Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride return from the international break and take to the road as they face San Diego Wave FC.
Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (8-0-3, 27 points) look to extend their 11-game unbeaten run and eight-game winning streak as they face San Diego Wave FC (3-4-3, 12 points) in Southern California. This is the second and final scheduled meeting between the two teams this season, having already played in Orlando on April 19.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
The San Diego Wave joined the NWSL in 2022 and have only faced the Pride five times in their existence. The Pride have only lost once in those four games, posting a record of 3-1-1 (2-0-0 away). The most recent meeting was on April 19 in Orlando. Summer Yates scored the game’s lone goal in the first half, lifting the Pride to a 1-0 win. It was the fifth consecutive result and second consecutive win on the year.
The first meeting last year was at Snapdragon Stadium on April 29 after the Pride’s 0-4-0 start to the season. It looked like it would be a fifth straight loss when Jaedyn Shaw gave the hosts the early lead. But Adriana assisted Mikayla Cluff on the equalizer and Haley McCutcheon scored just before halftime to give the Pride the lead. Adriana got her first goal of the season in the 69th minute to put the game away as the Pride won 3-1.
On Aug. 25 in Orlando, the Pride got off to a horrible start when San Diego center back Abby Dahlkemper scored in the seventh minute for her first goal since 2016. Marta set up Adriana just before halftime for an equalizer, but Kyra Carusa netted the late winner in a 2-1 San Diego win.
The first-ever meeting was on Aug. 13, 2022 in San Diego. The lone goal in the game came from the penalty spot after a Julie Doyle cross hit the arm of Kaleigh Riehl in the first half. Meggie Dougherty Howard stepped up and buried the penalty. The Pride held on for 67 minutes to beat one of the top teams in the league, 1-0 away.
The second meeting was on Sept. 25 in Orlando and the Pride got off to a great start. Doughety Howard opened the scoring in the first half and Gunny Jonsdottir doubled the advantage in the second. It looked like the Pride were headed for six points out of six against the expansion side, but San Diego came storming back. Makenzy Doniak cut the lead in half and former Pride attacker Taylor Kornieck equalized late, resulting in a disappointing 2-2 draw.
Overview
The Pride are the hottest team in the NWSL this season. They’re one of two teams to begin the year undefeated — the other being the Kansas City Current — but the Pride have the longest winning streak in league history with eight. The string of results has the Pride at the top of the NWSL standings as they near the schedule’s halfway point.
Just as impressive as their winning and unbeaten streaks is how they’ve managed to get results. The team has won high-scoring and low-scoring games, something Pride Head Coach Seb Hines says makes them unpredictable. The four most recent games are a great example of this as they’ve won 3-2, 2-1, and 1-0 twice.
While the Pride got the season off to an excellent start, they became arguably the league’s best team with the arrival of Barbra Banda. In just seven games and six starts, the Zambian international has scored a league-high eight goals, including three braces.
The back line has also been a positive this year, conceding 10 goals, which places them third in the league. It’s an impressive stat considering several players are playing different positions than last year. Kylie Strom moved from left back to center back, Emily Sams moved from center back to right back, and Kerry Abello moved from the attacking midfield to left back.
Tonight’s opponent has been one of the best teams in the NWSL since joining the league two years ago. The Wave finished third in 2022 and won the 2023 NWSL Shield with the league’s best record. However, they’ve gotten off to a tough start this season with 12 points from 10 games, placing them ninth in the league.
With players like Shaw and Alex Morgan, you’d expect the Wave to be one of the best attacking teams. But their success has come on the defensive side. Their nine goals conceded is second in the league, only behind NJ/NY Gotham FC’s seven. Meanwhile, their nine goals scored is second fewest in the league, only more than the last place Utah Royals.
The Pride have been fortunate recently to have the same back line. The Wave, on the other hand, have been deploying a different back four weekly. Despite the changes in personnel, they’ve only conceded multiple goals twice this season — in the opening game against the Current and on May 17 against Bay FC. They only gave up two goals in each of those matches.
Nobody has stepped up for the Wave offensively this season, a reason why they sit so low in the standings. Shaw, Doniak, and Carusa all have a team-leading two goals on the season. Emily van Egmond, Hanna Lundkvist, and Sofia Jakobsson have each added one goal.
“We understand that the last time we played them, they were probably a shadow of themselves. They’d been on the road for a long time, quick turnaround. So we don’t expect it to be anything the same as it was before,” Hines said about tonight’s game. “We’re also going to their place, which is always a tough environment to go and play. As well, they’ve got some internationals that are on duty right now, so it will be interesting to see what personnel is out there on Friday. But Casey (Stoney) is a great coach. She won the shield last year. They’ve got a winning formula, but it hasn’t come to fruition this season. They probably want to get that ball rolling and it’s going to be a challenge for us. But, like I said, we’ve been thrown plenty of challenges this year and it’s no different and the players are fully prepared for what they need to do to go out there and get the three points.”
The Pride injury report includes Angelina (knee), Celia (hip), Simone Charley (leg), Luana (illness), Megan Montefusco (heel), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). Summer Yates is available after missing the Portland game with an illness. The Wave have no injuries or suspensions for tonight’s game.
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Bri Martinez.
Midfielders: Cori Dyke, Morgan Gautrat, Haley McCutcheon, Julie Doyle.
Forwards: Barbra Banda, Ally Watt.
Bench: McKinley Crone, Carrie Lawrence, Evelina Duljan, Ally Lemos, Summer Yates, Marta, Amanda Allen, Alex Kerr, Mariana Larroquette.
San Diego Wave FC (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Kailen Sheridan.
Defenders: Kristen McNabb, Naomi Girma, Abby Dahlkemper, Hanna Lundkvist.
Midfielders: Maria Sanchez, Danielle Colaprico, Savannah McCaskill, Mya Jones.
Forwards: Jaedyn Shaw, Alex Morgan.
Bench: Hillary Beall, Sierra Enge, Kaitlyn Torpey, Christen Westphal, Kimmi Ascanio, Emily van Egmond, Kyra Carusa, Makenzy Doniak, Sofia Jakobsson.
Referees
REF: Nabil Bensalah.
AR1: Stephen McGonagle.
AR2: Melissa Gonzalez.
4TH: Benjamin Meyer.
VAR: Adorae Monroy.
AVAR: Maggie Short.
How to Watch
Match Time: 10 p.m.
Venue: Snapdragon Stadium — San Diego, CA.
TV: None.
Streaming: Prime Video.
Twitter: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).
Enjoy the match. Go Pride!