Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Photo Gallery

Well, the Orlando Pride managed to dodge the lightning and most of the raindrops, but couldn’t quite dodge video review, as referee Elvis Osmanovic changed his initial ruling, awarding Gotham a penalty. That decision led to a late Pride loss to Gotham at Exploria Stadium, leaving Orlando pointless (0-3-0) on the nascent season.

The first half saw both teams able to advance the ball, but neither was able to provide the final pass or finish chances. The second half settled into more of a rhythm, with each team sustaining advantage for sections of the final 45 (plus) minutes, but the same inability in the attacking third persisted for both teams. It looked as if the game would end in a scoreless draw until a glacial video review awarded Gotham a penalty for a Caitlin Cosme handball in the box. Midge Purce smartly converted in the upper right, leaving Kaylie Collins no chance in her NWSL debut. Whether it was disappointment at conceding in stoppage time the second week in a row, or the distraction of the six-minute (!) VAR stoppage, Orlando lost focus and conceded a second goal in the 17th minute of added time (you read that correctly…17 minutes!) to seal the loss.

Despite the impending weather and the disappointing previous games, a decent crowd of 5,258 came out to support the team. That, combined with the club’s efforts to engage the spectators at halftime (T-shirt cannon anyone?), made for a refreshed atmosphere that hopefully will help energize the Pride into some better results soon. We hope that comes across in the photos from the game and we encourage you to attend one soon.