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Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Final Score 3-1 as Pride Fall Again in Challenge Cup Play

Two second-half goals doom the Pride as they fall at home to Gotham FC despite leading early.

Published

3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (0-2-1, 1 point) fell for the second time in the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup, losing 3-1 to NJ/NY Gotham FC (2-0-1, 7 points). Megan Montefusco gave the Pride an early lead, but a 35th-minute penalty conversion by Jenna Nighswonger sent the game into halftime at 1-1. Two goals in three minutes by McCall Zerboni and Yazmeen Ryan sealed the game for Gotham as the Pride couldn’t find a way back.

The Pride started this game without starting fullbacks Kylie Strom and Haley McCutcheon, both of whom were either ill or injured. They were also without Marta and Adriana, who are at the FIFA Women’s World Cup with Brazil. The only other change made by Seb Hines to the usual starting lineup was replacing starting striker Messiah Bright with Ally Watt.

The back line in front of Anna Moorhouse consisted of Celia, Emily Madril, Montefusco, and Brianna Martinez. Vivana Villacorta, Mikayla Cluff, and Jordyn Listro were in the midfield and Erika Tymrak, Julie Doyle, and Watt made up the attacking line.

With Marta away on international duty, Tymrak was given the armband for the first time as a member of the Pride. It was a big moment for the veteran who grew up on the west side of the state and went to the University of Florida.

“It means a lot,” Tymrak said after the game. “Especially, you know, retiring, coming out of retirement, and being able to wear the captain’s band in my home state means a ton to me.”

It was a game of two halves, with the Pride being the better team in the first 45 minutes and Gotham controlling the second. Coming into this game last in the division, the Pride knew they needed something out of this game and they got off to a great start. But the late first-half penalty seemed to take the wind out of the team’s sails. Within the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Pride were down two goals and there didn’t appear to be a way back. Even with attacking changes, Gotham created the better opportunities and comfortably took all three points.

The Pride had the first attack of the game in the second minute. Martinez sent a long ball down the left for Watt and Gotham center back Ellie Jean got to it first. However, her touch was towards her own goal line, allowing Watt to gain possession in the box. Unfortunately, the forward had few options and a tight angle, sending the shot into the arms of Gotham goalkeeper Mandy Haught.

In the ninth minute, Martinez sent another good ball down the left for Watt. This time, the Pride forward got to it first and was fouled by Jean. Tymrak stepped up to take the set piece, sending it towards the near post where it met the head of Montefusco. The center back beat former Pride defender Ali Krieger to the ball and sent it to the far post to give the Pride a 1-0 lead.

“We’ve been working on set pieces a lot and it’s a good area to capitalize on the game,” Tymrak said about the goal. “So we have really strong players in the air and I just tried to kind of whip it in as hard as I can knowing that if someone gets a head on it, it’ll be in. And Meg did a great job hitting the near post and I’m stoked that she scored that.”

The Pride had another chance in the 17th minute when Doyle laid the ball back for Cluff at the top of the box. The midfielder attempted to curl her shot towards goal, but it was deflected by Mandy Freeman just over the crossbar.

Gotham got its first attempt of the game in the 19th minute when Nighswonger received the ball at the top of the box from Midge Purce and dribbled around Listro before taking a low shot. It was a soft effort that didn’t challenge Moorhouse, who easily collected it.

In the 28th minute, a turnover by Nealy Martin enabled Cluff to play Watt forward. Cluff made a run into the box and received the ball back, forcing Haught into a save. But the flag went up for offside on the initial ball to Watt.

Gotham nearly had a chance in the 31st minute when Purce played a great ball into the box for Katie Stengel, who split the Pride center backs. Fortunately, it was a bit too far in front of the forward and she couldn’t connect.

The visitors found their equalizer in the 36th minute from the penalty spot. Purce used some quick footwork to beat Martinez into the box and the left back slid in, taking down the attacker. Referee Shawn Tehini didn’t hesitate to point to the spot, awarding Gotham a penalty.

Purce initially stepped up to the spot, but handed it to Nighswonger when things settled down. The center back took the spot kick well, sending Moorhouse the wrong way and putting it into the corner to even the game at 1-1.

In the 43rd minute, Tymrak made a good run through the midfield and sent Watt behind the Gotham defense. In a play similar to earlier in the half, Watt shot from inside the box. Haught did well to get down and knock the ball wide with her right hand, but the assistant’s flag went up again for offside on Watt.

The Pride nearly conceded another penalty in first-half injury time when Purce took Martinez one-on-one. Martinez got a touch to the ball, but Purce regained possession and beat the left back down the end line into the box. Martinez fouled the attacker as she entered the 18, but Tehini determined that the contact occurred outside of the area.

Martinez was booked for the challenge and Nighswonger took the free kick next to the end line. It was into the mixer, but Moorhouse did well to punch it away and the Pride cleared.

At halftime, Gotham had slightly more possession (50.9%-49.1%) and better passing accuracy (80.9%-72.5%), but the Pride had more shots (5-4), corners (3-0), and crosses (5-4). Both teams put two shots on target and got one past the opposing goalkeeper.

“I think it was disappointing in the first half,” Listro said after the game. “Obviously we came out pretty strong and put them under pressure and got that early goal and, honestly, we needed to capitalize on other ones and just stay tight defensively and not turn off.”

“You never want to concede goals, but especially going into the halftime. Message was keep doing what you’re doing,” Hines said about his halftime speech. “You know, you’ve done well so far in the game. Put a lot of good pressure on, lot of turnovers, created some opportunities. We need to stay onside was one of the messages and recognize the moments where we can get closer to Gotham.”

The Pride nearly had a pair of chances in the early minutes of the second half, but couldn’t stay onside. In the 47th minute, Krieger fouled Watt, giving the Pride a free kick from about 30 yards out. Tymrak sent the ball into the box for Watt, whose touch found Doyle and the forward tapped it in. But Watt started her run a little early and was offside on the initial ball.

In the 52nd minute, Madril played a great ball forward for Martinez, sending her behind the Gotham defense. The left back was taken down inside the box by Freeman, but Martinez was offside.

Gotham took their first lead of the game in the 55th minute. Nighswonger found Zerboni near the Pride box, where the midfielder had been left open by Villacorta. The former Gotham captain attempted an ambitious shot from distance, sending a rocket past Moorhouse and in to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Moorhouse was closer to the side where Zerboni shot and still didn’t react quickly enough to stop it.

A couple of minutes later, Gotham struck again. A give-and-go between Ryan and Zerboni allowed Ryan to split Cluff and Madril. The midfielder caught Moorhouse leaning to her right and sent inside the goalkeeper’s left post, increasing the Gotham lead to 3-1.

“We always talk about the big five and that’s five minutes after a goal is scored or five minutes after halftime and I don’t think that we were mentally prepared enough for those five minutes,” Listro said about conceding the two early second-half goals. “Because those were crucial moments in the game that we should have locked in and stayed focused.”

Gotham continued pushing in an attempt to extend its lead. In the 59th minute, Ryan took a shot from the top of the box that was blocked by Madril. The visitors retained possession and found Stengel for another shot, but this one was blocked by Martinez and into the arms of Moorhouse.

Following those opportunities, Hines made his first change of the game. Looking for some offense, Bright came on for Celia and Listro replaced the Spaniard at right back.

Gotham came close to scoring a fourth in the 64th minute when Cluff blocked Purce’s cross attempt out for a corner. Nighswonger took the set piece and nearly found the head of Zerboni, entering the six-yard box, but Bright headed it away.

That was the last action of the game for Zerboni after a goal and an assist, as she was replaced by Maitane Lopez. At the same time, Allie Long entered the game for Stengel.

The Pride made two additional changes in the 71st minute, bringing on Amanda Allen and Summer Yates for Watt and Tymrak.

It looked like the Pride had a chance in the 75th minute, when Listro sent Yates behind the Gotham defense. She initially had a breakaway, but Jean caught up and Yates’ shot was wide. The miss didn’t matter because Yates was offside.

In the 77th minute, Doyle played Bright into the Gotham box. A good first touch got her behind Krieger, but the center back did well to catch up and block Bright’s shot out for a Pride corner kick.

The ensuing set piece was punched by Haught and ended up with Allen, but her cross was cleared out by Lopez for another corner. This one found the head of Listro charging towards the back post, but it was a weak header and easily cleared.

Gotham had a good chance in the 83rd minute when Lopez sent Purce into the Pride box and the attacker found Cyera Hintzen near the top of the six-yard box. Fortunately, Hintzen didn’t fully connect with the ball, sending it wide.

In the 88th minute, the Pride appeared to have their best chance of the second half when Listro beat Nighswonger to a free ball and sent Yates behind the Gotham back line. The substitute dribbled around Haught and shot, but missed wide. After the miss, the flag went up for offside, negating the attempt.

A minute into injury time, the Pride created the game’s last chance through some quick passing between Montefusco, Cluff, and Doyle, with the final pass sending Bright through. Kristen Edmonds, who came on for Freeman in the 79th minute, caught up to the striker. She had Allen open in the middle of the box, but didn’t spot her soon enough and the eventual pass was blocked out of play.

Gotham led the full-time statistics with more possession (51.2%-48.8%), shots (14-8), and shots on target (6-2), and better passing accuracy (75%-70.8%). The Pride had more crosses (14-12) and corners (7-3), but they didn’t result in enough chances to get anything out of the game.

“Performance wasn’t good enough,” Hines said about the game. “We know we had a good start, but then it’s seeing it out throughout the whole game and, you know, Gotham took their goals well. Two goals from outside the box, but I think we will have to look at ourselves and we know that we can do much better.”

“Soccer is always a game of two halves. No two halves ever look the same,” Tymrak added. “I thought the first half we came out really strong. We kept the ball. We were sharp. We pressed them. We were organized. We were threatening. And I think there’s a point where we kind of let our foot off the gas a little bit. And then in the second half, I feel like we were just defending a lot and just couldn’t really catch that rhythm unfortunately.”

A big impact on the game was the Pride being unable to hold their runs. Watt and Yates were sent behind the Gotham defense multiple times in this game and it might’ve been a different story had they held a half-second more.

“We scored a really good goal. Great ball from Erika and a great header from Meg from a set piece. And, you know, we had a couple of more moments where we got in behind their back line and been offside. And them moments can change if we stay onside. You can score goals and then you’ve got all that momentum by scoring goals, and then, obviously, it’s offside and then you give them an opportunity to get back into the game.”

The loss sees the Pride remain in last in the East Division with only one point from their first three games. They’re now six points behind Gotham and seven points behind the North Carolina Courage, needing to finish in at least second to reach the semifinals.

Due to their two postponements against Gotham earlier this year, the Pride have played just half of their six Challenge Cup games. They still have to play each of the three teams in their division, but two of those three games are away from home.

The Pride will look to climb up the Challenge Cup standings next Saturday night when they face the Courage in North Carolina.

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

The Pride look to build on their home win against North Carolina against Boston Legacy FC tonight in a midweek contest.

Published

5 hours ago

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May 12, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (3-3-2, 11 points) take on Boston Legacy FC (1-5-2, 5 points) in Foxborough, MA. This is the first of two games between the teams this year, with the return game in Orlando scheduled for July 15.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

Since this is the first year in the existence of Boston Legacy FC and the first time the two clubs will meet in 2026, there’s no history between the teams. However, Boston’s roster does include forward Amanda Allen, who played for the Pride from 2023 to 2025. Additionally, the Pride will be familiar with several of the opposing players as they have extensive experience in the league.

Overview

This has been an up-and-down season for the Pride so far. It began with a disappointing start as they fell 2-1 to Seattle Reign FC and drew 1-1 with Denver Summit FC. They bounced back from the homestand with an impressive 3-0 win over the Chicago Stars, a scoreless draw with defending NWSL champion NJ/NY Gotham FC, and a 2-1 win over Angel City FC.

Unfortunately, those highs didn’t last long. Orlando fell 3-2 to Racing Louisville FC and 4-2 to the Washington Spirit, before defeating the North Carolina Courage 1-0 Friday night.

The Pride have been carried offensively by striker Barbra Banda, who has eight goals and has scored the team’s five most recent goals. All five have come in the last three games. The team has only played two games in which other players have scored. Jacquie Ovalle and Hannah Anderson converted against Chicago and Haley McCutcheon had a surprising brace against Angel City.

The team got off to a good start defensively, conceding just four goals in the first five games, including two clean sheets. But the Pride were torn apart by Louisville and Washington, giving up seven goals in those two games.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines responded by making adjustments to the back line Friday night. While it was the same back four, Cori Dyke moved from left back to center back, Oihane moved from right back to left back, and Hailie Mace moved from center back to her natural right back position. The changes resulted in the team’s first clean sheet in five games.

They’ll look to build on their most recent result tonight against a team that sits at the bottom of the NWSL standings. Through five games, Boston has just one win, a 3-2 victory over fellow newcomers Denver at home. However, they sandwiched that win with a 2-2 draw against the Courage and a 1-1 draw with Gotham away from home on Saturday.

With only seven goals this season, there hasn’t been much of a threat from this new team. Aissata Traore and Alba Cano lead the way with two goals each, while Bianca St-Georges, Sammy Smith, and Nichelle Prince have one goal each. Prince also has a team-leading two assists.

Defensively, Boston is led by league veteran goalkeeper Casey Murphy, who spent the last five seasons with the Courage and has made her way into the U.S. National Team setup. The team has seen several defensive units and formations since the start of the season as it looks to find the best lineup.

Tonight’s hosts face a tough challenge as they welcome the league-leading goal scorer in Banda. Meanwhile, the Pride will undoubtedly see this game as an opportunity to create some momentum as the schedule creeps closer to the FIFA World Cup break.

“I think it is going to be a tough game. I think any game in this league is tough, regardless of where the standings are,” Hines said ahead of tonight’s game. “Boston are in good form right now. I think they are unbeaten in three games, so we are looking to build on our performance this last week against North Carolina. Hopefully, get three points away from home and start that journey on our away form as well. Always expect a tough match. They have some tough players as well, and we have to put our best game forward.”

The Pride will take the field tonight without Kerry Abello (hip), Zara Chavoshi (lower leg), Cosette Morche (ankle), Jacquie Ovalle (thigh), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Boston will be without Kaka (ankle) and Fauzia Najjemba (thigh), while Nicki Hernandez (thigh) is listed as questionable.

Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.

Defensive Midfielders: Angelina, Ally Lemos.

Attacking Midfielders: Summer Yates, Haley McCutcheon, Marta.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Boston Legacy FC (3-1-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Casey Murphy.

Defenders: Lois Araujo, Bianca St-Georges, Emerson Elgin.

Defensive Midfielder: Annie Karich.

Attacking Midfielders: Sammy Smith, Josefine Hasbo, Alba Cano, Nichelle Prince.

Forwards: Amanda Gutierres, Barbara Olivierei.

Referees

REF: Katja Koroleva.
AR1: Sharon Gingrich.
AR2: Kristin Patterson.
4TH: Jeremy Scheer.
VAR: Brad Jensen.
AVAR: Matthew Seem.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Gillette Stadium — Foxborough, MA.

TV: None.

Streaming: Victory+.

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed.

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Win on Banda’s Late Goal

North Carolina hadn’t allowed a goal in the second half all season until Banda’s breakthrough.

Published

4 days ago

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May 8, 2026

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Image of Barbra Banda celebrating her winning goal against the Courage.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

A sloppy first 85 minutes finally gave way to a moment of brilliance from Barbra Banda as she worked her way free for the one and only goal to get the Orlando Pride (3-3-2, 11 points) back to their winning ways. Banda’s eighth of the season led to a 1-0 Pride win over the North Carolina Courage (2-3-3, 9 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride are still waking up from the international break, having lost the last two to Racing Louisville, a team well below them in the standings, and the Washington Spirit at home. Banda has scored five goals in the last three games, leading the NWSL in goals, but she’s the only one scoring.

“We’ve met as units. We watch film, we go over things,” Pride forward Simone Jackson said in preparation for this game. “We’re talking to each other. We’re working on shifting faster and covering splits and making change for this North Carolina game and making sure that our press is matching their style of play.”

Head Coach Seb Hines put the same lineup on the field as the previous game against the Spirit, with Anna Moorhouse in goal. The only changes were in where the players started. Cori Dyke moved from left back to right center back, with Oihane and Rafaelle to her left and Hailie Mace at right back. Additionally, Haley McCutcheon dropped into central midfield with Ally Lemos, while Angelina joined Summer Yates and Solai Washington in the attacking midfield with Banda up top.

“We felt we had conceded seven goals in two games and we needed to make a shift in the back line,” Hines said after the game. “Cori Dyke has played center back for me and Hailie Mace is a new player to the club and just finding a bit more comfort with her playing right back. We just felt we needed to shift a bit — not change the personnel but shift the personnel.”

The Pride opened the match with a free kick from 40 yards out that Lemos sent straight to Courage goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. North Carolina was able to get to the end line four minutes later but the cross went straight to Moorhouse. At the eight-minute mark, Angelina intercepted a long ball and headed it to Yates at the top of the box, whose first touch failed her and snuffed out the counter.

Banda got her elbow up high in the 10th minute and caught Natalia Staude in the chin. That prompted a delay as the video assistant referee evaluated it for a red card offense but eventually play resumed without incident. Banda then showed her immense talents three minutes later, outracing and outmuscling center backs, Staude and Uno Shiragaki for 40 yards, but the double team eventually won out.

Moorhouse and Lemos collided defending a free kick at the 18-minute mark, which caused Lemos to take a moment to gather herself. Yates picked up a yellow card in the 21st minute for sliding under Riley Jackson and catching her with her studs in the fallout of a foul she herself had drawn on the play. Washington slipped by Jackson with a great move in the 25th but the play ended up with a corner that turned into nothing.

As a light rain (that eventually turned into a full-on downpour) settled in with 18 minutes to play in the half, the Pride definitely had shown more promise on offense but no real threats. It was a good start for a team that had fallen behind early previously but more precision was going to be needed on the offensive side. Washington worked herself free in the box but, again, the shot went wide.

The first real threat from the Courage came in the 31st minute as Manaka Matsukubo got on the end of a deflected corner and pushed it just wide of the far post. Yates went to the ground a minute later after she took a shot to the ribcage by Lauryn Thompson.

Whether it was the rain picking up or a tactical adjustment, the game flowed to where North Carolina started owning possession but without any real threats. The Pride couldn’t get out of their own end until the 40th minute when a pass from Lemos to Banda at the top of the box allowed her to open up enough space to rocket a shot just wide of the near post.

Thompson tried to chip a cross towards the Pride goal but ended up skying it into the stands in the 43rd minute. With five minutes added to the first half for the various video reviews and injuries, The Courage kept Orlando bottled up in their own defensive end. Trying to escape, Oihane overhit a touch and kicked the legs out of Thompson, picking up a yellow card in the third minute of added time. A shot by McCutcheon a minute later deflected off Banda just wide.

To wrap up the half, Lemos picked up a yellow card in the fifth minute of added time for tripping Matsukubo. North Carolina’s ensuing free kick went long and ended the half just as the rain let up.

It wasn’t a great half of soccer by either team, highlighted by minimal threats and mostly defined by turnovers. The Pride trailed possession (58%-42%), crosses (7-5) and passing accuracy (83%-76%) but led on shots (4-3). Both teams had two corners and neither put a shot on goal.

The Pride came out with energy in the second half trying to change that. Just 30 seconds in, Washington crossed it to Banda at the penalty spot but she scuffed the volley. One minute later, Banda held off Shiragaki to open up a shot but put it just over the bar.

“Honestly, to be switched on from the beginning,” Angelina said when asked about the halftime message. “We know that in past games we got scored on pretty early coming back from the half. That was a big goal for us to come and be disciplined.”

Dani Weatherholt elbowed Washington to the ground in the 50th minute, picking up the Courage’s first yellow card. Matsukubo unleashed a 40-yard through ball to Thompson at the 53-minute mark, freeing Thompson for a shot wide.

Hines decided to try to bring some precision to the attack in the 55th minute, bringing in Marta for Yates and Seven Castain for Washington. It didn’t lead to anything immediately and, in the 60th, Shinomi Koyama got free at the top of the box and put it just over the bar.

However, just seconds later, Banda held off her defender at midfield and dribbled to the middle, laying it off to Marta in the box, who worked herself free for the first shot on target for either team. Sheridan kept it out with a huge save. The ensuing corner by Lemos rattled off the near post, leading to nothing. Lemos was subbed off a minute later in the 64th, with Julie Doyle taking her place.

Marta’s influence on the game started to become even more apparent with a slick left-footed inside-of-the-boot pass that curled perfectly to Banda, but she dribbled in too deep and didn’t get a shot off, losing the ball to Sheridan while trying to round the keeper. Ryan Williams put a shot over the bar 90 seconds later off a block.

Marta rifled a corner in the 69th minute that Sheridan parried right to McCutcheon, who fired it just wide. The Courage then made their first substitutes, bringing in Chioma Okafor for Thompson and Ally Schlegel for Evelyn Ijeh. Ijeh is listed as the forward for the Courage, yet this is the first mention she got in this writeup.

There was a lot of back-and-forth play over the next few minutes until Sanchez pushed a shot just past the far post in the 76th minute. North Carolina then brought in Carly Wickenheiser for Jackson in the 77th minute.

Marta shook herself loose in the 81st and thought she had a corner off a Sheridan tip but it was judged as a missed shot. Angelina went down in the ensuing Courage possession and was subbed off for Luana at the 84th-minute mark. The Courage made a substitution in the 85th, bringing in Ivy Younce for Sanchez.

In the 87th, the Pride broke the scoreless deadlock. Rafaelle intercepted a long pass and fired it over the top to Banda, who was kept onside by Staude. Banda worked her way into the box on the left. The Zambian international sent a curling shot around Sheridan and inside the right post, finally converting and giving the Pride the lead they had been knocking on for a while. Banda had been wasteful all game, but a striker just needs one. The Courage had not surrendered a second-half goal all season but they hadn’t played Banda yet either.

Banda went down in the ensuing celebration and then again five minutes later after a tough shoulder-to-shoulder challenge. She was able to return and, 60 seconds later, held off three defenders while transitioning the ball all the way down the field. She looked winded at this point, but the Pride had used all their subs.

Rafaelle picked up a yellow card in the seventh minute of added time for an over-the-top challenge. That produced the last meaningful action of the half as the Pride wrapped up the win.

The Pride ended up with roughly the same amount of possession as in the first half, finishing behind the Courage (56%-44%). They trailed in shots (12-9) but led in shots on target (2-1). The Courage led in crosses (13-8), but the Pride had one more corner (5-4). Passing accuracy picked up for the Pride in the second half, but they still ended up trailing (82.4%-79.6%).

The Pride now head out on a long road trip. They’ll head to Boston for a game against the Legacy on Tuesday, fly to Denver for a Saturday game against the Summit. Orlando will then get an eight-day break before going to San Diego to play the Wave.

“Sometimes road trips are nice, because you get to bond as a team,” Moorhouse said. “You’re with your teammates 24/7, so you get to bond a bit and hopefully this win will now snowball.”

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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride look to end their two-game losing streak as they welcome the North Carolina Courage to Inter&Co Stadium.

Published

4 days ago

on

May 8, 2026

By

Image of Rafaelle playing the ball.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (2-3-2, 8 points) look to bounce back from a tough loss as they welcome the North Carolina Courage (2-2-3, 9 points) to Inter&Co Stadium (8 p.m., Prime Video). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams this season, with the return game in Cary, NC scheduled for July 31.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Pride and Courage have played 28 times since the Western New York Flash moved to North Carolina and became the Courage in 2017. The Pride are 6-11-3 in the all-time series in NWSL play and 6-14-8 in all competitions (0-0-2 in the Fall Series, 0-3-2 in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and 0-0-1 in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.). Orlando is 3-6-0 at home in league play and 3-7-2 in home matches against the Courage in all competitions.

The most recent meeting between the two teams took place Sept. 19, 2025. The game appeared to be headed towards a scoreless draw until the end of normal time, when Shinomi Koyama converted to give the Courage the 1-0 win.

Prior to that game, the teams met on May 10 in Cary, NC. Feli Rauch scored in the first half to give the hosts the lead and it looked like they would hold on for all three points. But Prisca Chilufya’s equalizer in second-half stoppage time saw the game end in a 1-1 draw.

The first meeting in 2024 was held on May 1 in Orlando. Barbra Banda set up Ally Watt for the opener in the first half, and Watt repaid the favor just over 10 minutes later, as the Pride went up 2-0. Julie Doyle added a goal just before halftime, giving the Pride a commanding lead. Emily Sams’ own goal was the only scoring for the Courage, and Banda’s second of the night gave the Pride a 4-1 win.

On June 15, the Pride were the better team with more possession, shots, and shots on target, but the game ended in a scoreless draw. While they were disappointed with the result, the Pride were the first team to take points in North Carolina in 2024. On July 20 in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup in North Carolina, Manaka Matsukubo gave the hosts the lead just before halftime before Celia equalized late for the Pride. The game went into penalties and the Courage won the shootout 5-4. 

The first game between the Pride and Courage in 2023 took place April 19 in Orlando. The Pride took the lead after halftime when Summer Yates set up Watt for the opening goal, but Denise O’Sullivan equalized deep in second-half injury time, resulting in a 1-1 draw. On June 17 in North Carolina, it was all Courage. Kerolin and Meredith Speck gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before a Haley McCutcheon own goal made it 3-0 to North Carolina.

The Pride didn’t show up for the July 29 Challenge Cup contest in North Carolina, getting demolished by the Courage. Brittany Ratcliffe and Malia Berkely gave the hosts a 2-0 halftime lead before Frankie Tagliaferri made it three, and a late brace by Haley Hopkins completed the 5-0 beating. The Pride finally got a win over the Courage in 2023 on Sept. 17 at home. Watt scored inside the first minute. After assisting on the first goal, Adriana doubled the lead before halftime. Matsukubo got one back for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough and the Pride won 2-1.

The first meeting in 2022 came on May 18 in North Carolina. Sydney Leroux scored early and Mikayla Cluff doubled the lead with her first professional goal. A late goal by Brianna Pinto got the Courage back within one, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride took the2-1 win. On Sept. 21, 2022, at Exploria Stadium, Debinha scored early, assisted Tess Boade in first-half injury time to double the lead, and later added another goal, dooming the Pride to a 3-0 defeat.

The Pride and Courage were placed in the same division for the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, so the teams played twice before the regular season started. The first game took place March 26 in North Carolina. Merritt Mathias converted a penalty after Gunny Jonsdottir was called for a handball in the box, lifting the hosts to a 1-0 win. The return match in the tournament took place on April 16 in Orlando. The Courage scored three goals in the first nine minutes. Darian Jenkins netted a brace to make it 3-2, but a late Debinha goal put the game away and North Carolina won 4-2.

The teams played three times during the 2021 NWSL season. On May 22 in North Carolina, goals by Leroux and Alex Morgan gave the Pride a 2-0 lead late into the game. Jessica McDonald scored late to pull one back but the Pride held on for a 2-1 win. On July 4 in Orlando, Debinha and Havana Solaun goals helped the Courage take home a 2-0 win. The final game was played July 31 in North Carolina. Leroux opened the scoring but Ratcliffe equalized moments later and the teams drew 1-1.

The two teams were also matched up in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup but they only played once in that tournament. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in a scoreless draw.

Similar to the Challenge Cup, the teams were in the same group of the 2020 Fall Series, meeting twice. The first took place Sept. 19 in North Carolina and ended in a scoreless draw. The second was held on Oct. 17 at Exploria Stadium. Led by a Debinha brace, the Courage went up 3-0. But the Pride came back with goals by Marisa Viggiano, Kristen Edmonds, and Ally Haran for an exciting 3-3 draw.

The Pride and Courage played three times during the 2019 season. The first game was on April 17 in North Carolina. The Courage took a 1-0 lead into halftime but scored four times in the second half to win 5-0. They played a second time on June 1 in Orlando. Again, it was a dominant performance by the Courage as the Pride fell 3-0. The final meeting that year was another thrashing by North Carolina as the Pride fell 6-1.

The teams also met three times in 2018. On May 23 in Orlando, goals by Alanna Kennedy and Rachel Hill saw the Pride come back from a 3-1 deficit. But McDonald scored a winner in the 90th minute and the Courage won 4-3. The Pride went down by three goals in the final two games that season, but were unable to come back and fell 3-0 in both contests.

The 2017 season saw the teams meet for the first time. The Courage took the first game 3-1 on April 29 in North Carolina. They played a second time two weeks later in Orlando when the Pride took the 3-1 win. The final meeting in 2017 came in the final game of the season on Sept. 30. Kennedy netted a late winner, leading the Pride to a 3-2 win.

Overview

The Pride went into the three-week international break on a four-game point streak, recording a pair of wins and a pair of draws. However, they’ve had two poor results since then, a 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville on the road and a 4-2 loss to the Washington Spirit at home.

The most recent game got off to a terrible start as Sofia Cantore scored twice in the first five and a half minutes to give the Spirit a 2-0 lead. It looked worse when Ally Lemos had her penalty saved by Sandy MacIver. But Banda scored twice before the break to even the game at 2-2.

Unfortunately, Claudia Martinez and Trinity Rodman scored in the second half, lifting the visitors to a two-goal win and handing the Pride their second consecutive loss. The losses put the Pride in 12th place in the league standings, but just one point behind eighth.

With Kerry Abello and Kylie Nadaner out, the Pride’s back line has consisted of Cori Dyke, Rafaelle, Hailie Mace, and Oihane. Together with starting goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, the defensive unit has conceded seven goals in the last two games. But that’s not the only reason they’ve struggled the last two weeks.

Finishing has been another problem for the Pride. The only player able to convert has been Banda, who has scored four goals in the two most recent games. As previously mentioned, that included a Lemos penalty saved against the Spirit.

Tonight, the Pride face a foe in a similar position, as the Courage also sit on nine points. They’ve played three games since the break. They returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over the Houston Dash before drawing Boston Legacy 2-2 and losing to the Kansas City Current 2-1.

The Courage are tied for the sixth-most goals conceded through their first seven games. That’s despite adding Canadian international goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who joined from San Diego Wave FC, where she was one of the league’s top shot stoppers.

The back line in front of Sheridan has been consistent recently, consisting of Dani Weatherholt, Maycee Bell, Uno Shiragaki, and Ryan Williams. However, Bell missed the team’s loss against Kansas City with a lower body injury.

Offensively, the Courage are led by U.S. international Ashley Sanchez, who has five goals. Matsukubo is second on the team with two goals and Weatherholt has the remaining one.

Williams leads the Courage with three assists so far this season, followed by Carly Wickenheiser, Matsukubo, Payton Linnehan, and Shinomi Koyama with one each.

“I think in any game in this league, it’s always going to be a tough matchup. I think they’re looking to bounce back from a defeat this past weekend. Similarly, we are as well,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said leading into tonight’s game. “We want to get our home form going again. Looking back at the Washington game, we’re very disappointed in the goals we conceded. We created some of our own as well and we have to capitalize on those moments. But there’s been a big emphasis on getting back to who we are as a team and not conceding sloppy goals.”

The Pride will play tonight without Kerry Abello (hip), Hannah Anderson (illness), Zara Chavoshi (lower leg), Cosette Morche (ankle), Jacquie Ovalle (thigh), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). The Courage are without Maycee Bell (knee), Payton Crawford (knee), Natalie Jacobs (ankle), Feli Rauch (suspension), and Olivia Wingate (knee).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Oihane, Raelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Ally Lemos.

Attacking Midfielders: Solai Washington, Angelina, Summer Yates.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Nicole Payne, Reagan Raabe, Luana, Seven Castain, Julie Doyle, Simone Jackson, Marta

North Carolina Courage (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Kailen Sheridan.

Defenders: Dani Weatherholt, Natalia Staude, Uno Shiragaki, Ryan Williams.

Midfielders: Manaka Matsukubo, Shinomi Koyama, Riley Jackson.

Forwards: Ashley Sanchez, Evelyn Ijeh, Lauryn Thompson.

Bench: Molly Pritchard, Sydney Schmidt, Cameron Brooks, Ivy Younce, Carly Wickenheiser, Ally Schlegel, Hannah Betfort, Cortnee Vine, Chioma Okafor.

Referees

REF: Lauren Aldrich.
AR1: Zeno Cho.
AR2: Seun Yinka-Kehinde.
4TH: Elvis Osmanovic.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Kaili Terry.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

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!

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