Orlando Pride
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.
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.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Final Score 3-1 as Banda Brace Leads Pride to Victory
Barbra Banda bags a brace and an assist but goes down injured late in the victory.
After dropping two games to expansion teams and stealing a win in San Diego, the Orlando Pride looked to enter the summer break on a good note. The Pride (5-5-2, 17 points) had never lost to Bay FC (3-6-2, 11 points) and used a second-half burst to maintain that winning record and won 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium.
Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the fourth minute and followed it up in the 51st minute with her second. She added an assist to Cori Dyke in the 55th minute to close out the Pride scoring. Caroline Conti scored the lone Bay FC goal at the seven-minute mark.
“No better gift than a 3-1 victory at home in front of our fans,” Pride Head Coach (and birthday boy) Seb Hines said after the game. “It feels good that we’re ending this period on a high. I think it’s the first time this season we’ve got back-to-back victories.”
The Pride made one change in the lineup, giving Kerry Abello her first start of the season over Julie Doyle. Anna Moorhouse started in goal with Abello, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane on defense. Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos played midfield in front of them with Mace, Luana, and Nicole Payne attacking from the midfield. Banda and her leading-leading nine goals played alone up top.
After an hour weather delay, the Pride went with the in-vogue start these days by kicking the ball straight out of bounds deep on the start and pressing high. It led to an opening three minutes of play in which the Pride kept the pressure up and forced the ball to stay on the Bay FC side. In the fourth minute, Luana headed a ball towards the center which Banda controlled, bodied Bay FC’s Joelle Anderson off the ball, and slotted the opening goal with her left foot.
Bay FC fought right back in the seventh minute as the visitors didn’t have to fight through the press off their kickoff. Claire Hutton crossed the ball into the box, Abello deflected it wide but there was no Pride defender there and it fell to Caroline Conti. Abello tried to fight all the way over but Conti was able to put it past Moorhouse before any help arrived.
The entire back line got pulled to the right on the play and Mace could not get back to help out wide.
“Hailie Mace came into NWSL as a winger. She’s got some tendencies that fit a winger profile. We knew Bay FC had a high back line. How do we get behind that back line? Having someone to support Barbra and not just Nicole but add in another player who can get into the attack,” Hines said regarding the switch.
In the 16th minute, Rachael Kundananji beat Oihane and crossed the ball to Hannah Bebar, who headed it into the net, but Cristiana Girelli was in an offside position threatening the goal, so the assistant referee ruled that it put Moorhouse off enough to interfere with the play.
The teams settled down a bit and traded possession until the 27th minute when Oihane centered the ball to Payne, who scuffed the shot high. One minute later, Luana sent a through ball for Banda to run onto and she went down in the box in a collision with Brooklyn Courtnall. It was fairly evident, however, that Banda got her leg into Courtnall’s to either try to control the ball or draw a foul, and the referee, Jaclyn Metz, saw it the same way.
In the 33rd minute, Oihane was subbed out for Hannah Anderson. Oihane had been laboring a little and may have picked up a knock somewhere.
The Pride couldn’t re-establish the high press so they turned into a lot of possession by Bay FC. Any attack by the Pride ended in a turnover off a bad pass or ill-conceived long shots as Orlando’s attackers were impatient in building play. Turnover after turnover plagued the Pride for the remainder of the half as they did not threaten at all until the 45th minute, when Banda took on Maddie Moreau and Kundananji, shook them both loose, and then crossed the ball into an empty area at the back post with no one to finish.
It was a fitting final piece of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as the half wrapped without any plays of interest. The Pride weren’t able to lead any of the statistics, tying Bay FC in shots (4-4), while Bay FC led in shots on target (3-1), possession (53%-47%), and passing accuracy (85%-83%). Neither team was able to force a corner in the first half.
To start the second half, Hines subbed in Summer Yates for Abello, which pushed Mace back to the back line. In the 48th minute, Kundananji got behind when Anderson got caught out and was sizing up a one-on-one with Moorhouse. Dyke hustled back and blocked the shot.
“We started the game super strong, super intense, but I think we fell off towards the end of that first half,” Dyke said. “We got a little too stretched between the lines and weren’t getting enough pressure on the ball and we talked about that at halftime. We needed to stay more compact and then pick our moments to go.”
Go they did. Three minutes later, Yates sent a through ball angled behind Banda which allowed her to run onto the ball unopposed. She beat goalkeeper Emmie Allen, who came out of the box aggressively to defend, and then passed the ball into the net in the 51st minute.
Four minutes later, Banda pressured Allen, forcing the goalkeeper into a clearance out of play. On the ensuing throw-in, Banda held off Bebar in the box, spun, and crossed the ball to Dyke, who put the ball in off the crossbar. The ability of the Pride to retain possession and work the ball in against a lesser opponent opened up the scoring and turned the game on its head.
Bay FC didn’t have a lot to do over the next stretch of time and Taylor Huff went down with an injury in the 61st minute, prompting a change as she was subbed out for Karlie Lema. Dorian Bailey came on for Joelle Anderson in the same stoppage but at the 62nd minute.
The teams went back and forth for a bit until the Pride drew a corner in the 71st minute. It deflected off a Bay FC defender and fell to Rafaelle at the far post, who headed it just wide. Three minutes later, Jacquie Ovalle and Zara Chavoshi wrapped up the Pride substitutions by coming in for Payne and Mace. Bay FC also took the stoppage in the 74th minute to sub two players in, bringing on Keria Barry and Onyeka Gamero for Kundananji and Girelli.
Unfortunately, in the 81st minute, Banda was dribbling down the left side when she pulled up lame and went to the ground off the pitch. She stayed there until tended to and was obviously upset. We’ll have to wait for any injury news on her. Bay FC made its final substitution in the ensuing stoppage in the 82nd minute, bringing on Kelli Hubly for Conti.
The injury to Banda left the Pride playing with only 10 players for the remaining 15 minutes (including added time) due to using up all three substitution windows. They stayed fairly solid in defense and played a lot of keep-away ball to see out the victory while playing short.
“A great way to finish this part of the season with a win at home. I think we were consistent today and we took the chances we created,” Luana said. “We’ve been having highs and lows in this part of the season but we bounced back in these two wins and it brought us a lot of confidence.”
Orlando City was ahead in the only stat that matters, goals, but trailed in every other major stat. Bay FC finished ahead in shots (14-8), shots on target (5-4), possession (54%-46%), passing accuracy (85%-84%), and corners (4-1).
The Orlando Pride now will be off until early July for the NWSL World Cup break. The next match is scheduled for July 3 in Los Angeles against Angel City FC.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride return home to face Bay FC in their final game before the FIFA World Cup break.
Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (4-5-2, 14 points) return home from a three-game road trip to take on Bay FC (3-5-2, 11 points). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams with the return game scheduled for Sept. 27 in San Jose.
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 have met four times, with the Pride holding a 3-0-1 record and a 1-0-1 mark at home in the series.
The most recent meeting took place on Sept. 13, 2025, in Orlando. The visitors took the lead just before halftime when Racheal Kundananji headed in a long pass by Caprice Dydasco. The Pride equalized in the second half, when Ally Watt headed a Jacquie Ovalle cross past Jordan Silkowitz to claim a 1-1 draw.
On June 13 of last year in San Jose, CA, Bay FC led almost every statistical category, but the Pride defense held strong until Barbra Banda scored shortly after halftime. The Pride withstood attack after attack, coming away with a hard-fought 1-0 win.
The teams met twice in 2024, with the first-ever game between the clubs occurring on May 11. 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.
The teams met for the second time on Sept. 20, 2024. It looked like the game might be headed for a scoreless draw until 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.
Overview
The Pride return home tonight after a difficult road trip that saw the team fall 2-1 to Boston Legacy FC and 3-1 to Denver Summit FC. Having already lost to both expansion teams, they headed west to face San Diego Wave FC, a team near the top of the standings. But Nicole Payne’s first professional goal lifted Orlando to a 1-0 win.
Despite not scoring in two of the last three games, Banda still leads the league with nine goals in 10 games this season. She has a two-goal lead on Ashley Sanchez, who is second in the league. Haley McCutcheon is the only other Pride player with multiple goals, scoring twice in the same game. Ovalle, Marta, and Hannah Anderson have the team’s other three goals. The assists have been spread out much more evenly with Ovalle, McCutcheon, and Rafaelle all sharing the team lead with two.
The clean sheet against San Diego was big for the back line as the team has conceded too many goals recently. Dating back to their 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville FC on April 24, the Pride have conceded multiple goals in four of the last six games. The only other game in which they didn’t concede at least twice was a 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 8, their last home game.
Tonight is the Pride’s last game before the league breaks for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After the game, they won’t play again until July 3 and won’t play at home until July 10. That makes getting a quality result tonight essential for momentum going through the remainder of the season.
If you’re looking for a team to win against, Bay FC is one of the most likely candidates. The Bay -area side sits 13th in the NWSL on 11 points, just four points ahead of Louisville for last place. Tonight’s visitors are currently on a four-game winless run (0-2-2) and a two-game losing streak. Their last win was a 1-0 victory against San Diego on May 3. The club’s most recent games are a 2-0 loss to Portland Thorns FC on May 20 and a 1-0 loss to Chicago Stars FC on May 24.
Bay FC has struggled this year on both ends of the field. Its eight goals are second fewest in the league and Bay is one of three teams with single-digit goals this year. Meanwhile, the team’s 14 goals conceded are sixth in the league. The California side has been better defensively overall than the Pride, who have conceded 16 goals, but worse offensively, as the Pride have scored 15 goals so far this year.
Bay FC has been led in the attack by Alex Pfeiffer and Dorian Bailey with two goals each. Kundananji, Taylor Huff, Keira Barry, and Joelle Anderson have one apiece. Pfeiffer also leads the team in assists with two, tied with Cristina Girelli. Huff and Sydney Collins are the only other players with assists this season.
It should help the Pride tonight that Bay FC will be missing two key players. Silkowitz and starting center back Aldana Cometti were sent off against Chicago Sunday, meaning they’ll miss tonight’s game.
However, the Pride have their own key absences. In addition to injuries that have accumulated this season, Angelina was handed an additional game’s suspension after being sent off on May 16 for pulling Delanie Sheehan’s hair.
“We’re looking forward to it. Looking forward to being back home,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “It’s been a long road trip. Excited to get in front of our own fans. Want to create that atmosphere, make it hostile for Bay FC. We know it’s a quick turnaround for both teams as well, so we want to make sure that we start off on the front foot, build on what we achieved last Sunday in San Diego, and finish this part of the season on a high.”
The Pride will be without Angelina (suspension), Cosette Morche (ankle), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Marta (thigh) and Ovalle (thigh) are listed as questionable. Bay FC will be without Cornetti (suspension), Abby Dahlkemper (maternity leave), Anouk Denton (lower leg), Dydasco (maternity leave), Heather Gilchrist (knee), Alyssa Malonson (knee), Emily Menges (maternity leave), Pfeiffer (knee), and Silkowitz (suspension).
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.
Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.
Attacking Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Luana, Nicole Payne.
Forward: Barbra Banda.
Bench: McKinley Crone, Zara Chavoshi, Hannah Anderson, Julie Doyle, Marta, Jacquie Ovalle, Summer Yates, Seven Castain, Simone Jackson.
Bay FC (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Emmie Allen.
Defenders: Sydney Collins, Joelle Anderson, Brooklyn Courtnall, Maddie Moreau.
Defensive Midfielders: Hannah Bebar, Claire Hutton.
Attacking Midfielders: Racheal Kundananji, Caroline Conti, Taylor Huff.
Forward: Cristiana Girelli.
Bench: Camryn Miller, Kelli Hubly, Jamie Shepherd, Dorian Bailey, Karlie Lema, Onyeka Gamero, Tess Boade, Keira Barry.
Referees
REF: Jaclyn Metz.
AR1: Art Arustamyan.
AR2: Adam Cook.
4TH: Edson Carvajal.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Katarzyna Wasiak.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: NWSL+.
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!
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Pride need to do to earn all three points against Bay FC?
The Orlando Pride welcome Bay FC to Inter&Co Stadium this Friday night for the last match before the World Cup break. This is an opportunity to get a win over a team lower in the table and move up in the standings. What must the Pride do to earn all three points against Bay FC this weekend?
Keep the Chip
I have been asking all season on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for the Pride to play with the chip on their shoulder that they had when they won the double in 2024. We saw that against the San Diego Wave. My hope is that the players have now remembered what that feels like and will execute with the same level of intensity going forward.
The task is potentially a little easier against Bay FC, as the California-based side has scored less than half the number of goals that the Wave have this season. Of course, that is the trap. The Pride cannot slack off against Bay FC. Having Rafaelle anchoring the defense is a big help, and moving Hailie Mace out to right back has proven effective. In 2024, this team hated — with a capital “H” — conceding goals. They took it personally. That is the passion I want again. The chip on the shoulder.
Overwhelm and Outscore
As I mentioned above, Bay FC is not a prolific scoring team. Friday’s visitors have also given up 14 goals this season. That’s not the best or the worst in the league, but they haven’t faced Barbra Banda yet. The Orlando Pride don’t have any trouble creating chances, but they have had trouble getting anyone other than Banda to finish them this season. Banda leads the league in goals, and she has an opportunity to maintain or extend that lead against Bay FC.
What will truly make the difference for the Pride against Bay FC is if any of the other players can contribute a goal. We saw the space that Banda can provide her teammates when Nicole Payne scored her first goal against San Diego. Now I want other players to take advantage of that space to provide some goals for the Pride.
More Luana
Luana got her first start since coming back to the squad cancer-free. I think we’ve forgotten that she was a starter on the 2024 squad before her Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. She was a starter on a team that won the double. Now she is back and she is a leader and an inspiration for her fellow players.
Given Marta’s limited minutes, having Luana out there as a stabilizing presence is important. Obviously, she brings a different skill set than Marta but still a critical one. Much like the defense, the midfield was better last match, and I feel she was a big part of that.
That is what I will be looking for on Friday night. The Pride can head into the World Cup break on a high with a victory. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links: 6/1/26
Orlando City B vs. Chattanooga FC: Final Score 5-2 as OCB Dominates Second Half
An Early Look at Orlando City’s Contract Decisions
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks agoBarbra Banda Keeps Scoring But the Orlando Pride Aren’t Winning
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 4-1 as Lions Maul Five Stripes
-
Orlando City1 week agoIntelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati
-
Lion Links2 weeks agoLion Links: 5/22/26
-
Orlando Pride1 week agoOrlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 6-2 as Leaky Lions Suffer Another Heavy Road Loss
-
Orlando City2 weeks agoOrlando City vs. Atlanta United, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City1 week agoOrlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More