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Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Final Score 2-1 as Ally Watt Scores Winner in Pride Debut

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4 years ago

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The Orlando Pride (5-5-6, 21 points) defeated NJ/NY Gotham FC (4-11-0, 12 points) 2-1 at Subaru Park in the fourth meeting between the two clubs this season. After a scoreless first half, Orlando gained the lead thanks to a goal from Celia and Ally Watt doubled that lead in her first match with Orlando. Kristie Mewis scored for Gotham just minutes after Watt’s goal, but the Pride were able to hold on for the win and extend their unbeaten run to seven games (3-0-4).

Orlando’s current streak equals the club’s second-longest such run in club history.

Pride Interim Head Coach Seb Hines opted for the same starting lineup that won 1-0 on the road last weekend against San Diego Wave FC. The club acquired Watt and defender Haley Hanson earlier this week and both players came off the bench in this one.

Erin McLeod started in goal behind a back line of Celia, Megan Montefusco, Toni Pressley, and Kylie Strom. The midfield consisted of Meggie Dougherty Howard, Jordyn Listro, and Viviana Villacorta, with Kerry Abello, Erika Tymrak, and Julie Doyle forming the attacking line.

The Pride’s best chance of the first half came in the third minute as Tymrak dribbled towards goal and slipped a great pass between defenders for Abello in on goal. Abello had time to pick out her shot and beat Michelle Betos but not the post and the ball didn’t take a favorable bounce for the Pride to pounce on.

It was just one of a flurry of early chances for the Pride. Doyle’s shot in the seventh minute was deflected out for a corner. Although the Pride’s ensuing short corner didn’t yield much, Villacorta did well winning the ball back before Gotham could get it out of its half and won a free kick in the eighth minute. Dougherty Howard’s free kick found Montefusco at the far post, but the defender’s shot from a difficult angle went wide of goal.

Gotham was active on the attacking end as well. With Midge Purce out, Taylor Smith fueled Gotham’s offense and had a shot in the 15th minute that Pressley deflected for McLeod to easily collect.

Tymrak and Doyle connected in the 17th minute as Tymrak snuck another ball past Gotham’s defense, but Betos made the save.

Gotham applied pressure throughout the match and it nearly cost the Pride in the 20th minute. While trying to play out of the back, McLeod sent the ball straight to Nicole Baxter in the box. With Pride players closing down on her, Baxter had to get a quick shot off and it was directed at McLeod for the easy save.

The hosts started to find more opportunities as the half went on. Paige Monaghan had a try from distance in the 22nd minute that went wide of the net. In the 31st minute, Ifeoma Onumonu raced down the wing and cut in towards goal to shoot, but her shot went over the crossbar.

Gotham’s best opportunity of the first half was in the 39th minute as Smith and Monaghan charged toward Orlando’s goal on a counter attack. Smith sent the ball into the box for an open Monaghan, but McLeod made a big save to deny her and keep the game scoreless.

Fueled by Tymrak, the Pride had a few opportunities late in the first half as they aimed to score the game’s first goal. Tymrak and Doyle wreaked havoc in the attacking third again in the 43rd minute, but this time Doyle laid the ball off for Dougherty Howard in front of goal and her shot went wide. In stoppage time, Tymrak applied pressure that forced Betos into playing the ball out of bounds. Moments later, after the throw-in, Tymrak dribbled the ball across the top of the box and fired a shot. It was on target, but Betos made the save and the first half ended scoreless.

At the end of the first half, Orlando edged Gotham in possession (51.7%-48.3%). The Pride also had more shots (9-6), although both sides put three of their shots on target. Both goalkeepers came up with three saves, with McLeod’s stop as the biggest one from either side in the half.

Whereas the first half was filled with end-to-end action, the Pride had a bit more control at the start of the second half and it led to them taking the lead. With numbers in the box, Abello used some fancy footwork to turn her defender around and lob a nice cross to Celia at the far post. Celia’s header was saved, but Gotham couldn’t clear it and she pounced on the rebound. The defender’s shot bounced off of Tymrak on the ground and into the back of the net.

After the goal, Gotham understandably dialed up its pressure and found more of the ball. Hines made changes to address the pressure in the 56th minute as Hanson came on for Celia to make her Pride debut and Mikayla Cluff relieved Abello. Watt made her Pride debut as well in the 63rd minute, coming on for Doyle to give the Pride some speed to capitalize on counters.

“I feel like when I have the ball, I always have a couple of options to play out,” Hanson said about dealing with Gotham’s press in her first game with new teammates. “The players are first class and the coaches want us to play free football. Even though they were high pressing, we can always find a solution out.”

Nahomi Kawasumi came off the bench for Gotham in the 63rd minute as well and things started to open up for Gotham’s other players as a result. McCall Zerboni had a shot that went just wide of the left post in the 67th minute. Jenna Bike then took a crack at goal in the 69th minute. Her attempt was from long range, but that gave it enough time to dip towards goal and McLeod had to tip it over the crossbar for a corner.

Orlando then doubled its lead in the 72nd minute. Dougherty Howard did well to poke a loose ball further up the field for Watt to take it towards the goal. Watt dribbled past Mandy Freeman and then expertly got her shot past Betos and off the far post and in.

“I remember that the coaches always were telling me during the only two practices I had with the team to just dribble, dribble at people, drive at them. So I just made sure I did that,” Watt said in regards to her thoughts during the goal. “I could hear in my head ‘just go, go, go, dribble, dribble, dribble at them,’ and I did. I was so happy that it hit inside the post instead of the other side of it and it didn’t bounce out, but just to drive at them was what I was telling myself.”

It was Watt’s first goal in NWSL this season.

“That’s why we brought them [Watt and Hanson]. We brought them in to make an impact,” Hines said. “Ally being a forward, we spoke about how to turn goals into wins and one of the things is putting the ball in the back of the net and that’s what she did, so she makes an immediate impact by scoring.”

Gotham didn’t take long to respond though. In the 74th minute, Kawasumi faked a cross to create space away from Hanson and then whipped in a cross that Kristie Mewis headed past McLeod to give Gotham life.

The Pride didn’t take long to resume its attack after that, eager to widen the lead again. Just two minutes after Gotham’s goal, Tymrak fired a shot that forced Betos to knock it away for a corner kick. The corner was cleared though and Gotham went on the attack. Smith had a shot inside the box, but Montefusco was there to deflect it before it could trouble McLeod.

But as the game neared its conclusion, Gotham started to find more of the ball as it hunted for an equalizer. However, the Pride did well preventing Gotham players from finding dangerous areas and Gotham had to take its chances from tough spots. Mewis sent a shot from distance wide of goal in the 80th minute and Kawasumi didn’t make clean contact on her shot in the box following a corner in the 81st and sent the ball high into the sky.

Like with their second goal, the Pride’s best opportunities following Gotham’s goal came when counter attacking. Watt was able to find Tymrak with a cross in the 85th minute, but the forward’s header wasn’t on target. A minute later, Cluff won the ball in the midfield and then dribbled to take a shot at the top of the box. There was enough behind it that Betos had to make a diving save before scrambling to clear away the danger before Watt could jump on the rebound.

Orlando then applied pressure of its own late in the match to keep the ball pinned in Gotham’s half of the field and burn minutes off the clock. In stoppage time, Zerboni won the ball from Cluff in the midfield and got the ball to Imani Dorsey, who then sent in a cross that connected with Mewis’s head but went off target. McLeod had to make a save on a low shot from Mewis as well and the Pride were able to hold on for all three points on the road.

Gotham finished with more possession (51.8%-48.2%). The Pride had more shots (17-16) and also put more of them on target (8-6). McLeod finished the game with five saves while Betos had six. After a scoreless first half, both sides were able to find the back of the net by the end of the game, but Watt provided the winner for Orlando.

“Every game by now is massive,” Hines said. “We’re not settled with where we’re at and we want to be in the playoffs. This is another big step to where we want to be. We have some tough games coming up, and we’ve just got to continue with this momentum that we have. Players have a lot of confidence, a lot of belief, and really sticking to the game plan we want to play.”

The Pride are in eighth in the NWSL standings, but are now just two points behind the Chicago Red Stars for a playoff spot. Orlando will aim to keep this momentum going when it returns to Exploria Stadium on Friday to host OL Reign.

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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.

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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.

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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 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

By

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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