilly took a shot. Harris’ swiping save to deny the Courage another goal should be a Goal of the Week contender.

The Pride were able to stave off the Courage for over 30 minutes in the second half. However, in the 78th minute, McKenzie Meehan opened her account, putting the courage up 4-0.

The Pride pulled one back in the 82nd minute on a spectacular goal from Hill. It was the Pride’s only goal of the night, and things got much worse after that.

In the 85th minute, O’Reilly finally got her goal. She put it in the upper right corner, and Harris never had a chance.

Once again, four minutes of stoppage time were given, and Debinha took advantage of the added time to score the final goal in the 92nd minute.

In the 93rd minute, O’Reilly was subbed off, and the Pride voluntarily played with 10 players to see the match out. It was a tough night for the Pride, though to be fair the Courage are very, very good.

North Carolina managed 23 shots with 11 on target to the Pride’s four shots with two on target. The Courage held 68% of the possession to the Pride’s 32%. If not for several outstanding saves from Harris, the final score would have been much worse.

Orlando doesn’t play again until Sept. 29, when they travel to take on Sky Blue FC at 1 p.m.

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A 2025 Orlando Pride Wish List

Four things I want for the Orlando Pride in 2025.

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2 hours ago

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January 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

I know that it probably seems greedy to ask for anything more after the Orlando Pride won both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship in 2024, but I’m still going to do so. If the Pride want to repeat their success in 2025, they will need a little bit more than in 2024. Let’s look at my wish list for the defending champs.

No Banda Slump

Barbra Banda scored 12 goals with five assists in her first 12 matches with the Pride. She then scored one goal with one assist in the next 10 regular season matches. I know that players have slumps. Strikers in particular tend to be streaky when it comes to goal contributions. I’m just asking that Banda not have another slump quite that big in 2025.

It might be that teams did a better job of double- or triple-teaming her on defense. Perhaps she just got a little unlucky during the slump. Whatever the reason, I hope that her familiarity with her teammates, the league, and Seb Hines’ style of play allows her to significantly increase her goal contributions this season.

A Healthy Chanda and Charley

Neither Grace Chanda nor Simone Charley were able to see the pitch much for the Pride last season. That hopefully changes in 2025. Adding these two players is almost like signing new players, except they’ve been there for everything. There’s no need to adapt to the culture of the club, as they are already a part of it all.

Chanda not only brings international experience, but she has played with Banda for the Zambian National Team. I expect she’ll be able to make an immediate impact when she integrates into the attack. As for Charley, she will be yet another speedy striker the Pride can utilize in their potent attack.

Adding Depth Contributions

The 2024 season saw some players step up a level. Ally Watt had one of her best seasons, Summer Yates impressed everyone, and Cori Dyke earned a starting spot after an appearance on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. If we can have other young players make the same type of jump in 2025, it bodes well for the club.

Despite having the best defense in the league, the Pride are a little light along the back. I’d like to see Brianna Martinez and new signee, Zara Chavoshi, make some noise on the back line when they get some minutes. There’s also the possibility of a non-roster invitee impressing enough to get a contract. Depth is incredibly important for a team looking to repeat.

Overcoming History

Winning back-to-back anything in any sport is difficult. Every other team will bring their best against you. The weight of expectations can also be very heavy. That being said, if any club can do it, this Pride team can.

The coaches and players already dealt with the pressure of the undefeated streak last season. They dealt with the pressure of winning the NWSL Cup after winning the NWSL Shield. They have dealt with plenty of pressure. Now, they will need to find the proper motivation to propel them to the top yet again. There will be no sneaking up on the league this year.

Those are some of the things I want to see in 2025, but I want to know your thoughts on these points. Perhaps you have some wishes of your own. Let me know in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando Pride Announce 2025 NWSL Schedule

We now know who, where, and when the Pride will play in 2025 as they seek to defend their two shiny trophies.

Published

23 hours ago

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January 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

The National Women’s Soccer League schedule was released this afternoon, telling us who, where, and when the Orlando Pride will play this year as they look to defend their NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. The 2025 season once again includes a balanced schedule with each team playing the other 13 teams once at home and once away. As previously announced, the Pride will take part in the NWSL Challenge Cup against the Washington Spirit on March 7 at 8 p.m. at Inter&Co Stadium prior to the regular season.

The Pride will open the season at home against the Chicago Red Stars at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 14. The first road contest will take place on Sunday, March 23 at NJ/NY Gotham FC. Like last year, the season will end with a Decision Day matchup at home against Seattle Reign FC on Sunday Nov. 2 at a time to be announced later.

The postseason will start with the quarterfinals taking place Nov. 7-9, with matches televised on ESPN/ABC, CBS/Paramount+, and Prime Video. The semifinals will be played the weekend of Nov. 14-16 and broadcast on CBS/Paramount+ and ESPN/ABC. The final will take place in primetime and will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

The Pride’s longest homestand this season will be just two games, which happens four times if counting the Challenge Cup match against the Spirit and season opener against the Red Stars. Orlando will host Washington and Angel City on April 19 and 25, respectively; the Utah Royals and Racing Louisville on Aug. 3 and 9, respectively; and Bay FC and the North Carolina Courage on Sept. 13 and 19, respectively.

The longest road trip this year will also be two games, occurring four times: at Portland and North Carolina May 3 and 10, at Bay FC and Louisville June 13 and 20, at Kansas City and Angel City Aug. 16 and 21, and at San Diego and Houston Sept. 26 and Oct. 3.

There are no regular-season matches scheduled in July, meaning the league is taking a break for any potential summer international friendlies/tournaments or an as-yet-unannounced cup competition. The Pride’s busiest month will be August, in which they’ll play five matches, with three at home and two on the road. There will be four Pride matches in March (counting the Challenge Cup), May, and September; three each in April, June, and October, and one — the regular-season finale — in November.

Here’s the month-by-month breakdown for the regular season:

  • March – 3 (plus the Challenge Cup)
  • April – 3
  • May – 4
  • June – 3
  • July – 0
  • August – 5
  • September – 4
  • October – 3
  • November – 1

The most common day the Pride will play this year will be on Friday (11 times, or 12 times counting the Challenge Cup), including four consecutive Friday games late in the season. They’ll play 10 Saturday games, four Sunday matches, and once on Thursday (at Angel City Aug. 21).

Here is the Pride’s schedule by day in the regular season:

  • Friday – 11 (plus the Challenge Cup)
  • Saturday – 10
  • Sunday – 4
  • Thursday – 1

Pride games will air on various platforms again in 2025, including Prime Video, ESPN 2, ESPN, ION, NWSL+, Paramount+, CBS, and CBS Sports Network.

A new NWSL Rivalry Weekend has been added to the schedule in 2025. While the Pride have some rivalries growing naturally against Kansas City and Washington, they have been pitted against Racing Louisville for some reason. Both teams wear purple, I guess.

Fans who support both Orlando City and the Pride will be interested to know the teams play on the same day eight times this season, but only twice do the game times overlap — on May 3, when the Pride play at 7:30 p.m. at Portland and the Lions play at 8:30 p.m. at Chicago; and on May 10, when the Lions host New England at 7:30 and the Pride and Courage kick off in North Carolina at the same time. However, the teams cut it close a couple other times, with the Pride hosting the Washington Spirit at 5 p.m. April 19 and the Lions playing at Montreal at 7:30 p.m.; and on Sept. 13, with the Pride hosting Bay FC at 5 p.m. and Orlando City facing D.C. United at 7:30 p.m. The other four times the teams play on the same day, the kickoffs are at least three hours apart and as many as 10.5 hours apart (March 29).

2025 Orlando Pride Schedule (All Times Eastern)

  • Friday, March 7 — vs. Washington Spirit, 8 p.m. (Prime Video) – NWSL Challenge Cup
  • Friday, March 14 — vs. Chicago Red Stars, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Sunday, March 23 — at NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
  • Saturday, March 29 — vs. San Diego Wave, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
  • Saturday, April 12 — at Seattle Reign FC, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
  • Saturday, April 19 — vs. Washington Spirit, 5 p.m. (ION)
  • Friday, April 25 — vs. Angel City FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Saturday, May 3 — at Portland Thorns, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
  • Saturday, May 10 — at North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
  • Friday, May 16 — vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Friday, May 23 — at Utah Royals, 9:30 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Saturday, June 7 — vs. Houston Dash, 7 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Friday, June 13 — at Bay FC, 10 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Friday, June 20 — at Racing Louisville, 8 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Sunday, Aug. 3 — vs. Utah Royals, 6 p.m. (NWSL+/Paramount+)
  • Saturday, Aug. 9 — vs. Racing Louisville, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
  • Saturday, Aug. 16 — at Kansas City Current, 4 p.m. (CBS)
  • Thursday, Aug. 21 — at Angel City FC, 10:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
  • Friday, Aug. 29 — vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Sunday, Sept. 7 — at Chicago Red Stars, 3 p.m. (NWSL+/Paramount+)
  • Saturday, Sept. 13 — vs. Bay FC, 5 p.m. (ION)
  • Friday, Sept. 19 — vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m. (NWSL+)
  • Friday, Sept. 26 — at San Diego Wave, 10:30 p.m. (NWSL+/Paramount+)
  • Friday, Oct. 3 — at Houston Dash, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Friday, Oct. 10 — vs. Portland Thorns, 8 p.m. (Prime Video)
  • Saturday, Oct. 18 — at Washington Spirit, 12:30 p.m. (CBS)
  • Sunday, Nov. 2 — vs. Seattle Reign FC, TBA (broadcast platform TBA)
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Orlando Pride Announce 2025 Preseason Camp Roster

Published

3 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride have announced the club’s 2025 preseason roster consisting of 30 players, with one of those (Mariana Larroquette) currently out on loan in Argentina. Another player, forward Amanda Allen, was formerly on loan with the USL Super League’s Lexington Sporting Club, but that loan was terminated when Allen was placed on the Season Ending Injury list on Dec. 9, 2024, with a torn labrum.

The Pride return all of their core players from the 2024 team that won the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, including 98% of the player-minutes from last season and all of the team’s goal-scoring from a year ago. Almost all of the players who competed in the team’s incredible season are back from a team that broke league records for points, wins, clean sheets, consecutive shutout minutes, consecutive wins, and consecutive games unbeaten.

New faces for 2025 include two off-season signees — goalkeeper Kat Asman and defender Zara Chavoshi, the first player the Pride signed directly out of college since the league’s removal of the NWSL Draft. 

The roster is made up of four goalkeepers, just eight defenders (compared to 12 a year ago), nine midfielders, and nine forwards. One of those forwards, Larroquette, is on loan with Newell’s Old Boys Women of the Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino in Argentina’s top flight. 

The 30-player roster includes three non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

DeAira Jackson was the 2024 WAC Goalkeeper of the Year and a member of the All-WAC first team following her last collegiate season. After playing two seasons at Cal State Fullerton, she transferred to Grand Canyon University and became the school’s all-time shutout leader with 16 in just two seasons. Nine of those came in her senior campaign, which set the school record for most clean sheets in a season. She was also the Outrigger No Ka Oi Tournament MVP and a two-time WAC Player of the Week in 2024. The Fontana, CA native appeared in 43 matches for Grand Canyon across two seasons, compiling a record of 25-11-7, the aforementioned 16 shutouts, a 0.89 goals-against average and a save percentage of .781, facing 415 shots in 3,754 minutes.

Mahrt played three seasons at the University of Wisconsin, appearing in 62 games (61 starts) and playing 4,503 minutes. The Milwaukee, WI native scored 21 goals and added 15 assists, putting 78 of her 114 shots on target. Eight of her goals were game winners. Mahrt started all 21 games in her senior season, leading the Badgers in goals (10) and assists (4). She has represented the United States at the youth level with both the U-14 and U-16 sides. Her soccer lineage includes a great grandfather who played for the Malaysian National Team.

Simone Jackson is a Redondo Beach, CA native who played four seasons at USC, appearing in 73 games (51 starts), scoring 22 goals, and adding 13 assists. In 4,204 career minutes, she fired 192 shots, putting 88 on target and scoring six game winners. She was a member of the All-Big Ten third team following the 2024 campaign, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022, a third-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2023 and 2021, and a 2021 Pac 12 All-Freshman Team honoree. She has represented the U.S. at multiple youth levels, including at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, in which she scored for the United States in a 3-1 loss to Japan. Jackson has also participated at every level starting at U-14.

Simone comes from a family with a tremendous athletic pedigree. Her grandfather, John Jackson, was USC football’s running backs coach and offensive coordinator from 1976-81; her father, John Jackson Jr., played both football and baseball at USC from 1986-89 before brief stints with four NFL teams in the 1990s and playing minor league baseball. Her brother, John Jackson III, played wide receiver at USC and is currently with the Chicago Bears organization.

The club’s two Zambian players — Barbra Banda and Grace Chanda — are the only ones listed as internationals. Unlike previous years, no players are listed as not yet reported.

The Pride will kick off their 2025 campaign with a rematch of the 2024 NWSL Championship as they face the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup on March 7.

2025 Orlando Pride Preseason Roster (as of Jan. 20, 2025):

Goalkeepers (4): Kat Asman, McKinley Crone, Anna Moorhouse, DeAira Jackson (NRI).

Defenders (8): Kerry Abello, Zara Chavoshi, Cori Dyke, Brianna Martinez, Carson Pickett, Rafaelle (SEI), Emily Sams, Kylie Strom.

Midfielders (9): Angelina, Grace Chanda (INTL – Zambia, SEI), Morgan Gautrat, Ally Lemos, Luana (SEI), Aryssa Mahrt (NRI), Marta, Haley McCutcheon, Viviana Villacorta.

Forwards (9): Adriana, Amanda Allen (SEI), Barbra Banda (INTL – Zambia), Simone Charley (SEI), Julie Doyle, Simone Jackson (NRI), Mariana Larroquette (LOAN), Ally Watt, Summer Yates.

Key

INTL: International Player
NRI: Non-Roster Invitee
NYR: Not Yet Reported
SEI: Finished 2024 on the Season-Ending Injury list
LOAN: On loan 

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