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Orlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave FC: Final Score 3-1 as Pride Claim First Win of 2023

Goals by Mikayla Cluff, Haley McCutcheon, and Adriana lift the Pride to their first win of the year.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (1-4-0, 3 points) pulled off a shocking result tonight, defeating San Diego Wave FC (3-2-0, 9 points) 3-1 at Snapdragon Stadium in Southern California. The hosts took an early lead through Jaedyn Shaw and it looked like it would be a long night for the Pride. But Mikayla Cluff equalized and Haley McCutcheon gave the Pride the lead just before halftime. Adriana scored her long-awaited first goal in the second half and the Pride got their first points of the 2023 NWSL regular season.

With the win, Orlando remains unbeaten in the series, improving to 2-0-1 in three meetings with San Diego.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made several changes to tonight’s lineup. Anna Moorhouse returned as starting goalkeeper for the first time since April 2 against Angel City. Caitlin Cosme, Jordyn Listro, and Ally Watt all started in the 2-0 loss to the Kansas City Current last weekend but were on the bench for this one. They were replaced by Cluff, Erika Tymrak, and Messiah Bright.

The back line in front of Moorhouse in this game consisted of McCutcheon, Emily Madril, Megan Montefusco, and Kylie Strom. Viviana Villacorta and Cluff were the defensive midfielders behind Marta, Tymrak, and Adriana, with Bright alone up top.

San Diego looked like one of the best teams in the league early in this game. The Pride tried continuously to get the ball out of their own end, but the Wave’s high press forced multiple turnovers in the Pride’s own third of the field.

Despite their early struggles, it was the Pride that got the first chance in the second minute. Strom played the ball back for Cluff on the left and the midfielder lifted the ball into the box for Bright. The rookie striker had a pair of San Diego defenders around her, but got her head to the ball. Unfortunately, her header was wide of the far post.

The Wave got their first chance in the fifth minute from a Pride turnover. After dribbling through two defenders, Madril played a simple pass back for Cluff. But the pass was well wide of Cluff’s reach, allowing Shaw to take over. The attacker dribbled towards the Pride box and Cluff did well to recover. The challenge forced Shaw into an off-balance shot that went right to Moorhouse.

The Pride had a second opportunity in the sixth minute when Bright carried the ball to the end line and attempted a cross, but Kaleigh Riehl stayed close and deflected it out for a corner kick. The ensuing corner by Adriana was into the box, but San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was able to catch it.

Following that chance by the Pride, the hosts began to take over. In the 11th minute, It was another turnover, this time by Tymrak on San Diego’s half of the field, that started a chance for the Wave. The home side broke the other way in numbers, led by Danielle Colaprico, who played it wide for Sofia Jakobsson. McCutcheon was on the midfielder in the box and Montefusco joined for support. However, that left Shaw wide open near the penalty spot. Her first touch was too strong, but the ball went right to Jakobsson, who continued her run towards goal. The Swedish international shot, but Moorhouse got low to block it and Strom headed the ball away.

San Diego opened the scoring a minute later when Christen Westphal found Colaprico in the middle of the field. She sent Makenzy Doniak to the end line, whose first touch was towards the near post. Shaw beat Montefusco to the ball and Moorhouse to her near post with a great finish from the top of the six-yard box.

In the 16th minute, another good break down field by San Diego nearly doubled the Wave’s lead. Kristen McNabb found Shaw near midfield and the forward did well to shield Montefusco, spinning around the defender to continue the attack. After Belle Briede received the ball behind the Pride defense, she beat an oncoming Moorhouse and shot on goal. Fortunately, Madril was there to block it out for a corner and the Pride avoided a two-goal deficit.

The Pride were on their back foot for the better part of 20 minutes, but took advantage of a San Diego mistake. In the 25th minute, Naomi Girma played a bad pass back for Sheridan who tried to keep it in play, knocking it out for a corner. Adriana took the set piece, sending it to the back post, where Cluff got her head to it and put it past Sheridan for the equalizer. It was Cluff’s first goal of the season.

“We worked through corners, obviously, leading up to this game,” Cluff said about her goal. “Our target was the back post and it was actually, the play was designed for Kylie to get onto it. But it wasn’t really flowing the way we had expected. And so me and Kylie kind of made an adjustment right before and luckily it fell where we wanted it to.”

“Set pieces can be turning points, whether you’re going up in the game or coming back in the game,” Hines said about the goal’s impact. “You could see the confidence after that goal went in with the players. We performed much better, we worked for each other, and, you know me, I love a good set piece headed goal.”

The goal was only the Pride’s second of the NWSL regular season and their first away from Exploria Stadium in all competitions.

The Wave tried to regain the lead in the 31st minute when former Pride forward Rachel Hill dribbled into the box and shot, but Montefusco blocked it out of play. The ensuing corner by Shaw found the head of Riehl with Cluff challenging her. The ball bounced off both heads, ending up at the feet of Doniak, who shot from close distance and over the crossbar.

Getting to halftime at 1-1 would’ve been an accomplishment for the Pride, but they did one better by taking their first lead of the regular season in the 42nd minute. It began when Marta played Villacorta in the middle of the field. A great ball into the Wave box found McCutcheon, who snuck into the space created by Bright’s run and sent a looping header over Sheridan, who was defending her near post. The goalkeeper dove for the ball, but it was too far behind her and found the inside the far post to give the Pride a 2-1 lead. It was the first goal in a Pride uniform for McCutcheon, who joined Orlando midseason last year.

At halftime, the Pride had more possession (52%-48%), but San Diego had more shots (8-5), shots on target (3-2), and corners (5-4). The key to the scoreline was that the Pride scored on both of their accurate attempts.

The Pride continued their late first-half momentum, creating the first chance of the second half. In the 47th minute, Adriana dribbled into the Wave box and used a nice cut to beat Westphal, hitting Riehl with her shot. The Pride players appealed for a handball, but referee Brad Jensen said it was clean and VAR felt the initial call was correct.

Two minutes later, the Pride nearly had a second chance when Strom played a long pass for Marta, streaking behind the Wave defense. If she had bent it a little, the Brazilian might’ve caught up to it, but it was direct and went out of play for a goal kick.

Similar to the beginning of the game, it took five minutes for San Diego to get their first chance of the half. In the 50th minute, Jakobsson used a nice turn to beat McCutcheon and sent a cross to the near post for Shaw. The forward was again the first player to the pass and her first-touch shot was almost identical to her first-half goal. But this time she missed just wide of Moorhouse’s near post.

The Wave had another opportunity in the 53rd minute when Cluff fouled Briede just outside of the Pride box. Shaw stepped up to take the kick, bending it towards the back post. It looked like it would be an easy catch for Moorhouse, but she spilled it to her left where McNabb was charging in. The defender shot towards goal and hit the side netting, allowing the Pride to maintain their one-goal advantage.

Two minutes later, the Pride had a chance from nearly the same spot when Villacorta was fouled by Briede. Marta and Adriana stood over the ball, with the elder Brazilian taking the kick. This one wasn’t as close, with her shot deflecting off of the wall.

Looking for her first goal as a member of the Pride, Adriana shot from long distance in the 61st minute. The shot was deflected by Riehl, sending it towards the corner of the goal. The deflection forced Sheridan to dive as it looked to be heading just inside the post. Regardless of its accuracy, the Canadian international collected it.

In the 64th minute, good passing by Briede and Shaw created a chance for Amirah Ali, who came on two minutes earlier for Hill. She had space and time, but probably rushed her shot a little too much and it went wide.

San Diego’s missed chances came back to haunt the hosts in the 69th minute, when the Pride scored their third goal of the game. A long run by Tymrak to the top of the Wave box allowed her to find Adriana on the right. Girma was on the attacker, but Adriana’s shot went through her legs. Sheridan dove for the ball, but it went under her hand, bounced off the far post, and went in to give the Pride a surprising 3-1 lead.

“I think she really needed that. I think all forwards, they feel good when they come off the field with a goal,” Hines said about Adriana getting her first goal for the Pride. “We had spoke to her about being more selfish, taking on players, getting more shots off. She has a terrific shot. And it’s getting her to use it more often. It’s a brilliant goal, just a half yard and a snap shot, I don’t think any goalkeeper in the world would’ve saved that.”

In addition to being Adriana’s first goal for her new team, it was also the first time the Pride have scored three goals in a game. It was a welcome sight for a team that has struggled offensively prior to this game.

This game also saw some league history in the 71st minute when Melanie Barcenas replaced Briede, becoming the youngest player to appear in the NWSL. The 15-year-old signed a three-year deal with the Wave on March 21 and broke the record previously held by Olivia Moultrie of the Portland Thorns.

The Pride made their first change in the 73rd minute when Ally Watt came on for Cluff. The substitution was a bit of a surprise as it was an attacking change. Additionally, Marta had yet to play more than an hour this season as she returns from a torn ACL, so some expected the Brazilian to come off.

Seven minutes after coming on, Barcenas made her first impact on the game. After receiving the ball from Ali, some nifty footwork provided enough time for Ali to run behind her. Barcenas played it back to Ali who shot towards goal, but the attempt was high.

The Pride made their second change in the 79th minute. This time it was a defensive change, which made sense with a two-goal lead, as defensive midfielder Jordyn Listro replaced the more attacking Tymrak.

The Wave continued to apply pressure as time wound down. In the 84th minute, a corner was cleared by Montefusco, but Girma sent the ball back into the Pride box. Ali won the ball, heading it back for Shaw, but her shot was over the goal.

It looked like the hosts got one back in the 89th minute when Colaprico sent Ali behind the Pride defense. The forward did well to reach the ball before it crossed the end line and cut back to beat Strom. Her shot was off Madril’s foot and past Moorhouse, but the assistant’s flag went up for offside on Colaprico’s long pass.

As the game entered second-half injury time, the Wave pushed for a goal and the Pride tried to kill the clock. Adriana did well on multiple occasions to take the ball to the corner, even when Marta wanted to be sent into the San Diego box. Additionally, the Pride did well to stay compact defensively, providing few paths through the defense.

The only real chance in the final minutes came two minutes into stoppage time when Shaw sent Ali through. However, this pass was a bit too far, allowing Moorhouse to collect it near the top of the box.

San Diego led most statistical categories at the end, including possession (52.2%-47.5%), shots (17-14), corners (7-4), and crosses (21-12). But the Pride had more shots on target (6-4) and passed more accurately (85.3%-81.4%), leading to their 3-1 win.

“Obviously delighted with the win. It was a great team performance. From all the players, the intensity of in possession and out of possession was terrific and to come to a place like this and come away with three points is really impressive,” Hines said after the game. “Trusting the players because we’ve had glimpses of what we can do in previous games, but today was probably the most, overall, complete performance that we’ve put together. So I’m really happy for the players and all the staff to come away with three points.” 

“We’ve been battling every game for it so it’s nice to finally get that result,” Cluff added. “We’ve been super close every game so it’s nice that we finally had a positive finish.”

The Pride had a tough start to the season, losing their first four league games and three at home. They’ve been close to claiming points in each of their home games and Hines said this result could be a turning point.

“I was really pleased that we controlled the game with possession and found the little pockets and played through the lines and still looked threatening in the attack,” he said after the game. “Because we got end product. We managed to get shots. We managed to get through balls, even set pieces. So it’s starting to come together.

“We have to look forward to the next game back at home and do the same at home as well in front of our own fans. That’s important to me and the rest of the staff, that we start putting these performances together in front of our fans as well.”


The Pride will look to do that next Saturday night when they welcome Racing Louisville to Exploria Stadium.

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride Sign Midfielder Haley McCutcheon to New Contract

The midfielder extends her stay in the City Beautiful with a new deal through 2028.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Orlando Pride veteran midfielder Haley McCutcheon extended her stay in Central Florida after agreeing to a new contract through the 2028 season. The club officially announced the new deal this afternoon.

The 29-year-old native of Overland Park, KS joined the Pride on Aug. 18, 2022 in a trade with the Houston Dash in exchange for $75,000 in Allocation Money and a 2023 second-round draft pick the Pride had acquired from OL Reign. She was still known as Haley Hanson at the time. Since then, McCutcheon has become a mainstay in the Pride lineup — first as a right back before moving to the defensive midfield in recent seasons. She helped the club win the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship in 2024.

Two months after her arrival, McCutcheon signed a new contract through the 2024 season. The University of Nebraska product signed a new three-year contract through the 2026 season on Dec. 20, 2023. As has become customary for the Pride, the club has locked her down well before her current contract was set to expire.

“Haley’s leadership on the pitch, her versatility in multiple positions, and her unwavering commitment to our community make her an invaluable part of our foundation,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter said in a club press release. “Her clutch performances in our 2024 playoff run, including crucial goals against Chicago and Kansas City, demonstrated why she’s such a vital piece of our championship culture. This extension reflects our commitment to retaining the core players who helped bring the NWSL Shield and championship to Orlando, and we’re excited to continue building on that success with Haley leading the way.” 

McCutcheon has appeared in 73 matches across all competitions in her time with the Pride, logging five goals and one assist in her time in purple. Two of those goals and her assist have come during the 2025 season, in which she has appeared in all 13 matches (12 starts), playing 1,059 minutes and recording 17 tackles, a 68% tackle success rate, and nine interceptions.

After her arrival in 2022, The Mane Land staff gave the defender/midfielder a composite grade of 5 out of 10, although she had only appeared in six matches and started four, playing 373 minutes without a goal contribution. That rating improved to a 6 after a 2023 season that saw her start all 22 matches in the regular season, subbing off only twice and playing 1,955 minutes. She scored her first goal with the Pride that season in a win over the San Diego Wave in April and appeared in her 100th NWSL match in Orlando’s 3-0 road win over the Washington Spirit on July 1, 2023. She again improved her performance in 2024, receiving a 6.5 from our staff for a steady season that saw her appear in 22 matches (18 starts), playing 1,700 minutes without a goal contribution in the regular season. However, she shone in the postseason, starting all three games and playing all 270 minutes, scoring two vital goals to help the Pride navigate through Chicago, Kansas City, and Washington en route to the NWSL Championship.

The Houston Dash selected McCutcheon seventh overall in the 2018 NWSL Draft. She is approaching 200 career NWSL appearances — currently sitting on 173 — scoring six times and adding four assists. She was a part of the Dash side that won the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup.

McCutcheon was a two-time All-Big Ten honoree during her time at Nebraska, where she played in 75 games, scored 19 goals, and chipped in seven assists.

What It Means for Orlando

By retaining McCutcheon through 2028, the Pride have solidified a central midfield slot for the next three seasons. McCutcheon will turn 30 in February, so she will be 32 when this deal expires. Her play is important, but her leadership is equally valuable to the Pride. McCutcheon’s clutch play and experience are important to have on the roster. She’s also versatile enough to fill in at multiple spots.

This is probably the first of many announcements the Pride will make in the coming weeks and months. Without games to focus on for several weeks during the NWSL break, the club can spend time assessing future roster needs and addressing them without distracting players from upcoming matches. By our unofficial count, there are nine Pride players who are on contracts that expire at the end of 2025 and four more who have option years for 2026 as part of their deals.

 

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Orlando Pride Must Improve Attack During Summer Break

The Pride have been great defensively but struggled offensively this season. That must change.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The Orlando Pride got the 2025 season off to a flying start. But, while the defense has largely been great, the team has struggled in the attack. It’s something that must be fixed during the summer break if the Pride hope to repeat as NWSL champions.

The Pride started the season about as strong as you could hope. It began with a 6-0 thumping of the Chicago Stars, followed by wins over NJ/NY Gotham FC and San Diego Wave FC, two of the best teams in the league. The Pride outscored their competition 10-1 in those first three games, netting multiple goals in each.

However, things have gone downhill on the attacking side since then. Only twice in the last 10 games have the Pride scored multiple goals — a 3-2 comeback win over Angel City FC on April 25 and a 3-1 win over the Utah Royals on May 23.

The attack has largely been placed on the foot of striker Barbra Banda, who has eight goals this season. However, five of those eight goals were in two games — a brace against Chicago and a hat trick against Utah.

Marta is second on the team this season with three goals, with her last coming in the April win over Angel City. Since that game, only three players have scored. Adding to Banda’s four goals, Prisca Chilufya and Cori Dyke have netted one each — their only goals of the season.

A big problem for the Pride this year has been support up top for the star striker. Too often Banda ends up alone in the opposing third surrounded by defenders. The Zambian does her best to create space, but usually slams a shot into a defender or takes an off-balance attempt that sails wide and high of the goal.

Making this situation more confounding is that the Pride often have the fastest player in the league on the field. Ally Watt can outrun any player in the NWSL, including Banda. But the team-wide defense often sees the speedster defending in her own box. It’s something Pride Head Coach Seb Hines prioitizes.

Defending as a team has been a focal point since Hines took over partway through the 2022 season. It’s been successful, as the Pride have built a reputation as one of the best defensive squads in the league. They conceded a league-fewest 20 goals last year and lead the league again this season with just 10 allowed.

While putting numbers behind the ball keeps the opposition from scoring, it hurts the team going forward. The Pride has a tendency to take the route one appraoch of sending Banda into the opposing half. But since everyone else is behind the ball defensively, nobody is supporting the striker, leaving her to take on the entire opposing defense on her own.

As the Pride enter the lengthy summer break, the task for Hines and Haley Carter is clear. The duo must find a way to improve the number of goals scored.

One option is to change the attacking strategy. Turning Watt from essentially a midfielder into a strike partner and keeping her further upfield will provide some help for Banda. Since Banda likes to attack the opposition on her own, they can also push the striker to use her support when it arrives.

Another option is to change the typical starting lineup. Hines has turned Angelina from a defensive midfielder into an attacking midfielder this season — a position she can, and has played, but not necessarily her best role. While the Brazilian has played well, she doesn’t have the pace of Julie Doyle.

Doyle and Watt have flanked Marta in the attacking midfield before, causing problems for defensive back lines. The duo are the two of the fastest players on the team and could provide more support for Banda.

Doyle has been working back to form after returning from a knee injury suffered on March 14. The attacker has been on and off the availability report, listed as questionable Friday night in Louisville. But the extended break could see her ready for action when the season reconvenes.

Regardless of their decision, something has to change for the Pride in the second half of the season. The defense will likely contnue to be among the best, but you can’t expect the team to keep opponents to one goal or fewer every game.

If the Pride can find a way to score goals, they have a great opportunity to catch the Kansas City Current for the NWSL Shield and compete for a second consecutive league title. Whether that happens may depend on if the team can fix its offensive woes.

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Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville: Final Score 2-0 as Pride Still Can’t Win in Kentucky

The Pride lacked quality but not effort in a frustrating 2-0 road loss at Louisville.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride were looking to end the first half of the season on a high note, but ended up doing just the opposite in a forgettable performance at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville. Orlando (8-4-1, 25 points) continued to waste scoring opportunities, but instead of playing the stalwart defense of the last couple of games, the Pride also failed to mark at the back post on a set piece and conceded an unnecessary penalty to gift the hosts a two-goal advantage in a 2-0 loss to Racing Louisville (6-5-2, 20 points).

Center back Arin Wright scored her first goal of the season and Taylor Flint added a penalty kick goal for Racing. The Pride dropped to 0-4-1 at Louisville since the series began and fell eight points adrift of first-place Kansas City, although the focus for now should perhaps be on finding their offense rather than catching the Current.

“Obviously disappointed with the result,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said after the match. “It’s come down to two set pieces.”

Hines’ starting lineup included goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse behind a back line of Cori Dyke, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Ohihane. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were the central midfielders with Summer Yates and Ally Watt outside and Marta and Barbra Banda up top.

Louisville came out pressing high and pinning Orlando back in its own end. The Pride eventually settled into the game, worked hard and seized the advantage in terms of possession and chances. However, they were wasteful with their few clear-cut opportunities, and rather than build an early lead, Orlando ended up gifting Racing an early advantage and had to play catch-up — something the Pride simply couldn’t do on this night.

Marta was called for an early foul that she knew little about, jumping up between two defenders. Ary Borges backed into her space, and there was contact, with Marta getting saddled with the foul. Sarah Weber got her head to the cross on the free kick, sending it just inches over the crossbar and onto the roof of the net in the fourth minute.

Orlando’s first shot came in the seventh minute after the Pride broke Racing’s pressure. The ball found Banda, who cut inside from left to right and fired from the top of the box. The Zambian international left her shot too close to goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer, who got down and made the save.

The Pride suffered a blow moments later as Oihane went down without contact trying to keep a ball in play at the sideline. She was clearly in a lot of pain and had to be subbed off. While waiting for the sub, the game played on with Orlando using just 10 players.

Racing kept the pressure on and that resulted in shots from distance as the Pride left too much space just outside the area. Taylor Flint had a go from 30 yards out but sent her rising effort over the bar in the 11th minute. A minute later, Savannah DeMelo sent a shot from the top of the area over the goal.

Hines was finally able to send Kerry Abello on in the 13th minute, slotting her in on the left and moving Dyke to right back.

McCutcheon’s foul near the left corner of the box just past the quarter-hour mark gave Louisville a dangerous set piece shortly after the substitutions. DeMelo fired the free kick on target, and Moorhouse caught it and then got bundled over by Ary Borges who was pressed from behind by Sams.

Orlando started to settle into the game a bit after that, but did not execute well in the attack. Banda allowed Ellie Jean to knock the ball away from her in the box in the 17th minute. Moments later, Marta’s set piece delivery into the box from near the right corner of the penalty area was too low and easily cleared.

The Pride started winning corners but took all of them short, possibly to avoid Racing’s height, but they created nothing with the opportunities except a few long-range shots. On the first, Yates was knocked down in the box in the 23rd minute after getting to the end line, but the referee ruled it was a fair challenge.

Orlando should have scored in the 28th minute. Watt put in a fantastic cross to a wide-open Yates at the back post. With plenty of open net to shoot at, Yates pushed her free header wide of the left post, wasting a sitter.

“I mean, goals change games,” Hines said. “We had a chance just before their set piece (goal) where the ball gets to Ally (Watt), she takes on Courtney Petersen, puts in a really good cross. And (Yates) gets her head on it, but it wasn’t on target. And I think if that had gone in, it might have changed the trajectory of the game. You know, you’re then asking Louisville to be even more aggressive. There’s more space for us to manipulate.”

A minute later, the game turned in Louisville’s favor. Banda was too indecisive after receiving the ball in the attacking third. Leaving the ball at her feet and trying to head fake, Racing easily dispossessed the forward and broke in transition, winning a corner at the other end. Louisville paid off the set piece when Orlando left two players completely unmarked at the back post. Unlike Yates earlier, Wright got her head on the ball and didn’t miss the net, putting the hosts up 1-0 in the 30th minute. Former Pride fullback Courtney Petersen got the assist for her delivery.

Angelina fired from outside the box on a couple of short corners but the first, which may have been a back-post pass to Nadaner, went wide and out of play in the 34th minute.

Orlando again should have scored in the 35th minute. Watt did well to steal the ball in the attacking third and immediately played it to Banda. The goalkeeper was caught out, but Banda was deliberate in lining up her shot. Once she did, she missed the net entirely.

Watt had a chance to cross into the box in the 38th minute but sent her service right at Bloomer. Angelina fired a good effort from distance in the 40th minute. The dipping shot was on target but Bloomer was able to knock it out for a corner. Orlando played it short again and Angelina fired from distance only to see it deflect out off a defender. The Brazilian then ended up with yet another shot from range on the next corner, but sent it right at Bloomer.

Banda had a chance to play Marta in alone in the first minute of stoppage time, but she didn’t get enough on the pass. Flint was able to close down and knock it out for another corner. Nothing came of that one either, and moments later the half was over with the Pride staring up at a 1-0 deficit in a game they probably should have led.

The Pride finished the first half with the advantage in possession (57%-43%), shots (9-7), shots on target (4-2), corners (6-1), and passing accuracy (82%-79%). But the wasted opportunities and moment of inattentive set piece defending had the hosts out front at the break.

Hines made his second change at the half, sending Carson Pickett on for Yates. After the match, Hines said Yates hadn’t been feeling well and needed to come off, so she became the second unexpected substitution of the match.

“It kind of disrupted the momentum that we had in the first half going into the second half,” Hines said of sacrificing Oihane and Yates. “But we have good players who can adapt, and so I thought we still put them under pressure going to the second half, playing through the press.”

Louisville started the second half much like the first — as the aggressor. Emma Sears blasted wide just after the restart. On the ensuing goal kick, Orlando quickly turned it over and Borges ended up in alone on goal with the ball. With just Moorhouse to beat, the Brazilian smashed the ball off the right post, wasting an opportunity to make it 2-0 in the 49th minute.

Orlando’s first attack of the second half came in the 50th minute and it quickly broke down. Banda tried to find Pickett as she approached the box, but she made a mess of the pass and the defense cleared. The ball went to Marta at the top of the area, and the Pride captain saw her shot blocked. The rebound found Banda, who send a soft shot straight at Bloomer.

“I just think at this moment in time, everyone’s kind of adapted to us,” Hines said. “We’re getting into really good, promising positions, and we just need to execute in that last final part.”

Wright did well to keep a cross from reaching McCutcheon at the back post in the 53rd minute. Both players needed treatment after a clash of heads and were off the pitch for a few minutes.

Sears nearly made it 2-0 in the 61st minute, losing Dyke in the corner, cutting inside and must missing the far post by about a yard.

Louisville put the game away a few minutes later. On a routine throw-in, Sams was positioned well behind Weber just inside the box near the right sideline. Rather than hold her position, she tried to muscle her way around the Louisville forward, pulling her down. The referee pointed to the spot immediately.

Former Pride midfielder Flint took the spot kick. Moorhouse guessed correctly, but Flint placed the shot well to make it 2-0 in the 68th minute.

Shortly after the second goal, Hines pulled Marta, McCutcheon, and Dyke, subbing on Morgan Gautrat, Ally Lemos, and Simone Jackson, who made her NWSL debut. Those three were not likely to provide the missing piece of the attack, and they didn’t, as Orlando continued to struggle in the offensive third.

Banda put a shot on frame from a tight angle on the right in the 78th minute, but it was a comfortable save for Bloomer. The ball fell in the box near the end line where Wright was prone. Banda ran in to try to win it, but Wright wisely knocked it out off the Zambian for a goal kick.

Weber nearly made it 3-0 on another Louisville corner kick opportunity in the 80th minute. This one was slightly more contested than Wright’s and Weber put her shot wide.

Down the stretch, Orlando wasted a couple more short corners and simply couldn’t find any lethality. Banda missed the net four times in the game’s final minutes on what was an apparently frustrating night for the Golden Boot contender.

Orlando’s statistical advantage was not reflective of the final score. The Pride finished with the edge in possession (64%-36%), shots (16-14), shots on target (7-3), corners (11-3), and passing accuracy (82%-74%).

“I learned that nothing’s given, no matter what rank you are as a team,” Jackson said after making her pro debut. “So, it’s like everyone is coming after you. You have a target on your back when you wear this badge. So, I think it was wake-up call for a lot of us, and I think that I’m excited for the second half of this season.”


The Pride have a long break to stew in this performance, as the NWSL schedule won’t resume for several weeks. Orlando’s next NWSL is Aug. 3, when the Utah Royals visit Inter&Co Stadium.

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