Connect with us

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Final Score 3-0 as Pride Dominate the Spirit On the Road

The Orlando Pride went on the road and took all three points against the Washington Spirit thanks to a brace from Julie Doyle.

Published

2 years ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (5-8-1, 16 points) returned to their winning ways by going on the road and winning 3-0 against the Washington Spirit (6-3-5, 23 points) at Audi Field. Julie Doyle bagged the first brace of her young career by scoring twice early on. An own goal caused by a cross from Ally Watt in the second half gave the Pride their third goal and the defense held on for its third shutout of the year.

The Pride have now swept the Spirit in regular season play — an impressive feat as the Spirit have spent most of the season near the top of the table.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made a few changes to the starting lineup he used in the 2-1 loss to the Kansas City Current last weekend. Marta and Adriana are with Brazil in preparation for the Women’s World Cup this month and were replaced in the attack by Messiah Bright and Doyle. Erika Tymrak also started, with Jordyn Listro back on the bench.

The Pride played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Anna Moorhouse in goal behind a back line of Kylie Strom, Emily Madril, Megan Montefusco, and Haley McCutcheon. Viviana Villacorta and Mikayla Cluff served as the team’s defensive midfielders, with Doyle, Tymrak, and Kelly Abello creating chances for Bright up top. This was McCutcheon’s 100th regular-season appearance in the NWSL, and she served as the team’s captain.

A lengthy weather delay before kickoff didn’t stop the Pride from starting the game with plenty of energy. They found success early on, especially when attacking through the left wing. It only took eight minutes for the Pride to take the lead. After earning a throw-in, Bright did well to hold off her defender and get the ball to Strom, who made a nice cross that bounced in front of goal and found McCutcheon’s head right in front of goal. Spirit goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart came up with a save, but the Spirit couldn’t cleanly clear away the danger. The ball fell to Doyle in the box and she buried it on the half-volley for her first goal of this season.

“The way that we started the game was brilliant,” Hines said regarding the team’s hot start despite the weather delay. “Going after them full of energy and creating momentum, and actually scoring with that momentum that we haven’t seen in the past couple of games, that was a real focal point for us.”

The Pride nearly doubled their lead in the 13th minute when Bright got a powerful header on the end of a corner kick from Abello. The striker’s shot ended up in the back of the net, but the referee blew the whistle for interference that prevented Barnhart from making a play on the cross.

But it didn’t take long for the Pride to find that second goal, as Doyle continued to find room to work her magic on the left. After a nice move to get some separation from her defender, she whipped in a nice cross. Although Cluff wasn’t able to get her head to it in front of goal, her run was enough to force Barnhart into anticipating a shot and the ball curled into the inside netting. Tymrak was credited with the assist, her 20th in her professional career.

“What you saw today is her with a real intent to go after defenders,” Hines said about Doyle’s performance. “Be threatening in the attack and transition, be decisive with her decisions, driving at defenders, getting shots off, being clinical. That’s what we want from all the forwards. You’ve got an opportunity, you must take it, and she took it tonight.”

Doyle missed a majority of the season due to injury and has been easing her way back into action.

“It felt so good,” she said about her first brace. “We needed that. I needed that. There’s been a lot of pressure on getting an end product and so, to finally get three goals, to get a shutout, you definitely saw a team performance tonight and I’m so proud of everyone.

“It doesn’t stop after one goal. I made a small goal tonight to at least get two. Losing Marta and Adriana is a huge loss for us, so I think everyone realized that and knew that we all had to step it up and I think that’s what we did tonight.”

In need of goals themselves, the Spirit went on the attack. With many of their attacking players away with the United States, the Spirit relied on getting long balls over Orlando’s back line to reach Ashley Hatch. The American forward had a good opportunity in the 21st minute by driving in a low cross to Lena Silano, but Silano couldn’t get a piece of it.

Although the Spirit were starting to more effectively impose themselves on the match, the Pride still found chances to extend their lead. In the 29th minute, pressure from Bright in the box caused a poor clearance from Tara McKeown and Abello was there to intercept it in the box. The midfielder put her first shot of the match on frame and Barnhart had to tip it over the bar for a corner kick.

The Spirit’s first shot of the match didn’t come until the 32nd minute. Hatch laid the ball off for Ines Juarena to have a go from distance, and the French midfielder’s shot skipped wide of goal.

Abello had another chance in the 34th after Bright used some skill and speed to get downfield and find her at the top of the box. This time, Abello’s shot wasn’t on target and went well over the crossbar.

The Pride didn’t slow down their push to score and Doyle had a chance for a hat trick in the 40th minute by driving a headed shot towards goal that went inches wide of the post.

Both teams had chances after the referee indicated there would be three minutes of stoppage time before halftime. Hatch continued to facilitate things for the Spirit and played a nice ball in for Nicole Douglas on the right side, but the cross harmlessly went out for a goal kick.

A minute later and the Pride were on the attack once again. Doyle blocked a clearance, chased down the ball before it could go out of play, and then raced down the wing. Bright made a good decision to find a pocket of space away from the mouth of goal instead of continuing her run, and Doyle found her wide open. Her shot was on target, but deflected out for a corner, which the Pride couldn’t capitalize on before the halftime whistle blew. Doyle and the rest of the Pride offense were electric throughout the first half, playing with the same energy no matter what the score was.

“The best defense is a good offense, so if we can keep the ball in our attacking half then we’ll make everyone’s life easier,” Doyle said following the match. “I think that we know that we can do that and if we’re going at them, why let off?” 

Although the Pride had less possession (45.5%-54.5), they bossed the Spirit for a majority of the first half. They finished the first half with nine shots, putting four of the on target, while none of the Spirit’s three shots were on target. The Pride had a clear advantage on the wings and funneled their attack out wide often, leading the Spirit in crosses (14-2) and taking more corners (5-1). Orlando also had better passing accuracy (76.4%-74.4%).

The Spirit made a pair of changes at halftime, bringing in attackers Chloe Ricketts and Civana Kuhlmann for Douglas and Amber Brooks. Ricketts made her presence felt quickly, surging down the wing until taken down by a challenge from Abello that earned her the first yellow card of the match.

Madril misplayed a pass back to Moorhouse that had nowhere near enough power behind it, giving Hatch a golden opportunity in the 57th minute. Montefusco’s rush to close down on Hatch didn’t stop the Spirit forward from easing around her slide tackle, but it gave Madril enough time to recover and Hatch’s shot was sent sailing into the stands.

Doyle came off for Ally Watt before the ensuing goal kick took place and it didn’t take long for the substitute to make an impact. Abello found Watt in space and the forward used her speed to get down the wing and serve up a low cross that deflected off of McKeown and into her own net. It’ll ultimately go down as an own goal, but Watt did well to put the ball in a dangerous area.

“There were a couple times where we were pinned back,” Hines said, “but there was a lot of good concentration and focus on the task. A two-goal lead is always difficult, that next goal is the most important. I’m glad in the second hald we got that next goal and from there we seemed pretty focused and comfortable.”

The Pride made their second change in the 64th minute, with Celia replacing Bright as the Pride aimed to close the game out. Bright performed well in this match, particularly when holding up play for other players to get involved in the attack.

A long ball from McKeown found Hatch in the Pride’s half and Hatch beat Montefusco to go on the attack. Although the Pride had players behind the ball, Montefusco brought Hatch down and received a yellow card. It was a strange foul to commit considering Hatch was alone with Pride players ready to defend. The Pride didn’t pay the price for it though as they were able to handle the ensuing free kick.

The Spirit had another dangerous free kick in the 70th minute after a flurry of attacks and they created yet another opportunity for Hatch. Sam Staab curled in a venomous cross and a diving header from Hatch certainly had enough power behind it, but it went wide of goal.

The Pride then had a chance of their own from a set piece of their own soon after. A long ball into the box from Montefusco in the center circle found Watt, who headed it down for Cluff right in front of goal. Cuff took her shot quickly, but Staab did well to deflect it. The rebound went to Watt, who sent her shot over the goal.

Madril then got some redemption for her miscue earlier by putting herself between a long ball over the top and Hatch. The defender showed plenty of strength to hold off the veteran attacker, who received a yellow card for bringing Madril down.

The Pride refused to stay on the back foot against the Spirit. Watt and Cluff continued to attack out wide, but Barnhart and the rest of the Spirit defense prevented them from widening the lead any further. A cross from Cluff was snuffed out by Barnhart and a nice cutback pass from Watt didn’t wind up with a shot taken.

Moorhouse started to get more involved in things as the Spirit got more desperate to score. Hatch slipped a through ball to Camryn Biegalski, but Moorhouse closed down the angle and Biegalski dribbled it out of play trying to work around the goalkeeper. Moorhouse then came up with a save against Kuhlmann in the 82nd minute, jumping to parry the ball over the crossbar and out for a corner. The goalkeeper punched away the first corner for another, which ended up as a goal kick after a missed shot.

The Pride had a few more chances to truly put the game to rest. Watt had a decent opportunity in space, but sent her shot well off target from a tough angle. Abello was a bit closer with her shot from a free kick a minute later, not missing the top right corner of the goal by much.

Hines made his final changes in stoppage time, with Amanda Allen and Brianna Martinez coming on for Tymrak and Abello.

Moorhouse secured her clean sheet with a save against Hatch and the Pride were able to hold on for the 3-0 victory.

At full time, the Pride had less possession (44%-56%) but did much more with the ball. They finished the game with more shots (12-9), putting four of them on target while the Spirit put just two on frame. The Spirit created more chances in the second half than the first, but the Pride still had more crosses (27-9) and both teams had five corner kicks. The Spirit also had better passing accuracy (81.7%-79.9%), but the Pride dominated in the one stat that matters most in the 3-0 win.

“Seb [Hines] said from the beginning that he was just going to expect more out of us, ” Cluff said after the win. “We know what we’re capable of. We’ve shown it in spurts throughout the season and we can play such quality soccer and beat the best of the best. But it just kind of comes down to our determination and our desire when we step on the field every single game, no matter who we’re playing. So that was kind of the message going into this game and I think that we obviously accomplished that tonight.

This was just the Pride’s second win away from Exploria Stadium this season and snapped a two-game losing skid after defeats to the North Carolina Courage and Kansas City Current. Hines spoke on how the Pride took all three points on the road against one of the league’s best teams.

“[Tonight} was more about ourselves. We needed to have a reaction after the last two defeats. Recently, we haven’t been ourselves and going to an environment like Washington, it’s difficult, of course. But, we wanted to come here with loads of energy, loads of desire, commitment, and put a real good performance together for our fans, because they deserve it. The players know it, as well, we haven’t been ourselves. Go back to our identity and when we show what we’re capable of doing, that’s where you get your success. So I was really pleased with, the not just the goals, but their overall performance and their attitude leading into this game.”

The Pride will turn their attention to Friday’s match against OL Reign at Exploria Stadium before the break in regular-season action for the World Cup. Following that match, the Pride will play four consecutive NWSL Challenge Cup matches from July 23 to Aug. 9.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Final Score 1-0 as the Pride Hold On After Banda’s Goal

The Pride earn their second straight clean sheet with a hard-fought away win against Bay FC.

Published

4 days ago

on

June 14, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride (8-3-1, 25 points) scored in the second half and then held on for dear life in the final moments tonight to claim their third straight victory with a 1-0 win over Bay FC (4-5-3, 15 points) at PayPal Park in San Jose, CA. Barbra Banda’s 58th-minute goal was the difference as the Pride claimed their fifth clean sheet of the season.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made five changes from the team that beat the Houston Dash with a last-second goal on June 7. Cori Dyke, Angelina, Summer Yates, Marta, and Banda all entered the lineup for Oihane, Ally Lemos, Morgan Gautrat, Kerry Abello, and Julie Doyle.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Dyke, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Carson Pickett. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were in the defensive midfield behind Yates, Marta, and Ally Watt with Banda up top.

Similar to the 1-0 win over Houston, the first half was one to forget. Both teams looked sloppy, turning the ball over time and time again. However, the Pride came out attacking in the second half, putting the hosts on their heels. Once Banda gave her team the lead, the Pride couldn’t keep possession and had to withstand attack after attack with Bay FC nearly scoring on multiple occasions. But they kept the ball out of the net to take home all three points.

Both teams won early corner kicks, but it wasn’t until the 10th minute when the game’s first clear chance occurred. Caprice Dydasco played Karlie Lema down the right and the midfielder sent a cross in for Asisat Oshoala. Nadaner got a piece of the pass, but it went directly to Taylor Huff. The forward had a chear shot on goal with Moorhouse coming up with a big save.

The Pride’s first shot came in the 15th minute when Dyke sent a cross into the box. There was a group of players in the area, but Banda rose above them all to get her head to it. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get enough contact on the attempt, sending it wide.

Yates beat Lema in the 30th minute and the Bay FC midfielder pulled her back, earning the first booking of the game. The set piece was a give-and-go between Pickett and Angelina that sent Pickett down the left. It looked like the defender would cross the ball, but she played it back to Yates instead. The shot was bobbled by Bay FC goalkeeper Emmie Allen before her defenders cleared it.

Bay FC nearly had a chance in the 34th minute when Watt’s clearance was blocked. It went straight to Oshoala, who played it to Huff, who was making a run into the box. However, Dyke did well to shield the striker, and Moorhouse came out to cover the ball.

Marta played a ball forward a minute later that was won by Banda. The striker shielded Hubly enough to get a shot off, but Emmie Allen pushed it over the crossbar.

McCutcheon played the ball forward for Banda in the 42nd minute, but Abby Dahlkemper won it back for Bay FC. As Banda fell to the ground, the hosts broke the other way. Receiving the ball on the left from Huff, Racheal Kundananji dribbled into the Pride box. She was looking for space to shoot, but Nadaner stuck her foot in to win it back.

Once the ball was cleared, the referee stopped play as both Banda and Kundananji were down. However, they eventually got up and were able to continue.

A collision on a free ball allowed Angelina to take possession in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. The Brazilian made a long run up the field before playing the ball to Marta in the center. The Pride captain dribbled to the left before sending a ball into the six-yard box that Allen stepped up to collect.

That was the last decent first-half chance for either team as the game reached the break scoreless. The Pride finished the first half with the advantage in possession (63%-37%), shots (4-2), shots on target (3-1), crosses (12-4), corner kicks (4-1), and passing accuracy (85%-74%). But it was a disappointing first 45 minutes for both teams as the game went into halftime scoreless.

The Pride got the second half off to an attacking start, creating the first chance in the 47th minute. Nadaner sent a long ball forward that Banda tapped around Dahlkemper and got to first. The Zambian attacker cut inside to lose her defender as Dydasco came flying in. Seeing the approaching support, Banda took a quick shot that sailed wide.

Yates beat Kiki Pickett in the 50th minute and was pulled back, earning a free kick in the opposing third. The short set piece was sent into the box by Carson Pickett, but it was headed away. However, it only went to Dyke just outside the box, whose shot was blocked.

The hosts nearly took the lead in the 57th minute when Hannah Bebar won a corner kick. The rookie’s set piece was off Pickett to the top of the box, where Dydasco was running on. It was a terrific strike by Dydasco that hit the crossbar.

Bay FC kept possession of the ball, which eventually ended up with Kundananji. However, the striker sent her shot wide, ending the attack.

The Pride didn’t take long to respond. Yates was fouled near midfield seconds after the Kundananji miss and Pickett immediately sent the ball forward for Banda before Bay FC was ready. The striker cut inside to create some space and fired. The shot took a deflection off the heel of a sliding Hubly, tucking inside the far post to give the Pride the 1-0 lead on Banda’s eighth goal of the season.

In the 60th minute, Banda was sent long by Dyke. She did well to shield Hubly before sending a dangerous ball into the box. Marta was making a run but couldn’t quite get on the end of it and the ball went all the way through.

Kundananji made a great run down the field in the 63rd minute, shielding Sams to get a shot off in the Pride box. It was on target, but Moorhouse did well to tip it over the top.

The ensuing corner kick was headed to the far side where Dydasco collected the ball. The defender used a nice touch to beat Banda and send a dangerous cross to the far post. Hubly got her head to it but sent the attempt over the crossbar.

After a flurry of action, Hines made his first changes in the 66h minute, sending Oihane and Doyle on for Pickett and Marta. The Pride boss used his third sub and second window to replace Watt with Lemos in the 73rd minute.

In the 74th minute, Penelope Hocking played the ball off Oihane, winning her team a corner kick. The service into the box found the head of Kundananji, but the striker’s header was right at Moorhouse. A minute later, Kundananji tried to create a shot, but Sams knocked it off her foot. Unfortunately, it went straight to Hocking, whose shot was straight to Moorhouse.

In the 77th minute, Rachel Hill made a good run down the right and sent a dangerous ball into the middle, where Kundananji was waiting. It likely would’ve been an equalizer, but Sams came flying in to knock it away.

Dorian Bailey sent a cross to the back post in the 77th minute that Dyke sent out for a corner kick. Moorhouse stepped up to collect the set piece but dropped it after making contact with Dyke. It fell right to Hocking, who fired on goal, but Nadaner cleared it off the goal line. The clearance went to Kundananji, who sent her shot off target.

Alyssa Malonson sent a dangerous ball into the box in the 79th minute with Kundananji making a run. Fortunately, the cross was off line. Dydasco found Conti at the top of the box in the 81st minute. The second-half substitute’s shot was on target, but Moorhouse tipped it over the top.

The ensuing corner kick went out to Conti near the top of the Pride box and she was immediately fouled by Banda. Conti took the set piece herself but sent it over the crossbar.

Hines made his final two changes in the 88th minute as Prisca Chilufya and Abello came on for Banda and Yates. Like the earlier substitutions, they were defensive minded as the Pride clung to their 1-0 lead.

“We made our substitutions. We were strategic with our substitutions,” Hines said about his changes. “And, you know, towards the end, we weren’t as threatening. But, the game gives you what it gives you.”

Hocking received a long ball at the far post in the 90th minute. She found Kundananji near the penalty spot and, with her back to goal, Kundananji laid it off for Conti. The second-year player shot, but Nadaner stepped up to block the attempt.

Lemos turned the ball over in her own third in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Conti played it to the top left corner of the box for Bebar, who volleyed it centrally for Bailey. A second consecutive volley was meant to go towards goal but went well wide instead.

Kundananji lifted the ball into the box in the eighth minute of stoppage time and Lemos guided it out for another Bay FC corner kick. The short corner went to Bebar, who sent Dydasco into the box. The defender laid it back for Conti, but Abello stepped in front to intercept.

The final chance for Bay FC came in the ninth minute of stoppage time, when Bailey played the ball back for an oncoming Hill. The forward’s first touch was a shot that went over the crossbar.

That was the final chance, and the Pride withstood a barrage of attacks from the hosts to hang on for the 1-0 win.

“It’s a great feeling after the game. And after that whistle blows, all that hard work and the determination to keep that ball out has paid off,” Moorhouse said about hanging on at the end. “Doesn’t particularly feel good in the moment when you’re throwing bodies on the line and having to concentrate like that, but this team, that’s what we do. And that’s how we get the job done.”

At full time, the Pride had more possession (53%-47%) and had most of the chances until their 58th-minute goal. But they put everyone behind the ball as the clock kept ticking and struggled to maintain possession whenever they won the ball back. As a result, Bay FC had the final advantage in shots (20-7), shots on target (6-4), crosses (21-16), corner kicks (7-5), and passing accuracy (79%-75%).

“Again, I sound like a broken record. I thought first half, we played some really good football without really threatening,” Hines said. “They got their goal. You know, they made it difficult for us to find any sort of success in their attacking third. And so, yeah, second half, it was a quick free kick, Barbra does extremely well to get a shot off, and we’re 1-0 up. And then we showed our character towards the end, throwing our bodies on the line, making sure that we don’t concede. And when we take the lead in games, we become very difficult to play against. And so, I was really proud of the players, their effort, their commitment, everything that they’ve put into it to get the three points. And after that, we move on to next week with good momentum.”

“It was a tough game towards the end,” Moorhouse added. “I thought we got back to kind of how we defended last season. You know, with everything, with grit, whole team effort. And, yeah, Barbra scored the goal and it’s a great feeling.”

The clean sheet is the Pride’s fifth of the season, tied for the league lead with the Kansas City Current and NJ/NY Gotham FC. It’s also their second straight 1-0 victory after beating the Dash by the same score.

“We kind of came away from being ourselves, being hard to beat, hard to score against. And so I think looking at the most recent results, 1-0 victories, clean sheets, it’s more us when we look at those results and we keep clean sheets,” Hines said. “And again, it takes everyone to achieve that goal. So really proud of them. Really proud with the back line and the midfielders and forwards to really solidify that clean sheet today. And hopefully we can get another one next week.”

“We’ve had a lot of rotation. We’ve got a long season to cope with this year, but everyone coming in, like we’ve been saying, has been doing a great job,” Moorhouse added. “And, yeah, it’s finally starting to click defensively. We’re all on the same page, and we’re getting the rewards for it.”

After an impressive start to the season, the Pride failed to win in three straight and four out of five games. But they’ve rebounded well with three straight wins.

The recent run of form has the Pride currently in second place in the standings, just two points behind the Current. However, the Current have a game in hand and take on Racing Louisville Saturday night.

As for the Pride, they’ll finish up the first half of the season on June 20 when they face Racing Louisville in Kentucky before the more than a month-long summer break for the Euros.

Continue Reading

Orlando Pride

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

The Pride look to make it three wins in a row as they travel to the west coast to face Bay FC.

Published

4 days ago

on

June 13, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (7-3-1, 22) head back out on the road to face Bay FC (4-4-3, 15 points). This is the first of two times the teams will face off with the return game in Orlando scheduled for Sept. 13.

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 met twice last year, with the first coming on Sept. 20. It looked like the game might be headed for a scoreless draw until Barbra 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.

The first-ever game between these two teams occurred on May 11, 2024. 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.

Overview

After a strong start to the 2025 campaign, the Pride lost three of five games, including a three-game winless streak. But they’ve bounced back strong with back-to-back wins.

The current streak started on May 23 in Utah when Banda netted the first hat trick in Pride history in a 3-1 win. They returned home to face the Houston Dash Saturday night and weren’t threatening in the first 45 minutes. But the Pride came out flying in the second half. It looked like it wouldn’t be enough to gain all three points until Cori Dyke scored the game-winning goal with the last touch of the ball.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made several changes to the starting lineup since many players had gone away to represent their countries during the international break. The two most notable absences were Banda and Marta, but both came on in the second half, helping the Pride claim all three points.

It was another stellar defensive performance as the Pride earned their fourth clean sheet in the first 11 games. The 3-2 win over Angel City on April 25 remains the only time the Pride have conceded multiple goals this season.

Tonight, the Pride face a Bay FC team that’s barely clinging onto the eighth and final playoff spot. The San Jose, CA-based club has been stronger defensively than offensively this season, scoring 13 goals (ninth in the league) and conceding 14 (fifth in the league).

Bay FC has conceded two goals on four occasions this season, only giving up three or more goals once. That came on May 11 when they lost 4-1 to the league-leading Kansas City Current. Meanwhile, Bay has matched the Pride this year with four clean sheets.

Bay FC is coming off a good win over the always dangerous Portland Thorns. While the game was in San Jose, it wasn’t a long trip for the Thorns like the Pride made this week.

Asisat Oshoala led Bay FC with eight goals last year and Racheal Kundananji was second with five. But this season the duo only have a goal between them. It’s Penelope Hocking leading the team with three goals after netting just four last season. She’s followed by Kiki Pickett, Karlie Lema, and Caroline Conti as the only players with multiple goals on the year.

While the attack might not concern the Pride too much tonight, the Bay FC back line will be hard to break down. They’ve shown themselves to be stingy this season and will do everything they can to maintain Banda, Marta, and the rest of the Pride attack.

“I think with every game that we’ve been playing, it’s been a challenge,” Hines said about tonight’s game. “The teams have come with a game plan, and I think that’s to negate our attacking positions as much as they can. Reduce the space that we can exploit and being defensively disciplined. And I expect nothing different against Bay. I think that’s probably one thing they’ve learned from last year is being more defensively solid, being hard to beat, and then look to transition with the likes of Racheal Kundananji.”

There’s no change to the Pride availability list this week. The team is still without Simone Charley (ankle), Luana (illness), Amanda Allen (shoulder), and Rafaelle (thigh). Bay FC is without Jordan Brewster (lower leg), Emily Menges (excused absence), Princess (excused absence), and Jordan Silkowitz (illness).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Cori Dyke, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, Carson Pickett.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Angelina.

Midfielders: Summer Yates, Marta, Ally Watt.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Prisca Chilufya, Viviana Villacorta, Julie Doyle, Oihane, Kerry Abello, Ally Lemos, Zara Chavoshi.

Bay FC (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Emmie Allen.

Defenders: Alyssa Malonson, Kelli Hubly, Abby Dahlkemper, Caprice Dydasco.

Midfielders: Kiki Pickett, Hannah Beber, Karlie Lema, Asisat Oshoala.

Forwards: Taylor Huff, Racheal Kundananji.

Bench: Melissa Lowder, Tess Boade, Jamie Shepherd, Caroline Conti, Joelle Anderson, Dorian Bailey, Rachel Hill, Maddie Moreau, Penelope Hocking.

Referees

REF: Muhammad Hassan.
AR1: Melissa Beck.
AR2: Zeno Cho.
4TH: Kevin Lewis.
VAR: Elton Garcia.
AVAR: Tom Felice.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV: None.

Streaming: Prime Video.

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!

Continue Reading

Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride at Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Pride need to do to secure a victory against Bay FC on the road?

Published

5 days ago

on

June 12, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride head to California to take on Bay FC Friday night. The Pride are coming off a win, thanks to a last-second winner from Cori Dyke at home. Unfortunately, I won’t be in San Jose to lend whatever small bit of mojo I have to the outcome, so it’s going to be all on the players (as if it isn’t always that way, of course). With that being the case, what do the Pride need to do to take all three points from Bay FC at PayPal Park?

A Quicker Start

In the last match against the Houston Dash, Seb Hines rested the players returning from international duty to start the match. As such, the stout Dash defense was able to keep the Pride off the scoreboard in the first half. Even after the normal starters returned in the second half, it took until the very last kick of the match to secure the win. Let’s not repeat that this time.

Whenever a club plays in a different time zone, it can mess with the sense of normalcy you want on a match day. That is especially true when going all the way across the country. The beginning of the match will feel like the same time the match would normally be ending at Inter&Co. As such, I want to see the normal starters jump on Bay FC very early. Get the early lead — perhaps multiple goals — and see out the match with whichever players Hines may want.

Open it Up

Except for Barbra Banda’s hat trick against the Utah Royals, the Pride attack has been lacking some bite for over a month. The club has generated plenty of chances, but the finishing has been less than stellar. Orlando needs to turn the scoring faucet back on and pour on some goals.

The final bit of quality needs to be better from everyone in the attack. In the last five matches, the Pride have scored four goals on 70 shots, with 30 on target (43%). That means the Pride have scored on 6% of shots taken and only 13% of their shots on target. For a team with Marta and Banda, that isn’t good enough.

This may be my recency bias, but one area the team can change to improve its chances is to not take short corners. As I said on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast, I lost count of the missed opportunities due to short corners against the Dash. Just put the ball into the box and sometimes weird things happen. It is much more likely that the ball goes in the net than is sent on a counter by the opposition. There are chances for a handball resulting in a penalty, a foul resulting in a penalty, or an own goal being scored. Just get the ball in the darn box!

Lock It Down

I know that the Pride secured yet another clean sheet against the Dash, but it was partially down to luck. Anna Moorhouse was fortunate that the ball that went through her hands went out of bounds and that the Dash were offside when she got caught in no-woman’s land on a ball over the top. That can’t happen. The difference between a team that wins championships and one that doesn’t comes down to limiting mistakes and a bit of luck. Only one of those two can be controlled.

I want to see the lock-down defense we saw in 2024. I think Emily Sams is maintaining her level of play and Oihane has been an improvement — albeit a small one — at right back. Kylie Nadaner has struggled a bit this year after a phenomenal 2024 season. I think she can step it back up, but she needs to do so sooner rather than later. Left back has had a rotating cast, with Kerry Abello, Carson Pickett, and even Dyke seeing time at the position.

Bay FC has spread the goals out over several players, with Penelope Hocking leading the way with three. That being said, the California side has plenty of players who can score, including Zambian National Team forward Racheal Kundananji. We know all too well how dangerous Zambian strikers can be. Moorhouse and the back line must tighten things up. No mistakes on the road.

That’s what I’ll be looking for late Friday night. Where do you think the game will be won or lost? Let us know in the comments section.

Continue Reading

Trending