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Orlando Pride vs. OL Reign: Final Score 2-1 as Late Megan Rapinoe Goal Halts Pride’s Unbeaten Run

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2 years ago

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A second-half, injury-time goal saw OL Reign (7-4-6, 27 points) defeat the Orlando Pride (5-6-6, 21 points) 2-1 at Exploria Stadium, putting an end to Orlando’s seven-match unbeaten run. The Pride took the lead in the 37th minute when Meggie Dougherty Howard took advantage of a mistake in the back, but second-half goals by Bethany Balcer and Megan Rapinoe lifted the visitors to the win.

Pride Interim Head Coach Seb Hines only made one change to the team that beat San Diego Wave FC 1-0 and NJ/NY Gotham FC 2-1 last weekend. Toni Pressley was unavailable for selection due to being in COVID protocol and was replaced by Carrie Lawrence. As a result, the back four in front of Erin McLeod was Celia, Megan Montefusco, Lawrence, and Kylie Strom. Dougherty Howard and Jordyn Listro were the defensive midfielders behind Erika Tymrak, Viviana Villacorta, and Kerry Abello, with Julie Doyle starting up top.

OL Reign dominated this game from the start. The Pride were unable to get the ball out of the back, repeatedly turning the ball over in their own end. It was 37 minutes before the Pride got their first real chance of the game. However, they stayed in the game because of some blocked shots by Lawrence and Montefusco, as well as the Reign only putting five of their 15 shots on target.

Rose Lavelle got a shot off for the game’s first chance in the fifth minute and Rapinoe took one in the sixth minute, but both were blocked away. They had another chance in the 11th minute when Celia conceded a corner. Rapinoe sent it to the near post but Alana Cook flicked it over the crossbar.

In the 13th minute, a Pride turnover gave Lavelle the opportunity to fire on goal from the top of the box. The ball beat McLeod but was off the crossbar, the closest chance of the opening minutes.

Two minutes later, Jess Fishlock sent a cross into the box that found the foot of Jordyn Huitema near the six-yard box. The forward volleyed the ball towards goal but it was right at McLeod, who made the catch.

In the 21st minute, Villacorta reached out for a ball near the sideline and appeared to roll onto her left ankle. The midfielder went down and required treatment. She tested her ankle on the sideline while the Pride played with 10, but ultimately wasn’t able to continue and was replaced by Mikayla Cluff.

“I’m not sure. Hopefully, fingers crossed, it’s nothing too serious,” Hines said about Villacorta’s injury. “We have to remember that this is her first season back from an ACL. So the way that she’s progressed and she’s been such an important part of our success.”

In the 34th minute, Strom tripped up Huitema as she attempted to beat her about 30 yards from goal. The ensuing free kick was taken by Rapinoe, who sent a bending ball into the box. The ball skipped past several players on its way through, without anyone being able to get a touch on it.

After 36 minutes of play, the game had been dominated by OL Reign. The visitors led in every statistic, recording seven shots and 13 crosses. Conversely, the Pride hadn’t created any chances, recording no shots, corner kicks, or crosses. But somehow they managed to score first.

In the 37th minute, the visitors attempted to play the ball out of the back. The Pride were pressing Sam Hiatt but she played the ball right to Dougherty Howard. The midfielder took a long shot at goal — the team’s first of the game — which deflected off Cook and went past Phallon Tullis-Joyce to give the Pride a very unexpected 1-0 lead.

The visitors nearly equalized a minute into first-half injury time. An OL Reign cross was tipped by the sliding foot of Lawrence and met the head of Balcer at the back post. However, McLeod showed quick reflexes to get to the ball before it got past her and pushed it away.

At halftime, OL Reign had more shots (8-2), shots on goal (3-1), corners (1-0), crosses (14-0) and passing accuracy (84.8%-77.4%). The Pride had slightly more possession (50.1%-49.9%) but were absolutely dominated in the first 45 minutes. However, the mistake by OL Reign allowed the hosts to go into the locker room with a one-goal lead.

“I thought we started the game slow and scared,” Hines said about the first half. “That was our message at halftime was do what we’ve been doing well to get to this point.”

“I think the first half, the last 20 minutes we dominated and we stuck to our principles and we were calm,” Tymrak said about the team’s mindset at halftime. “We were urgent going forward, were confident in how we wanted to play, and at halftime we said we have to keep that going and we play like that. We have this game.”

OL Reign started the second half as they’d played in the first. In the 53rd minute, Fishlock sent a ball towards the back post that was directed for Balcer. However, it was a little too far for the forward and Strom was able to see it out of play.

Following the chance for OL Reign, the Pride made their first second-half substitution. As he’s done in previous games, Hines took off Doyle minutes into the start of the half and brought on Ally Watt. It was Watt’s second appearance for her new team and her first in front of her new hometown fans.

In the 56th minute, the visitors found the equalizer. It started on a headed clearance by Lawrence that didn’t go very far. Tymrak was immediately on Rapinoe, who had collected the ball, but Rapinoe flicked it over Tymrak’s head, creating enough room for a cross. The ball landed on the head of Balcer who was charging into the six-yard box. McLeod got a hand on it but it wasn’t enough and it went into the bottom corner of the goal to even the game at 1-1.

The Reign nearly scored a second just a minute later when a quick throw-in by Rapinoe allowed Huitema to send in a cross at the end line. The cross reached Lavelle right in front of goal but she put it over the crossbar.

The Pride got their first second-half chance in the 67th minute, when Tymrak sent the ball forward for Watt, one of the league’s fastest players. Watt beat the Reign defenders to the ball and was able to get a shot off, but it was over the crossbar.

Following the Pride’s chance, the Reign went back on the attack. Fishlock found Rapinoe overlapping on the left in the 69th minute, allowing the latter to get off a cross. It was just out of reach for McLeod and glanced off the crossbar but none of her teammates were there to get on the end of it.

The Pride nearly had a second chance of the half in the 70th minute when Tymrak sent a low ball into the box. It was behind Dougherty Howard, but the first-half goal scorer managed to flick it on with her heel. Unfortunately, Tullis-Joyce got to it before any Pride attackers could.

Lavelle sent a ball towards the back post in the 73rd minute to set up another opportunity. Sofia Huerta beat her defender to the ball, allowing a chance with McLeod closer to the near post. However, it was a poor attempt and instead of redirecting it on goal, she hit it out of play for a goal kick.

Hines made two more subs in the 76th minute — one offensive and one defensive. On the attacking side, Gunny Jonsdottir came on for Abello. Defensively, Haley Hanson came on for her second appearance for the Pride, replacing Celia.

With time winding down, the visitors continued to push for a winner. In the 90th minute, Fishlock received a short clearance just outside the box. She quickly fired towards goal but hit it wide.

Two minutes into second-half stoppage time, the Reign got their second goal. Huerta sent a great ball towards the back post where Rapinoe was making a run. The forward slid in, getting her foot to the ball and knocking it in to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

“We knew they were good at whipping balls in the box, and they definitely executed on that,” Montefusco said about the second Reign goal. “So we have to give it to them.”

The Pride got one more chance a minute later through Tymrak. The midfielder took a shot from the top of the box that appeared to be heading just inside the post but Tullis-Joyce was able to make her way across the goal and catch it. That was the last action of the game.

In the end, the Pride had more possession (51.9%-48.1%), but OL Reign had more shots (15-8), shots on goal (5-3), crosses (25-6), and more accurate passes (81.2%-78.5%). Additionally, both teams had two corner kicks.

“I felt the second half was better,” Hines said after the game. “It’s a sucker punch at the end because I felt like we were starting to get momentum and we looked like the team that was going to get the winning goal. But, you know, football’s a cruel game at times. And it’s a learning moment for all of us.”

“It’s tough. I’m not gonna lie,” Montefusco said after the game. “You know, I thought our team has been building something really special. Obviously, you can see that out in the field. We put everything out there. It’s just really defeating to go down at the very end like that.”

The Pride will now have two weeks to reflect on this defeat before returning to action on Sept. 9 when they welcome the Portland Thorns to Exploria Stadium.

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Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Pride need to do to secure an NWSL Championship win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday?

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16 hours ago

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November 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Win or lose, the Orlando Pride’s season comes to an end on Saturday night at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. After they defeated the Chicago Red Stars and the Kansas City Current in prior playoff matches, this final match could see the Pride lift the NWSL Championship trophy. The Pride have already won the NWSL Shield earlier in the year, and this second trophy would cement them as one of the greatest teams in NWSL history. Standing in their way is the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, the same Washington Spirit club the Pride defeated to clinch the Shield.

So, what do the Pride need to do to defeat the Spirit and bring home more silverware?

Prepare for a Better Spirit

During the regular season, the Pride defeated the Spirit twice, 3-2 in Washington all the way back in April, and 2-0 at home in October. The Pride may need to scrub these results from their memory and prepare for a more capable and complete opponent. For starters, in the first matchup, the Spirit were led by interim head coach Adrián González, who is still with the club as an assistant. While González performed well in the role, the Spirit are now led by one of the best coaches in the game, Jonatan Giráldez, who took over in July. Before joining the Spirit, Giráldez led Barcelona Femeni, the single most dominant club in Europe during his tenure. In each of the past two seasons, Giráldez’ Barcelona won the Copa de la Reina, Spain’s domestic cup tournament, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, showcasing his skill in coaching championship games.

The Pride were able to beat Giráldez’ Spirit squad just over a month ago, but that matchup was missing several key players on Washington’s side of the pitch. The Spirit were without NWSL Best XI players Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger as well as Best XI Second Team representative Hal Hershfelt. All three of these players have since returned and are likely to play in the NWSL Championship. Ouleye Sarr, the joint leading scorer for Washington along with Rodman, was also out for the October matchup, but she is struggling with a back injury and may not play this weekend. While the Spirit were limited in the last meeting, Orlando was convincing in its 2-0 win. This time around, the Pride will have to prepare for a Spirit team that looks a lot different than the last time out.

Keep the Match to 90 Minutes

One of the key storylines heading into the NWSL Championship is the paths each team has taken. While the higher-seeded teams have won each match of the 2024 playoffs, Orlando has won its matches in regulation, while Washington required extra time to beat Bay FC and penalty kicks to get past NJ/NY Gotham FC. As a result, Orlando has played fewer high-stress minutes in recent weeks and comes in on a great run of form. On the other hand, the Spirit are battle tested, knowing the challenges that come from tight matches. Their goals forcing extra time have come late in matches — the 86th minute against Bay, and the third minute of stoppage time against Gotham. To their credit, the Spirit never know when they are beaten, so Orlando will need to be locked in all the way to the final whistle, hoping to avoid the chaos that ensued at the end of the Kansas City match.

Despite looking shaky at the end of the match against the Current, Orlando’s success this season has come about in the opposite manner of the Spirit’s postseason wins. Orlando has done exceedingly well to get the lead and secure the result. The Pride have only dropped points from winning positions twice, losing none. The semifinal match against Kansas City was also their first come-from-behind victory of the year, showcasing how uncommon it was for them to fall behind in an NWSL match in their 18-win season. Should the NWSL Championship go to extra time, it would be uncharted territory for Orlando. With so few elimination matches in their history, very few players on the roster would have any experience with extra time. The Orlando Pride as a club only participated in their first-ever (then their second and third) penalty shootout in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, winning one of three shootouts. In the end, Orlando will be in a much better position if it can keep this game to 90 minutes.

Marta Magic

The Orlando Pride have four players on the NWSL Best XI first and second teams, but no player is more easily recognized in purple than 38-year-old Marta, the GOAT. While she has been with the Pride since 2017, this campaign (11 goals, 1 assist) has been her most productive since 2017, her first in Orlando (13 goals, 6 assists). The 2017 season was also the last time that Orlando made the playoffs. In 2024, Marta has scored two postseason goals so far, including a magical game winner against the Current. Orlando’s success is inexorably linked to the performances of its best-ever player. Yet, as hard as it is to imagine, the NWSL Championship will be the last match of her existing contract with the Pride, and win or lose, this could be farewell, at least for now. 

On the pitch, Marta will be a focal point for the Orlando attack against the Washington Spirit. While Washington’s Best XI defenders Krueger and Tara McKeown attempt to slow down Barbra Banda and Ally Watt, Marta is likely to drop deep and connect the play. Her precision passing and driving runs in recent matches have contributed mightily to an attack that has now scored 10 goals in the past three matches — three by Marta herself. Beyond these traits, Marta will also be a pitch general for the Pride in this final match, directing traffic and keeping the team locked in and organized. Earlier this year, Marta announced her retirement from international soccer with Brazil and took home the silver medal in the Summer Olympics. Expect Marta to leave it all on the pitch on Saturday, and if it were to be her last match for the Pride, it would be incredible to leave with an NWSL Championship.

Saturday night the NWSL Champions will be crowned. Could one of these keys to victory make the critical difference? Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando Pride Center Back Emily Sams Named 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year

Pride center back Emily Sams adds another honor to her trophy case after being named the NWSL Defender of the Year.

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1 day ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The National Women’s Soccer League announced this evening that Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams has been named the 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year. She’s the first player in club history to win the award. It was the second major NWSL award won by the Pride after Seb Hines was named the league’s Coach of the Year on Tuesday.

Sams played center back during her 2023 rookie season, but moved to right back at the beginning of this year. Brazilian international Rafaelle’s injury trouble forced Sams back to her natural position where she partnered Kylie Strom, forming arguably the best center back partnership in the league. Together with goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse and the rest of the back line, the Pride conceded a league-best 20 goals while tying the league records for most shutouts in a season (13) and setting a new mark for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (554).

Individually, Sams was second in the league with 163 recoveries, and she led the Pride with 108 possessions in the defensive third, 76 clearances, and 16 blocks. Additionally, her 88.18% passing accuracy led all Pride defenders.

Including the playoffs, Sams has played in 27 games this season with 26 starts and recorded 2,365 minutes. She’s recorded 25 tackles and 28 interceptions, winning 30 headed duels and 47% of her tackles. She’s also contributed offensively with a goal and three assists, including assisting Barbra Banda’s first goal in the NWSL quarterfinals against the Chicago Red Stars.

The center back was named to the league’s monthly Best XI three times this year — in May, September, and October/November — and was named to the league’s end-of-the-year Best XI.

The Boise, ID, native played three seasons over five years at Florida State before signing with Racing Louisville’s W League team for the 2022 season. She decided to forgo her senior year at Florida State, signing with the NWSL instead on Aug. 31, 2022. The league loaned her to Swedish club BK Hacken for the remainder of the 2022 season, enabling her to enter the 2023 NWSL Draft. The Pride selected Sams with the third overall pick and she immediately became a key player on the team’s back line.

She was paired with veteran Megan Montefusco at the beginning of her rookie season and Brazilian international Rafaelle after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sams played 22 regular-season games last year, recording 1,977 minutes, 19 interceptions, and 17 tackles. She won 61% of her tackles and 33 headed duels.

Despite not having any caps, Sams was selected by new USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes to compete for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, earning a gold medal. Her first appearance for the national side came on Oct. 24 when she started against Iceland in Nashville, TN.

Preliminary voting for the NWSL Defender of the Year award included league owners, general managers, coaches, players, and media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media with the winner announced this evening. Strom, San Diego Wave FC center back Naomi Girma, North Carolina Courage center back Kaleigh Kurtz, and Washington Spirit center back Tara McKeown were the other finalists.

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Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines Named NWSL Coach of the Year

After a record-breaking regular season, Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year.

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4 days ago

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November 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The National Women’s Soccer League announced this afternoon that Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines had been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year. It’s the first time in the club’s history that a coach has won the award.

In his second year as permanent head coach, Hines led the Pride to a record-breaking season that saw them finish 18-2-6, winning the NWSL Shield. They finished third in the league with 46 goals scored and tied with NJ/NY Gotham FC for a league-best 20 goals conceded. They set five league records this year, including most points in a season (60), most wins in a season (18), longest winning streak (8), longest shutout streak (554 minutes), and longest single-season unbeaten run (23 games). The Pride also tied the league record for clean sheets in a season (13). Dating back to last season’s finale, the club went 24 matches without a loss under Hines. Orlando also drew all three Summer Cup matches this season, giving the Pride 26 matches without a loss in all competitions under Hines in 2023 and 27 games overall dating back to last year. Orlando’s 2.31 points per game in 2024 is second in league history behind the 2018 North Carolina Courage, who had 2.4 points per game. 

The 2024 season caps a rebuild that started following the 2021 NWSL season when the Pride traded away several star players. They hired Amanda Cromwell as head coach for the 2022 season, but she and assistant Sam Greene were suspended and eventually fired for retaliatory behavior. Assistants Michelle Akers and Aline Villares Reis left their positions following the suspensions, leaving Hines as the club’s only option as head coach.

The controversy turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Hines finished the season strong as interim coach, taking the team to a 3-7-5 mark in the final 15 games, which included a seven-game unbeaten run (3-0-4). His performance down the stretch was enough to earn the permanent role. The Pride elevated Hines from interim coach to head coach on Nov. 11, 2022.

In his first year as the club’s permanent head coach, Hines nearly led the Pride to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and second in club history last year, missing out on the goal difference tiebreaker on the final match day of the 2023 campaign. This year, the team came back with the goal of making the postseason and soon became the best team in the league, going the full season without a single home loss in any competition.

Since taking over in June 2022, Hines has become the Pride’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 31-30-12 in league play. His 1.67 points per game and .492 winning percentage also top all previous Pride coaches.

Despite a turnaround that saw the Pride go from one of the worst teams in the league to narrowly missing out on the playoffs, Hines wasn’t a finalist for coach of the year in 2023. It was an easy choice this year as he led the team to its best-ever season and the first trophy in team history.

The team’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars on Nov. 8 was the first playoff win in club history and the Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 Sunday afternoon to secure their spot in the 2024 NWSL Championship, which will be in Kansas City on Saturday night.

The NWSL Coach of the Year Award began with a preliminary round voted on by owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media to determine the winner. The other finalists were Current Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski and Gotham Head Coach Juan Carlos Amoros, last year’s winner.

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