Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Final Score 3-0 as Adriana’s Brace Helps Pride Stay Unbeaten
The Pride continued their perfect record in Los Angeles and unbeaten start to 2024.
The Orlando Pride (10-0-5, 35 points) extended their 2024 unbeaten run to 15 games with a 3-0 win over Angel City FC (4-8-3, 15 points) tonight at BMO Field in Los Angeles. Adriana scored a first-half brace and Barbra Banda made it three in the final minutes as the Pride kept pace with the Kansas City Current atop the NWSL standings.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made one change to the team that beat the Utah Royals 6-0 on June 21. Carrie Lawrence, who came on for Bri Martinez in the 67th minute of that game, replaced Martinez in the starting lineup. The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Lawrence. Haley McCutcheon and Summer Yates were the defensive midfielders behind Julie Doyle, Marta, and Adriana with Banda up top.
The biggest note from the starting lineup was the inclusion of Lawrence. The defender was a regular starter before she tore her ACL during the 2023 preseason. As a result, this was her first start since Oct. 1, 2022.
Despite flying across the country, the Pride were the better team in this game. Both teams created chances, but the Pride’s were more clear-cut. The attacking unit of Doyle, Marta, Adriana, and Banda caused headaches for the Angel City defense throughout the 90 minutes in one of their best performances of the year. The hosts had some chances in the game, but the 3-0 final score is a fair result.
The Pride had the first attack of the game in the third minute on a corner kick. Marta sent the set piece into the box where it met the head of Lawrence. However, her header popped up and landed in the arms of Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Haracic.
The hosts got their first chance in the seventh minute when Alyssa Thompson ran onto a long diagonal ball. Getting behind the back line, the forward attempted a low shot towards the back post that missed just wide. Sydney Leroux was close to getting onto the end of it, but wasn’t close enough to reach the ball.
Banda had her first chance of the game in the 12th minute when Marta made a long run across the top of the box. The Brazilian’s last touch was a little too strong, but Banda was there to pick it up. The striker attempted a first-touch shot that went straight to Haracic for the easy save.
In the 15th minute, Madison Hammond took a shot from outside the box that didn’t cause any trouble for Moorhouse. Angel City quickly won back possession, sending it wide for Claire Emslie. The attacker sent a cross into the box that found the head of teenage midfielder Kennedy Fuller, but the attempt was wide of the near post.
Banda had her second chance of the game in the 17th minute when Yates intercepted a pass in the Angel City half of the field and went the other way. She played Banda behind the back line, enabling the forward to get her second shot of the game. Unfortunately, it was from a tight angle and close to goal, hitting the outside netting.
The Pride broke through in the 20th minute from their Brazilian connection. It started near midfield when Thompson tried to return a pass from Rocky Rodriguez. Marta intercepted the ball, beat Rodriguez, and sprinted down the field. She sent it across to Adriana on the far side, continuing her run into the box. Rather than finding Marta or Banda, Adriana found space for a shot from just outside the box, beating Haracic to the far side and giving her team a 1-0 lead.
“This is a hard place to come and play, so I think just getting that first goal really changed the momentum and silenced their crowd a little bit,” Sams said about getting the first goal. “And it kind of gave us that little extra bit of oomph to keep going and to get that second goal in the first half as well.”
“We wanted to come here and set a tone early on. We wanted to quiet the crowd and the best way to do that is to score goals,” Hines added. “So it’s a terrific finish from Adri. You know, it’s good for confidence as well. In the last game, Barbra, Marta, and Ally (Watt) all got on the goal sheet. Even Summer (Yates), and so to get Adri scoring as well, it adds a couple layers to our game.”
Abello did well in the 24th minute to read an Emslie pass for Thompson into the box, knocking it out for a corner kick. The Pride were able to keep the hosts from getting off a shot and quickly went the other way. Banda darted forward into the Angel City half, sending the ball to Doyle. The left-sided midfielder used a couple of moves to create space for a shot, but sent it straight to Haracic.
Two minutes later, the Pride doubled their advantage. Building out of the back, Doyle sent Banda down the left and behind the Angel City back line. The striker’s shot was deflected by Sarah Gorden and blocked by Haracic. The Angel City defenders were slow to react, enabling Adriana to get there first and put it in for her second goal of the game.
The Pride nearly scored a third goal in the 35th minute when Yates recovered a turnover in the Angel City defensive third. The attacking midfielder’s shot from long range bounced hard off the crossbar. It went right to Doyle just outside the six-yard box, but her header was over the top.
The hosts had a great opportunity a minute into first-half stoppage time when Yates fouled Thompson near the top of the box. Merritt Mathias and Emslie initially stood over the ball, but Mathias eventually backed off. Emslie’s shot was straight into the wall, enabling the Pride to clear.
In the final seconds of injury time, Thompson entered the Pride box and took Abello on. The second-year forward beat the left back and shot towards the near post, but Moorhouse was there to catch it. That was the last first-half chance for either team as the Pride took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Angel City had more first-half possession (53%-47%), but the Pride had more shots (9-7), shots on target (7-5), and crosses (7-6). The hosts had more corner kicks (3-1) and both teams had an 81% pass completion percentage in the first 45 minutes.
“I told the players at halftime I sound like a broken record because there’s been multiple occasions where we’ve had a 2-0 lead,” Hines said about his halftime message. “We go into halftime and, you know, it’s the same message. 2-0 is a dangerous score line. Next goal really matters.”
“I think at certain points in the season, we’ve struggled with our mentality coming out of the locker room at halftime,” Sams added. “So I think, you know, we’ve made that a point to try to change that around and I think we’ve done well.”
The Pride created the first second-half chance less than a minute after the restart. Banda took possession after McCutcheon lost the ball, carrying it towards the end line. Her cross into the box ended up with Abello and the defender took a shot from distance. It wasn’t a bad attempt but went over the crossbar.
Banda looked to create another chance in the 50th minute, dribbling to the end line and sending a cross into the box. She was looking for Marta near the penalty spot and the Pride captain was loading up to shoot, but Rodriguez did well to track back and knock the ball away before Marta could touch it.
Angel City had its first chance of the second half in the 53rd minute. It started when Emslie’s cross was blocked out of play by Marta for a corner kick. The Pride cleared it away, but only to Fuller. The 17-year-old rookie shot from distance, not causing any trouble for Moorhouse.
Three minutes later, Fuller created her own opportunity, taking the ball off McCutcheon. She decided to shoot from distance, sending it directly to Moorhouse.
In the 57th minute, Doyle used some fancy footwork to dribble through a pair of Angel City defenders and into the box. Adriana was making a trailing run and Doyle found the attacker. The Brazilian’s eyes lit up as she looked to net the first hat trick in Pride history, but sent it over the crossbar.
Leroux had a great chance to cut the lead in half in the 62nd minute when she was sent long by Mathias. The forward was defended by Sams, but the center back fell, enabling Leroux to take an uncontested shot. The former Pride striker was aiming for the far post and missed just wide.
Immediately after the miss, both teams made substitutions. The Pride replaced Yates with Angelina and Messiah Bright replaced Leroux. It was the second time Bright faced her former team since departing following the 2023 NWSL season.
In the 66th minute, Fuller played a give-and-go with Bright, sending the rookie into the box. She was defended by Lawrence and Sams on either side of her, eventually going down. Angel City players felt they should’ve had a penalty, but referee Elijio Arreguin disagreed.
Sams cleared the ball to Banda on the left, who went on a 60-yard sprint into the Angel City box. Mathias did well to get a body on the forward, causing her shot to sail wide of the near post.
Hines made two more changes in the 73rd minute. Rafaelle and Ally Watt entered the game for Lawrence and Doyle. It was Rafaelle’s first appearance for the Pride since May 24, as she’s been out with a leg injury.
Angel City had a good opportunity in the 76th minute when Gisele Thompson got behind Sams, causing the defender to push her down, earning her a yellow card. Emslie stepped up to take the free kick from just outside of the box, sending a soft ball around the wall that appeared to be a pass. But nobody was making that run and Moorhouse easily collected it.
The Pride held plenty of possession as the game entered the final 10 minutes, but their crosses were easily cleared. In the 83rd minute, they were given a good chance when Marta was fouled by Meggie Dougherty Howard near the top of the box. Marta and Adriana stood over the ball with the former taking the set piece. However, she sent it straight into the wall.
Two minutes after the attempt, Hines made his final change of the game, replacing Adriana with Cori Dyke.
In the 88th minute, a long ball by Dougherty Howard for Alyssa Thompson was knocked out for a corner kick. The set piece was headed on goal by Megan Reid, but Moorhouse was able to tip it over the top at the last second. The second set piece came off the back of Dougherty Howard and should’ve been an easy save by Moorhouse. However, the goalkeeper bobbled the ball, nearly scuffing it into her own net. Fortunately, she grabbed it before it crossed the line.
When play stopped, Arreguin was called to the monitor by the video assistant referee for a potential penalty. It appeared as though Watt grabbed Reid and pulled her down on the second corner kick. However, the referee determined that there was a foul on Dougherty Howard before the foul by Watt and awarded the Pride a free kick.
In the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, the Pride scored their third goal of the game, ensuring there wouldn’t be a comeback. A careless back pass to Gorden was a bit off line, enabling Banda to get to the ball first and speed past her with only Haracic behind. Banda dribbled in on goal and around Haracic. It looked like she might’ve taken too long to shoot, as Reid nearly got in position to block it, but Banda put it in to give the Pride a 3-0 lead.
“To get the third goal right at the end, again, really, really important,” Hines said. “I think, looking forward, getting those late goals will probably pay dividends in where we stand at the end of the year.”
The goal was Banda’s 11th of the season, tying her with the Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga as the league leader.
Gorden went down and required some treatment following the play, extending an already lengthy stoppage time. However, Moorhouse was able to fall on the ball to run out the clock and the Pride took all three points with a 3-0 win on the road.
Angel City led most statistical categories in this game with the advantage in possession (51%-49%), corner kicks (6-2), crosses (12-11), and passing accuracy (78%-77%). The Pride had more shots in the game (15-13) and both teams put 10 chances on frame. However, it was the finishing ability of the Pride that made the difference, especially the first-half goals by Adriana.
“Very good all round. It’s nice to come away from home and get three goals and a clean sheet. Really important that we continue those clean sheets,” Hines said about the performance. “But it’s nice to see Adri get on the scoresheet with two goals. Unlucky not to get a hat trick. Caused them a lot of problems in possession and I love the defensive effort. It takes everyone, not just the goalkeeper, the back line, but the collective effort to keep Angel City at zero.”
The Pride continue their perfect record in Los Angeles, winning all three games between the two teams in Southern California. The first two meetings were 1-0 wins for the Pride at BMO Stadium and they added the 3-0 result tonight.
“It’s a great environment to play in,” Hines said. “Angel City have a great backing with their fans. I think it was close to a full house tonight. And so I think we thrive off that. I think we enjoy being the spoilers here.”
This was a potential trap game for the Pride. Coming off a 6-0 demolition of the Royals last weekend, they travel to Kansas City Saturday in a battle of the unbeatens. Despite the upcoming contest, the Pride remained focused on the task at hand and came away with all three points.
“I honestly don’t think it matters who we play, whether it’s top of the table or bottom of the table. This league is so competitive and you have to make sure that you turn up on the day and give it your all,” Hines said. “The league doesn’t owe you anything. We know that. We know the struggles of going to tough environments. And so we approach every game the same, whether it’s Utah at home or Angel City away, or even next week when it’s against Kansas. We’re going to go out there and give our all, and we always try to get three points. It was nice today that we managed to get three points.”
The three points keep the Pride even with the Kansas City Current atop the NWSL standings and they’re now even on goal difference. The Current remain in first on the goals scored tiebreaker. However, barring a draw, the deadlock will be broken Saturday night when the two teams face off at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.