Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns FC: Final Score 2-1 as Barbra Banda Brace Lifts Pride to Eighth Straight Win
The Pride used a Barbra Banda brace to defeat the Portland Thorns 2-1 for their eighth straight win.
The Orlando Pride (8-0-3, 27 points) won their record-setting eighth straight game by defeating the Portland Thorns (6-4-1, 19 points) 2-1 tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. Barbra Branda’s first-half brace gave the hosts a 2-0 lead that they took into the second period of play. The Thorns got one back through Izzy D’Aquila, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride claimed all three points.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made two changes to the starting lineup that beat the Seattle Reign 3-2 on Sunday. Morgan Gautrat returned to the lineup, replacing Ally Lemos, and Julie Doyle replaced Summer Yates, who was out with an illness.
The back line in front of Anna Moorhouse remained the same with Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Rafaelle, and Emily Sams. Gautrat and Haley McCutcheon were in the defensive midfield behind Doyle, Marta, and Adriana with Banda up top.
It was a slow start to this game as the two teams tried to find ways to break down the opposition in the first 10 minutes. However, the Pride dominated the remainder of the first half, taking a 2-0 lead into halftime. The Thorns made two halftime changes and it made a difference as they created more chances than in the first 45 minutes. They got a goal back in the 71st minute and nearly scored on multiple other occasions. But the Pride were able to hold on.
The Pride had the first decent attack of the game in the 10th minute. It started with an excellent long ball across the field from Rafaelle to Doyle and the midfielder’s cross was blocked by Becky Sauerbrunn. The ball landed at the feet of McCutcheon and she attempted a shot, but Hina Sugita was there to block it. The Pride recirculated the ball, resulting in Adriana finding Marta at the top of the box, but the captain’s attempt was blocked by Kelli Hubly.
In the 17th minute, a bad touch by Christine Sinclair enabled Rafaelle to take possession and find Marta at the top of the box. The Brazilian fired from distance and the ball bounced off the chest of Thorns goalkeeper Shelby Hogan for the first save of the game.
Marta took another shot in the 24th minute when Doyle lifted the ball over a pair of defenders, looking for her teammate on the far side of the six-yard box. It was far enough for Marta to control and get a shot off, but Hubly stayed in front and blocked the attempt.
In the 26th minute, Adriana played a great ball forward to Banda, enabling her to get into the box. Hubly got in front of the striker and defended her well, knocking the ball out of play. Marta’s ensuing corner kick was cleared out, but only to Abello who played it back outside for Marta. The captain found Strom with space in the box, but the center back’s shot was wide of the target.
The Pride won another corner kick in the 29th minute and this one resulted in the game’s opening goal. Abello’s cross was cleared behind goal by Hubly for a corner kick. Marta took the set piece, sending it to the far side of the six-yard box. Gautrat got her head to it, sending the ball to the center of the box. Rafaelle’s shot on goal was blocked, but the ball went right to Banda, who put it in to give the Pride a 1-0 lead.
Immediately after the goal, the teams went to the sidelines for a hydration break. When play resumed, the Thorns got their first chance of the game. It came from a mistake when a pass back to Rafaelle was misplayed, enabling Olivia Moultrie to take over. The teenager took a couple of dribbles before shooting, sending the attempt straight to Moorhouse.
In the 35th minute, Janine Beckie made a run down the right and attempted to play Moultrie behind the Pride defense. Moultrie had a step on Rafaelle, but the pass was too close to Moorhouse, enabling the Pride goalkeeper to collect it.
The Pride doubled their lead in the 40th minute when Marta sent a long ball forward for Banda. Dribbling into the Thorns box, Hubly caught up with the striker and blocked her initial shot. However, Banda recovered, dribbled around Hogan, and touched the ball in for an easy second goal of the night.
The goal saw Banda net her third brace of the year and her second brace in two games after she scored twice against the Seattle Reign on Sunday. It was her eighth goal of the season, tying her for the league lead with Sophia Smith. However, while Smith has scored eight goals in 10 games, Banda has done it in seven.
“I’m so happy to be part of that. I’m happy to help her score goals because, at the end of the day, it’s good for the team,” Marta said about Banda’s brace. “We were missing some players like that a few years ago, and we created a lot of chances, but most of the chances didn’t result in goals. This year, we have her here, she showed up from the first game, and really, really wants to help this team. She showed hunger every single game. And, for us, it’s very good because she’s fast, she’s strong, and then we just need to find a pass.”
“Building that chemistry has probably happened quicker than we might have thought,” Hines said about the chemistry between Banda and Marta. “But she finds a way and it’s brilliant to see. Even the second goal today, you would feel like the chance is gone but she finds a way to find the back of their net.”
After scoring twice, Banda nearly got an assist in the 43rd minute when a pair of defenders closed her down, leaving McCutcheon free to her right. The defensive midfielder controlled the ball and shot, but it was too close to Hogan.
The Thorns got their second shot in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when a long ball into the box was cleared by Abello. The clearance went right to Jessie Fleming, who quickly shot, but it was well over the target.
The final chance of the first half came a minute later when Rafaelle was called for a foul on Sugita. It gave the visitors a free kick in the Pride’s final third, their first set piece of the game in a dangerous position. Sam Coffey sent the ball into the box and Sauerbrunn got her head to it, but sent the redirection over the goal. The halftime whistle blew immediately after the miss, sending the Pride into the locker room up 2-0.
At halftime, the Thorns had more possession (54%-46%) and better passing accuracy (85%-83%), but the Pride had more shots (14-3), shots on target (13-1), corner kicks (3-0), and crosses (10-5).
“We had mentioned that two halves are never the same. 2-0 is a very dangerous score line as well,” Hines said about his halftime message. “The next goal can be the defining factor.”
Right after the halftime whistle, Banda went down and rubbed her leg. As a result, Hines made one halftime change, replacing Banda with Ally Watt.
The Pride had the first chance of the second half in the 52nd minute when Doyle played McCutcheon to the end line and Coffey knocked the ball out of play. The first corner kick by Marta was blocked back to her and her second cross was knocked out of play by Sinclair. The second corner kick found the head of Rafaelle beyond the back post, but her header was high and wide of the target.
The Thorns quickly went the other way off the goal kick with Moultrie sending Beckie down the right. The midfielder played a great ball to Sinclair, who had gotten behind Rafaelle, but her attempt to redirect the ball on target was unsuccessful, sending it over the crossbar.
In the 56th minute, Doyle sent a long and low ball forward for Watt. The speedy striker beat Sauerbrunn to the pass and sent a shot towards goal, but right to Hogan.
Two minutes later, Adriana used some crafty footwork to beat Nicole Payne and shot for the near post. She felt that Hogan had blocked it out for a corner kick, but referee Ekaterina Koroleva determined that the ball went directly into the side netting and issued the Thorns a goal kick.
It appeared as though the Pride would have a corner kick in the 60th minute when Marta sent a dangerous ball towards goal. It looked like Hogan pushed the shot wide, but Koroleva said Marta was the last to touch it, much to her dismay.
Marta caused more havoc for the Thorns defense on the left, beginning with a dangerous cross in the 65th minute. She was looking for Watt, who was making a diagonal run to the near post. But Sauerbrunn beat her to it and cleared the ball out of play.
A minute later, Marta was played forward on the left and sent a dangerous ball across the face of goal. Watt made the slightest of touches, attempting to redirect inside the far post, but didn’t get enough on it and the ball went out of play.
On the other end, the Thorns had a chance in the 68th minute when Beckie played a nice through ball, sending D’Aquila behind the back line. The substitute’s first touch was a shot, but Moorhouse did well to come out and block the attempt.
Shortly after the stop, Hines made his second change of the game. Cori Dyke came into the game for Doyle.
The visitors got a goal back in the 71st minute through a nice individual effort by Moultrie. The U.S. international beat her defender to the end line and found D’Aquila wide open in the box. It was an easy finish for the substitute, cutting the Pride lead to 2-1.
The Pride’s third substitution came in the 76th minute. It was a defensive move as Brianna Martinez came into the game for Gautrat.
Watt went down in the 79th minute and required attention from the Pride medical staff. In the meantime, the players went to the benches for water and instructions. When Watt was up and play resumed, Ana Dias sent a dangerous ball towards the back post. D’Aquila was in the area, but couldn’t get on the end of it.
A minute later, Sugita created enough space to send the ball towards goal. Moorhouse initially looked like she would have to make a stop, but the ball curled away and went out for goal kick.
The Thorns came close to equalizing in the 84th minute when Moultrie lifted the ball forward. Dias was between Rafaelle and Strom, but got her head to it. Moorhouse was indecisive about whether to come out and it nearly cost her. Fortunately, the header was off the crossbar and the Pride were able to clear.
The final two changes for the Pride came in the 87th minute. Ally Lemos and Amanda Allen entered the game for Abello and Adriana.
In the 90th minute, Lemos pulled Sugita back while the Thorns midfielder looked to enter the Pride box. She was issued a yellow card and Portland had a free kick in a dangerous position. Moultrie sent the set piece towards the far post where Dias met it with her head. However, the attempt was wide of the target.
The fourth official showed five minutes of second-half stoppage time, but the Thorns couldn’t take advantage. The only shot came in the fifth minute when Moultrie took a shot from outside of the box. McCutcheon blocked the attempt and the Pride won the game 2-1.
At full time, the Thorns had more possession (55%-45%) and crosses (22-17) with better passing accuracy (84%-81%). The Pride had more shots (22-13), shot on target (16-6), and corner kicks (7-2).
“Listen, they’re a top team. They were six games unbeaten coming into this game,” Hines said about the game. “They should be looking at the top of the table with the roster that they have. They’ve got internationals all over, they’ve got players who have won the league as well. So it was always going to be different in that second half. And I think how we started the second half, we started a little bit surprised.”
“I thought after that first 10 minutes for the second half, we settled, we started moving the ball really well,” he continued. “We also created some really good opportunities to score as well. And I think if we had got that third goal, we probably would’ve put our minds at rest towards the end. But this team thinks deep. You know, to get it over the line towards the end, that’s really, really encouraging and it’s something that we’ve done all season which is pleasing that we didn’t stop that today.”
The Pride win snapped a six-game winning streak by the Thorns and was the Pride’s eighth consecutive win, setting a new NWSL record. However, the Pride have bigger things in mind as they contend for the first trophy in team history.
“It’s a great feeling,” Hines said about the record. “I’ll be honest, it’ll probably be short lived because we’ve got bigger goals we’ve set this season and objectives that we want to reach this season. But yeah, of course it’s a nice feeling. It’s great to do it in front of our fans, our home fans who have supported us through the tough times and just glad that we’re rewarding them for their support by having this record and setting a new record for the NWSL. But a lot of credit has to go to the players and the support staff because, without them, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this today.”
“Proud,” McCutcheon added. “ I think I even said that tonight from last year to this year. We knew we were building something special but just to have something in the history books is something that I didn’t think would happen so soon. And so yeah, we’re thrilled but we’re not satisfied. We want to keep pushing for the ultimate goal at the end of the season.”
Much was made about the Pride going after a new league record heading into this game. However, they’re still looking to maintain their spot at the top of the NWSL standings.
“I think it’s about mentality more. Keep a hard mentality, very strong,” Marta said about the team moving forward. “And, like I say, we need to keep on playing our way, make our way, find a way when we don’t have it together. And we can’t start to think about the other teams. We need to think about ourselves. We need to repeat every single thing that we did good in this game. And improve, improve more and more. Don’t be satisfied.”
The NWSL will take a break next weekend for internationals before returning the following weekend. The Pride will take the field next on June 7 when they travel west to take on San Diego Wave FC.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Final score 0-0 as the Pride Remain Unbeaten
The Orlando Pride remain undefeated after taking a road point against the North Carolina Courage.
It wasn’t the result that the Orlando Pride wanted, but the team remains unbeaten in 2024 after a 0-0 draw against the North Carolina Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park. Orlando (8-0-5, 29 points) had plenty of chances but was unable to score a goal for the first time this season. The Pride were the first team this year to take any points away on the road against North Carolina (5-7-1, 16 points), which is now 5-0-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park in 2024.
The Pride had an opportunity to go top of the table as the Kansas City Current drew the Chicago Red Stars Friday, but the 0-0 draw wasn’t enough to do so. This was first time the Pride were shut out since September 9, 2023 on the road against OL Reign. Halfway through this season, the Pride are only two points shy of their point total from 2023.
“The positives are, you know, a point on the road, (which) it’s probably something we would have taken before the game,” Hines said. “No other team has done that against North Carolina. Clean sheet as well. It’s really important that we get that going as well. But, I think after the game it’s a bittersweet taste in our mouths because we thought that we played really well.”
Brianna Martinez echoed Hines’ comments.
“We’re proud to be the first team to kind of give them a tough game at home but also disappointed, because I think we know we could have beat them and walked away with three (points),” the defender said. “Our effort was there, just technically it could have been a little bit better if we kept the ball.”
Hines did not have a full-strength squad for the match, with starters Rafaelle and Morgan Gautrat out with injuries. Anna Moorhouse started in goal behind a back line of Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Brianna Martinez. The midfield in the 4-4-2 consisted of Adriana, Julie Doyle, Summer Yates, and Haley McCutcheon, with Barbra Banda and Marta up top.
After the start of the game was delayed due to field conditions, the Pride didn’t wait very long to get into the attack with a takeaway in the first minute, moving the ball up to Banda into the box, but she lost possession. The Pride got their first chance in the fourth minute as the ball was worked up the left side to Banda, who crossed it in to Marta , but the shot went right into the arms of Courage keeper Casey Murphy.
The Pride’s second shot on goal came in the seventh minute on a break that saw Banda once again cross the ball — this time to Doyle — who also sent it right at Murphy.
In the 14th minute, Yates tried to make her way into the box where she was stood up. The ball popped out to Banda, who took a shot from outside the box, but it went wide right of goal.
Doyle earned a free kick in the 15th minute, but the attempt went to Murphy again. In the 17th minute, the Pride had another free kick resulting in a corner kick. Unfortunately, Yates sent the ball over the goal and out for a goal kick.
The Courage were able to get some possession, including a ball into the box, but the Pride defense was able to clear. In the 26th minute, Martinez made a good interception but slipped, allowing the Courage to get a half chance off that was easily saved by Moorhouse.
In the 29th minute, Marta took a long-distance shot that sailed over the goal. The Pride followed that up a minute later with another shot that bounced back to Adriana, who headed it right to Murphy. In the 32nd minute, Adriana made her way into the box and crossed for Marta on the back post, but her header went wide left.
The Courage got their first good chance in the 33rd minute when Ashley Sanchez beat Martinez to the ball in the box, but Moorhouse did well to come out, get big, and make the save. The resulting corner kick was headed out by the Courage for a goal kick.
The Courage got behind the Pride defense in the 38th minute. Sanchez took a shot at the top of the box, but it sailed high. One minute later, Narumi Miura took a long-distance shot that went left of goal.
In the 42nd minute, Marta took another shot on goal from outside the box, but again it went right to Murphy. After that, both teams saw out the half with no stoppage time given.
North Carolina held the halftime edge in possession (54%-46%), shots (7-6), and passing accuracy (83%-80%). Despite one fewer shot, the Pride had more shots on target (3-2), with the corners being equal (1-1).
The Courage came out on the front foot to start the second half, but it was the Pride that got the first shot. Once again, Banda muscled her way into the box, but she was unable to get the shot off. The ball bounced out to Marta at the top of the box, but her shot went wide right.
In the 48th minute, Banda again made her way forward, this time earning a free kick when she was fouled from behind. The kick went into the wall and then out for a corner kick. Unfortunately, there was a foul in the box on the set piece and the opportunity went to waste.
The Courage had a few opportunities in the 55th minute, but nothing on goal. In the 58th minute, Moorhouse came out to make a sliding save where a Courage player rammed her. There was no foul called on the play, and the Courage continued the attack. Fortunately, Sams and the rest of the defense kept the Courage out of goal. After some attention from the trainers, Moorhouse continued.
In the 67th minute, Abello earned a corner that was taken by Marta, but nothing came of it. Two minutes later, Doyle made her way into the box and crossed to Adriana, but her shot didn’t have much on it and was handled easily by Murphy.
In the 72nd minute Adriana took a shot that deflected off the defense and out for a corner. The resulting corner kick was cleared. Two minutes later, Hines makes his first substitutions, including Angelina returning from injury.
“I just want to thank the staff and my teammates. They were there for me the whole way,” Angelina said. “It was like five weeks to get back on the field. I just feel great (and) they gave me great support through my injury.”
In the 77th minute, McCutcheon committed a foul resulting in a free kick for Carolina. Moorhouse punched the ball out. The Courage continued to create trouble in the Pride’s area, but were unable to convert.
Banda took another shot in the 80th minute, but it went wide right. Five minutes later she sent a cross to Adriana, but the Brazilian’s shot was blocked. The resulting corner amounted to nothing, despite a few shot attempts. Banda made another run in the 88th minute, but her shot attempt went high. She was subbed out in the 89th minute for Amanda Allen.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Marta took another shot that was deflected out for a corner. The video assistant referee took a look at the play for a potential handball, but it was cleared. Murphy collected the corner kick, as the Pride wasted another chance.
Six minutes of stoppage time turned into nine minutes. The Pride had a flurry of chances but didn’t score. In the last minute of play the Courage earned a corner, but Moorhouse made one more save as time expired, and the teams split the points.
The Pride made up ground on the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (51%-49%), shots (19-14), corners (6-2), and passing accuracy (80%-77%). Shots on target were even (5-5).
The lack of clinical finishing is not normal for this Pride team. Even Banda wasn’t dialed in against the Courage. Given how stingy the Courage are at home, and how back and forth the match was, a point on the road is acceptable if not ideal.
The Pride are back home on Friday to host the Utah Royals at Inter&Co Stadium.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride wrap up their two-game road trip with a visit to the North Carolina Courage.
The Orlando Pride (8-0-4, 28 points) conclude their two-game road trip tonight against the North Carolina Courage (5-7-0, 15 points) in Cary, NC. This is the second and final time the two teams will face off during the 2024 NWSL regular season, although they will meet in the group stage of the Summer Cup.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
The Pride and Courage have played 24 times since the Western New York Flash moved to North Carolina and became the Courage in 2017. The Pride are 6-13-5 in those games (6-10-1 in the NWSL regular season, 0-0-2 in the Fall Series, and 0-3-2 in the NWSL Challenge Cup).
The most recent meeting between the two teams was on May 1 in Orlando. Barbra Banda and Ally Watt started up top together for the first time, a move that paid off in the game. In the 29th minute, Banda set up Watt for the opener. Watt repaid the favor in the 40th minute 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.
The first game between the Pride and Courage in 2023 was on 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 in the ninth minute of 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 result. The Pride finally got a win on Sept. 17, 2023 at home. Watt got the Pride off to a great start, scoring inside the first minute. After assisting on the first goal, Adriana doubled the lead before halftime. Manaka 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. The Pride got off to a great start in that game, with Sydney Leroux scoring early. 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 the 2-1 win. On Sept. 21, 2022 at Exploria Stadium, it was the Courage that got off to the better start when Debinha scored in the second minute. The Brazilian then assisted Tess Boade in first-half injury time to double the lead, and later added another, 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 was on 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 got off to a fast start, scoring 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 came on July 31 in North Carolina. Leroux opened the scoring but Brittany 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 that game 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 was on Sept. 19 in North Carolina and ended in a scoreless draw. The second was 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. The Pride got a goal in that one but still fell 6-1.
The teams also met three times in 2018 but the results were much closer. 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. The Pride took a 2-0 lead but the Courage came back to even it at 2-2. It looked headed for a draw until Kennedy netted a late winner, leading the Pride to a 3-2 win.
Overview
The Pride are coming off a hard-fought 1-1 draw in San Diego, a result that snapped their eight-game winning streak. Julie Doyle opened the scoring in the first half with arguably the goal of the season, but the visitors equalized through Makenzy Doniak in the 62nd minute. Despite ending their winning streak, the draw extended the Pride’s unbeaten run to 12 games and kept them tied on points with the Kansas City Current atop the NWSL standings.
Banda has been the most impressive player for the Pride this season, scoring eight goals, recording three assists, and drawing two penalties in eight games. She added to her assist tally in San Diego, setting up Doyle’s first-half goal. The team has also been strong defensively and Head Coach Seb Hines has found his preferred back four. After shifting players around because of injuries and suspensions, he’s used Sams, Rafaelle, Kylie Strom, and Kerry Abello in five of the last six games. However, Rafaelle missed the San Diego contest and is out tonight with a leg injury.
The Courage have historically been one of the best teams in the NWSL, but have struggled this season. They’re currently tied with Racing Louisville for seventh in the league and have a -2 goal differential. They’re in the middle of the league in both goals scored and goals conceded, unsurprisingly leaving them in the middle of the table.
North Carolina has been led offensively by the players you’d expect. Tyler Lussi has a team-leading three goals, just ahead of Bianca St-Georges and Haley Hopkins, who have two each. Dani Weatherholt, Ashley Sanchez, Brianna Pinto, Kaleigh Kurtz, and Malia Berkely have all added one as well. The only player with multiple assists this year is Sanchez, the team’s primary playmaker. The U.S. international will likely cause the most problems for the Pride back line, making stopping her essential.
The Courage haven’t been bad in most games defensively this season. Other than the 4-1 loss to the Pride, the only time they’ve conceded more than two goals was in a 3-0 loss to the Houston Dash on May 24. However, they bounced back on June 8, only losing 1-0 to the Portland Thorns. They started the season with a four-person back line, but have recently switched to three in front of starting goalkeeper Casey Murphy, so it will be interesting to see how they line up tonight.
While the Courage have gotten off to a disappointing start, they’ve been excellent at home. The team has yet to drop points at WakeMed Soccer Park, winning all of their first five games, including a 2-0 win over the Thorns on April 13. Their home form will make winning a difficult task for the Pride.
“Results from them has shown that it’s a tough place to go and get points. They’re unbeaten, they’ve won every game there, and we expect nothing less than a tough game,” Hines said about the Courage. “So we’ll go out there, we’ll give everything like we have done in every game. We want to bounce back from almost a disappointing result away at San Diego. We know we can play better than that and so we’ll be going in there and looking for a win.”
Angelina (knee) isn’t listed on the injury report this week for the first time since her injury, but Morgan Gautrat (concussion) and Rafaelle (leg) have been added to players out. They’re joined by Celia (hip), Simone Charley (leg), Luana (illness), Megan Montefusco (heel), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). North Carolina will be without Sydney Collins (ankle), Estelle Johnson (maternity leave), Kerolin Nicoli (knee), Olivia Wingate (leg), and Ryan Williams (suspension), while Matsukubo (lower leg) and Dani Weatherholt (leg) are questionable.
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Brianna Martinez.
Midfielders: Adriana, Summer Yates, Haley McCutcheon, Julie Doyle.
Forwards: Barbra Banda, Marta.
Bench: McKinley Crone, Cori Dyke, Carrie Lawrence, Ally Lemos, Angelina, Amanda Allen, Mariana Larroquette, Alex Kerr, Ally Watt.
North Carolina Courage (3-4-3)
Goalkeeper: Casey Murphy.
Defenders: Felicitas Rauch, Malia Berkely, Kaleigh Kurtz.
Midfielders: Victoria Pickett, Denise O’Sullivan, Narumi Miura, Bianca St-Georges.
Forwards: Tyler Lussi, Haley Hopkins, Ashley Sanchez.
Bench: Marisa Bova, Julia Dorsey, Natalia Staude, Jenna Winebrenner, Riley Jackson, Maya McCutcheon, Landy Mertz, Brianna Pinto, Meredith Speck.
Referees
REF: JC Griggs.
AR1: Nicholas Seymour.
AR2: Tiffini Turpin.
4TH: John Rush.
VAR: Alejandro Mariscal.
AVAR: Tom Felice.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: WakeMed Soccer Park — Cary, NC.
TV: Bally Sports Florida.
Streaming: NWSL+.
Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @SkoPurpSoccer, the official Twitter account of our Orlando Pride podcast (The Mane Land’s main account will be providing updates on Orlando City’s match), and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).
Enjoy the match. Go Pride!
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride at North Carolina Courage: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Pride have to do to earn a victory against the Courage?
The Orlando Pride head north to take on the North Carolina Courage Saturday night at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC. The Pride will look to extend their season-long unbeaten streak and start another win streak against the Courage. A victory might put the Pride back on top of the NWSL table.
What do the Pride have to do to earn all three points on the road?
Shut Down the Courage
Barbra Banda might have more goals than North Carolina’s Tyler Lussi and Bianca St-Georges combined, but that doesn’t mean the two players are not a threat to score. This season, Lussi and St-Georges have three goals and two goals, respectively, accounting for five of Carolina’s 13 goals. Keeping those two in check is imperative to secure a victory.
Doing so will require the Pride defense to be effective when passing out of the back. The bad habit of dribbling into the opposition, or making poorly weighted passes in their own third needs to stop. If the Pride can improve the passing out of the back while maintaining their otherwise solid defense, the club can limit Carolina’s chances.
More Better Moorhouse
Anna Moorhouse is a pretty good shot stopper, but I still hold my breath on crosses and corner kicks. Moorhouse had a pretty good match against the San Diego Wave, and she needs to improve on that performance. She has faced 43 shots on goal with 32 saves and 11 goals allowed. That the number of shots is so low is a testament to the defense in front of her. Moorhouse has the physical tools needed, now she just needs to fine tune her decision-making and put a little stickum on the keeper gloves. If she can continue to build on that last performance on Saturday against Carolina, the Pride will have a good shot at continuing the unbeaten streak.
Help Banda to Help You
Even when teams try to stop Banda by putting multiple players on her, it’s never completely effective. However, if Banda’s teammates can create some space and some chances on their own, that will draw defenders from Banda, allowing her to be more dangerous. As such, it is important to players like Adriana, Marta, Ally Watt, Julie Doyle, and Summer Yates to do more on their own. Teams are worried about Banda and will defend accordingly. Now, the Pride just need to make them pay for doing so.
That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
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