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Orlando Pride vs. OL Reign: Final Score 3-0 as Pride Fall in Season Finale

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4 years ago

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The Orlando Pride (5-10-7, 22 points) ended their 2022 NWSL campaign with a 3-0 loss to OL Reign (11-4-7, 40 points), getting dominated from start to finish and closing the season on a six-match winless streak (0-5-1). Megan Rapinoe, Jordyn Huitema, and Bethany Balcer gave the Reign a three-goal lead inside 31 minutes and held it for the remainder of the game. With the win, OL Reign jumped over Portland and won the NWSL Shield.

Pride Interim Head Coach Seb Hines made two changes to the team that drew 2-2 with San Diego Wave FC last weekend. Celia and Thais Reiss started this game on the bench, replaced by Kylie Strom and Darian Jenkins.

The back four in front of Erin McLeod was Courtney Petersen, Carrie Lawrence, Toni Pressley, and Kylie Strom. Megan Montefusco and Haley Hanson shared the defensive midfield for the second-consecutive game behind Gunny Jonsdottir, Meggie Dougherty Howard, and Darian Jenkins. Leah Pruitt started the game up top.

OL Reign took control of the game in the second minute and didn’t let up. The Pride were slow in defense, had poor clearances, and were unable to maintain control of the ball. As a result, the game was pretty much over in the 31st minute when the Reign increased their lead to three goals.

The hosts had the game’s first chance in the second minute when a good ball by Huitema looking for Rose Lavelle was cleared out of play by Pressley for a corner kick. The ensuing corner ended up at the foot of Quinn, but the shot was blocked by Lawrence.

The Reign got a second good chance when Lawrence lost the ball in her own end, creating a chance for Jess Fishlock, but the shot was wide. In the fifth minute, Quinn found Balcer out wide and the forward played a great cross for an unmarked Rose Lavelle. It appeared that Lavelle didn’t realize how much time she had, immediately heading it rather than bringing it down. However, she was a little further back and the header went just wide of the target.

OL Reign opened the scoring in the eighth minute, largely because of a Pride mistake. Quinn attempted to send the ball forward from a midfield position but it went right to Strom. The defender tried to clear the ball, but it went off the side of her foot and right to Huitema. The Canadian quickly played it into the middle where Rapinoe was left unmarked, on the quick counter, putting it past McLeod to give the Reign an early 1-0 lead.

“You dig yourself a hole eight minutes in. That’s pretty tough,” Montefusco said about conceding so early. “Especially knowing that they weren’t going to stop. We kind of felt that right out the gate. They were down our throats and I think we were saying to each other in those moments just stay composed and weather the storm. And the storm was continuing to come and we didn’t do that well, but that’s another learning experience for this young team.”

“I think we came out flat and our style of play, which I thought we did really well last game — we’re a pass-and-move type of team, short passes — we started a little bit frantic, including some of the passes that I made,” McLeod added. “And they had an incredible atmosphere here and I think we kind of started a little bit on our heels. We weren’t as sharp as usual.”

The hosts nearly doubled their lead in the 12th minute through a great individual effort by Balcer. Huitema found the forward at the top corner of the box. After a stepover to beat Petersen, Balcer tried to chip McLeod. She sent the ball just over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Fishlock sent a ball for Balcer in the box. Petersen was able to get her head to the ball, but sent it to Huitema in the center of the area. The attacker quickly got a shot off but sent the ball just wide.

The Pride finally got their first chance of the game in the 22nd minute. After Strom’s corner was cleared out of play by Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, the Pride took a second corner. This one allowed Lawrence to get a header towards goal but didn’t get much power on it and it was easily cleared. The Pride kept the ball in the Reign third and Pruitt ended up with a shot, but she took it with the outside of her foot. Instead of bending it inside the far post, she sent it well wide of the target.

Two minutes later, the Reign doubled their lead. Quinn picked up the ball at midfield and sent a long, low ball past the Pride defense. Huitema easily beat Pressley to the ball, dribbled around McLeod, and passed it into the net to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

In the 31st minute, the Reign scored the third goal of the first half. Fishlock sent a great ball into the six-yard box from the left side where Balcer beat her defender to the face of goal. The forward volleyed the ball with her shin guard, but she didn’t need much to tap it in and give the hosts a commanding 3-0 lead.

The third goal was the last chance for either team. During the final 14 minutes of the half, OL Reign controlled most of the possession but weren’t in a hurry to go forward. When the Pride had possession, the Reign remained behind the ball and allowed the Pride to pass it around the back.

“This is why we play the game. This is why we grow up wanting to play these occasions and play in these stadiums with fans and against the top teams and I felt that we got a little bit of stage fright,” Hines said about the first half. “Almost deer in headlights kind of feelings.”

At the end of the first half, OL Reign had more possession (54%-46%), shots (9-2), shots on target (3-0), crosses (7-4), and passing accuracy (80.5%-78.4%). The only attacking statistic the Pride led in was corners (2-1) and both came during the same attack.

“It was just focused on the details,” Montefusco said about the halftime message. “Want the ball, get on the ball, check your shoulder, scan. I think we were just turning into people and they were playing faster and getting in the spaces quicker than we were and we were just playing a little bit too slow. So I think we just had to get on the ball and be confident on it and do the little things right and I think we definitely did that in the second half and picked up the speed of it to match their pace of the game.”

The Reign got the first chance of the second half in the 46th minute when Lawerence fouled Rapinoe, creating a free kick. The set piece ended up with Fishlock, who took a shot, but the shot aimed for the top left corner just missed.

Hines didn’t make any changes at halftime, but brought on three substitutes in the 56th minute. Julie Doyle, Celia, and Jordyn Listro entered the game for Pruitt, Pressley, and Hanson. He made another change in the 65th minute when Haley Bugeja came on for Jenkins.

The Reign got the second shot of the half in the 73rd minute when Tziarra King created a chance seconds after coming on for Rapinoe. Fishlock found the substitute on the left side and the forward used a nice touch to flick the ball over the head of the defender to find space. She was aiming for the far post but it missed wide.

The Pride finally got their third shot of the game in the 76th minute from Listro. The second-half substitute found enough space for a shot from outside of the box but it was right at Tullis-Joyce and didn’t provide any trouble for the Reign goalkeeper.

The Pride had a couple of chances late to get a goal in the game. In the 87th minute, Dougherty Howard took a shot from outside of the box but it sailed over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Celia found Kerry Abello in the box. The substitute got her head to the ball but sent it just wide of the near post.

The Pride had much more possession in the second half, resulting in the visitors ending the game with slightly more time on the ball (50.4%-49.6%) and better passing accuracy (76%-73.7%). But the Reign had more shots (14-5), shots on target (3-1), and crosses (10-8). Additionally, both teams ended the game with a pair of corner kicks.

“Obviously, disappointing start to the game,” Hines said about the performance. “It’s never good going three goals down at halftime. But I felt that we were better in the second half. But, you know, it was too late by that time.”

With Racing Louisville’s 1-0 win over the Kansas City Current earlier in the day, the Pride dropped to 10th in the standings, finishing one point behind Louisville. They ended the season three points ahead of the Washington Spirit and nine points ahead of NJ/NY Gotham FC.

“We spoke about them,” Hines said about what he said to the players after the game. “They’ve been through hell and they saw a bit of light when we were in that run. And the message was don’t let this last end of the season dictate how far you’ve come and what you’ve gone through and the adversity that you’ve shown and the togetherness that you’ve had to bring this group together and have a direction.”

The Pride’s seventh NWSL season is over and there will be more changes in this off-season. The roster, as it stands, was not good enough to consistently compete in 2022, especially against most of the league’s better teams. There are some holes to fill up and down the roster.

The off-season should be an interesting one.

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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Final Score 3-1 as Banda Brace Leads Pride to Victory

Barbra Banda bags a brace and an assist but goes down injured late in the victory.

Published

3 days ago

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May 29, 2026

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Image of Barbra Banda celebrating her goal against Bay FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

After dropping two games to expansion teams and stealing a win in San Diego, the Orlando Pride looked to enter the summer break on a good note. The Pride (5-5-2, 17 points) had never lost to Bay FC (3-6-2, 11 points) and used a second-half burst to maintain that winning record and won 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium.

Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the fourth minute and followed it up in the 51st minute with her second. She added an assist to Cori Dyke in the 55th minute to close out the Pride scoring. Caroline Conti scored the lone Bay FC goal at the seven-minute mark.

“No better gift than a 3-1 victory at home in front of our fans,” Pride Head Coach (and birthday boy) Seb Hines said after the game. “It feels good that we’re ending this period on a high. I think it’s the first time this season we’ve got back-to-back victories.”

The Pride made one change in the lineup, giving Kerry Abello her first start of the season over Julie Doyle. Anna Moorhouse started in goal with Abello, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane on defense. Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos played midfield in front of them with Mace, Luana, and Nicole Payne attacking from the midfield. Banda and her leading-leading nine goals played alone up top.

After an hour weather delay, the Pride went with the in-vogue start these days by kicking the ball straight out of bounds deep on the start and pressing high. It led to an opening three minutes of play in which the Pride kept the pressure up and forced the ball to stay on the Bay FC side. In the fourth minute, Luana headed a ball towards the center which Banda controlled, bodied Bay FC’s Joelle Anderson off the ball, and slotted the opening goal with her left foot.

Bay FC fought right back in the seventh minute as the visitors didn’t have to fight through the press off their kickoff. Claire Hutton crossed the ball into the box, Abello deflected it wide but there was no Pride defender there and it fell to Caroline Conti. Abello tried to fight all the way over but Conti was able to put it past Moorhouse before any help arrived.

The entire back line got pulled to the right on the play and Mace could not get back to help out wide.

“Hailie Mace came into NWSL as a winger. She’s got some tendencies that fit a winger profile. We knew Bay FC had a high back line. How do we get behind that back line? Having someone to support Barbra and not just Nicole but add in another player who can get into the attack,” Hines said regarding the switch.

In the 16th minute, Rachael Kundananji beat Oihane and crossed the ball to Hannah Bebar, who headed it into the net, but Cristiana Girelli was in an offside position threatening the goal, so the assistant referee ruled that it put Moorhouse off enough to interfere with the play.

The teams settled down a bit and traded possession until the 27th minute when Oihane centered the ball to Payne, who scuffed the shot high. One minute later, Luana sent a through ball for Banda to run onto and she went down in the box in a collision with Brooklyn Courtnall. It was fairly evident, however, that Banda got her leg into Courtnall’s to either try to control the ball or draw a foul, and the referee, Jaclyn Metz, saw it the same way.

In the 33rd minute, Oihane was subbed out for Hannah Anderson. Oihane had been laboring a little and may have picked up a knock somewhere.

The Pride couldn’t re-establish the high press so they turned into a lot of possession by Bay FC. Any attack by the Pride ended in a turnover off a bad pass or ill-conceived long shots as Orlando’s attackers were impatient in building play. Turnover after turnover plagued the Pride for the remainder of the half as they did not threaten at all until the 45th minute, when Banda took on Maddie Moreau and Kundananji, shook them both loose, and then crossed the ball into an empty area at the back post with no one to finish.

It was a fitting final piece of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as the half wrapped without any plays of interest. The Pride weren’t able to lead any of the statistics, tying Bay FC in shots (4-4), while Bay FC led in shots on target (3-1), possession (53%-47%), and passing accuracy (85%-83%). Neither team was able to force a corner in the first half.

To start the second half, Hines subbed in Summer Yates for Abello, which pushed Mace back to the back line. In the 48th minute, Kundananji got behind when Anderson got caught out and was sizing up a one-on-one with Moorhouse. Dyke hustled back and blocked the shot.

“We started the game super strong, super intense, but I think we fell off towards the end of that first half,” Dyke said. “We got a little too stretched between the lines and weren’t getting enough pressure on the ball and we talked about that at halftime. We needed to stay more compact and then pick our moments to go.”

Go they did. Three minutes later, Yates sent a through ball angled behind Banda which allowed her to run onto the ball unopposed. She beat goalkeeper Emmie Allen, who came out of the box aggressively to defend, and then passed the ball into the net in the 51st minute.

Four minutes later, Banda pressured Allen, forcing the goalkeeper into a clearance out of play. On the ensuing throw-in, Banda held off Bebar in the box, spun, and crossed the ball to Dyke, who put the ball in off the crossbar. The ability of the Pride to retain possession and work the ball in against a lesser opponent opened up the scoring and turned the game on its head.

Bay FC didn’t have a lot to do over the next stretch of time and Taylor Huff went down with an injury in the 61st minute, prompting a change as she was subbed out for Karlie Lema. Dorian Bailey came on for Joelle Anderson in the same stoppage but at the 62nd minute.

The teams went back and forth for a bit until the Pride drew a corner in the 71st minute. It deflected off a Bay FC defender and fell to Rafaelle at the far post, who headed it just wide. Three minutes later, Jacquie Ovalle and Zara Chavoshi wrapped up the Pride substitutions by coming in for Payne and Mace. Bay FC also took the stoppage in the 74th minute to sub two players in, bringing on Keria Barry and Onyeka Gamero for Kundananji and Girelli.

Unfortunately, in the 81st minute, Banda was dribbling down the left side when she pulled up lame and went to the ground off the pitch. She stayed there until tended to and was obviously upset. We’ll have to wait for any injury news on her. Bay FC made its final substitution in the ensuing stoppage in the 82nd minute, bringing on Kelli Hubly for Conti.

The injury to Banda left the Pride playing with only 10 players for the remaining 15 minutes (including added time) due to using up all three substitution windows. They stayed fairly solid in defense and played a lot of keep-away ball to see out the victory while playing short.

“A great way to finish this part of the season with a win at home. I think we were consistent today and we took the chances we created,” Luana said. “We’ve been having highs and lows in this part of the season but we bounced back in these two wins and it brought us a lot of confidence.”

Orlando City was ahead in the only stat that matters, goals, but trailed in every other major stat. Bay FC finished ahead in shots (14-8), shots on target (5-4), possession (54%-46%), passing accuracy (85%-84%), and corners (4-1).

The Orlando Pride now will be off until early July for the NWSL World Cup break. The next match is scheduled for July 3 in Los Angeles against Angel City FC.

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Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride return home to face Bay FC in their final game before the FIFA World Cup break.

Published

4 days ago

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May 29, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (4-5-2, 14 points) return home from a three-game road trip to take on Bay FC (3-5-2, 11 points). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams with the return game scheduled for Sept. 27 in San Jose.

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

History

Bay FC is one of two expansion teams that entered the NWSL for the 2024 season. The teams have met four times, with the Pride holding a 3-0-1 record and a 1-0-1 mark at home in the series.

The most recent meeting took place on Sept. 13, 2025, in Orlando. The visitors took the lead just before halftime when Racheal Kundananji headed in a long pass by Caprice Dydasco. The Pride equalized in the second half, when Ally Watt headed a Jacquie Ovalle cross past Jordan Silkowitz to claim a 1-1 draw.

On June 13 of last year in San Jose, CA, Bay FC led almost every statistical category, but the Pride defense held strong until Barbra Banda scored shortly after halftime. The Pride withstood attack after attack, coming away with a hard-fought 1-0 win.

The teams met twice in 2024, with the first-ever game between the clubs occurring on May 11. Just prior to the half-hour mark, Banda dribbled inside and Deyna Castellanos attempted an ill-advised challenge, resulting in a foul in the box and a Pride penalty. Adriana put the ball into the bottom left corner for the only goal, lifting the Pride to a 1-0 win. It was the sixth win in an NWSL-record, eight-game win streak.

The teams met for the second time on Sept. 20, 2024. It looked like the game might be headed for a scoreless draw until Banda got her head on the end of a Carson Pickett cross, redirecting it past Katelyn Rowland to give the Pride the 1-0 win.

Overview

The Pride return home tonight after a difficult road trip that saw the team fall 2-1 to Boston Legacy FC and 3-1 to Denver Summit FC. Having already lost to both expansion teams, they headed west to face San Diego Wave FC, a team near the top of the standings. But Nicole Payne’s first professional goal lifted Orlando to a 1-0 win.

Despite not scoring in two of the last three games, Banda still leads the league with nine goals in 10 games this season. She has a two-goal lead on Ashley Sanchez, who is second in the league. Haley McCutcheon is the only other Pride player with multiple goals, scoring twice in the same game. Ovalle, Marta, and Hannah Anderson have the team’s other three goals. The assists have been spread out much more evenly with Ovalle, McCutcheon, and Rafaelle all sharing the team lead with two.

The clean sheet against San Diego was big for the back line as the team has conceded too many goals recently. Dating back to their 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville FC on April 24, the Pride have conceded multiple goals in four of the last six games. The only other game in which they didn’t concede at least twice was a 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 8, their last home game.

Tonight is the Pride’s last game before the league breaks for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After the game, they won’t play again until July 3 and won’t play at home until July 10. That makes getting a quality result tonight essential for momentum going through the remainder of the season.

If you’re looking for a team to win against, Bay FC is one of the most likely candidates. The Bay -area side sits 13th in the NWSL on 11 points, just four points ahead of Louisville for last place. Tonight’s visitors are currently on a four-game winless run (0-2-2) and a two-game losing streak. Their last win was a 1-0 victory against San Diego on May 3. The club’s most recent games are a 2-0 loss to Portland Thorns FC on May 20 and a 1-0 loss to Chicago Stars FC on May 24.

Bay FC has struggled this year on both ends of the field. Its eight goals are second fewest in the league and Bay is one of three teams with single-digit goals this year. Meanwhile, the team’s 14 goals conceded are sixth in the league. The California side has been better defensively overall than the Pride, who have conceded 16 goals, but worse offensively, as the Pride have scored 15 goals so far this year.

Bay FC has been led in the attack by Alex Pfeiffer and Dorian Bailey with two goals each. Kundananji, Taylor Huff, Keira Barry, and Joelle Anderson have one apiece. Pfeiffer also leads the team in assists with two, tied with Cristina Girelli. Huff and Sydney Collins are the only other players with assists this season.

It should help the Pride tonight that Bay FC will be missing two key players. Silkowitz and starting center back Aldana Cometti were sent off against Chicago Sunday, meaning they’ll miss tonight’s game.

However, the Pride have their own key absences. In addition to injuries that have accumulated this season, Angelina was handed an additional game’s suspension after being sent off on May 16 for pulling Delanie Sheehan’s hair.

“We’re looking forward to it. Looking forward to being back home,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “It’s been a long road trip. Excited to get in front of our own fans. Want to create that atmosphere, make it hostile for Bay FC. We know it’s a quick turnaround for both teams as well, so we want to make sure that we start off on the front foot, build on what we achieved last Sunday in San Diego, and finish this part of the season on a high.”

The Pride will be without Angelina (suspension), Cosette Morche (ankle), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Marta (thigh) and Ovalle (thigh) are listed as questionable. Bay FC will be without Cornetti (suspension), Abby Dahlkemper (maternity leave), Anouk Denton (lower leg), Dydasco (maternity leave), Heather Gilchrist (knee), Alyssa Malonson (knee), Emily Menges (maternity leave), Pfeiffer (knee), and Silkowitz (suspension).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.

Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.

Attacking Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Luana, Nicole Payne.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Zara Chavoshi, Hannah Anderson, Julie Doyle, Marta, Jacquie Ovalle, Summer Yates, Seven Castain, Simone Jackson.

Bay FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Emmie Allen.

Defenders: Sydney Collins, Joelle Anderson, Brooklyn Courtnall, Maddie Moreau.

Defensive Midfielders: Hannah Bebar, Claire Hutton.

Attacking Midfielders: Racheal Kundananji, Caroline Conti, Taylor Huff.

Forward: Cristiana Girelli.

Bench: Camryn Miller, Kelli Hubly, Jamie Shepherd, Dorian Bailey, Karlie Lema, Onyeka Gamero, Tess Boade, Keira Barry.

Referees

REF: Jaclyn Metz.
AR1: Art Arustamyan.
AR2: Adam Cook.
4TH: Edson Carvajal.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Katarzyna Wasiak.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: NWSL+.

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

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Pride need to do to earn all three points against Bay FC?

Published

5 days ago

on

May 28, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride welcome Bay FC to Inter&Co Stadium this Friday night for the last match before the World Cup break. This is an opportunity to get a win over a team lower in the table and move up in the standings. What must the Pride do to earn all three points against Bay FC this weekend?

Keep the Chip

I have been asking all season on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for the Pride to play with the chip on their shoulder that they had when they won the double in 2024. We saw that against the San Diego Wave. My hope is that the players have now remembered what that feels like and will execute with the same level of intensity going forward.

The task is potentially a little easier against Bay FC, as the California-based side has scored less than half the number of goals that the Wave have this season. Of course, that is the trap. The Pride cannot slack off against Bay FC. Having Rafaelle anchoring the defense is a big help, and moving Hailie Mace out to right back has proven effective. In 2024, this team hated — with a capital “H” — conceding goals. They took it personally. That is the passion I want again. The chip on the shoulder.

Overwhelm and Outscore

As I mentioned above, Bay FC is not a prolific scoring team. Friday’s visitors have also given up 14 goals this season. That’s not the best or the worst in the league, but they haven’t faced Barbra Banda yet. The Orlando Pride don’t have any trouble creating chances, but they have had trouble getting anyone other than Banda to finish them this season. Banda leads the league in goals, and she has an opportunity to maintain or extend that lead against Bay FC.

What will truly make the difference for the Pride against Bay FC is if any of the other players can contribute a goal. We saw the space that Banda can provide her teammates when Nicole Payne scored her first goal against San Diego. Now I want other players to take advantage of that space to provide some goals for the Pride.

More Luana

Luana got her first start since coming back to the squad cancer-free. I think we’ve forgotten that she was a starter on the 2024 squad before her Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. She was a starter on a team that won the double. Now she is back and she is a leader and an inspiration for her fellow players.

Given Marta’s limited minutes, having Luana out there as a stabilizing presence is important. Obviously, she brings a different skill set than Marta but still a critical one. Much like the defense, the midfield was better last match, and I feel she was a big part of that.

That is what I will be looking for on Friday night. The Pride can head into the World Cup break on a high with a victory. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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