Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Set New NWSL Unbeaten Record
The Pride picked up a league record-setting win on the road in their return to the NWSL regular season.
The Orlando Pride (12-0-5, 41 points) returned to NWSL action tonight with a 1-0 win over the Houston Dash (3-9-5, 14 points) in Houston, TX. Summer Yates’ 67th-minute goal was the only conversion, though Andressa hit the post for the Dash. The win sets a new NWSL regular-season record with 18 consecutive games unbeaten, a streak that started against Houston last year in the season finale.
Rafaelle’s injury while representing Brazil in the Summer Olympics caused a shift in the starting back line. Emily Sams moved from right back to the center back position she played last year. Despite Carson Pickett joining the squad recently, Cori Dyke got the start at right back. The rest of the lineup included the regular starters in their usual positions.
The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Sams, and Dyke. Angelina and Haley McCutcheon were the defensive midfielders behind Julie Doyle, Marta, and Adriana, with Barbra Banda up top.
The Pride were the better team in the first half and probably should’ve had a multi-goal lead heading into halftime but were unable to beat Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell. The hosts came out of the break stronger, creating multiple chances early in the second half. However, a good ball forward, a defensive mistake, and a quality finish by Yates gave the Pride the winning goal. It took some luck to claim all three points, but the Pride will take them.
The Pride nearly had a disastrous start inside the first minute when a heavy touch by Sams enabled Yuki Nagasato to touch it over for Diana Ordonez in the box. Abello came inside to challenge the attacker, resulting in Ordonez going down. Referee Alexandra Billeter didn’t see a foul, allowing Moorhouse to cover the ball.
Billeter got a notification from the video assistant referee the next time the ball went out of play, resulting in a video review. After a lengthy review, Billeter determined that her initial call was correct and no penalty was given.
The Pride got their first decent chance in the seventh minute when Marta lifted the ball forward on the left for Doyle behind the Dash back line. The midfielder’s cross was to the back post where Banda and Adriana were making runs. The ball was just over the head of Banda and fell to Adriana’s feet. The Brazilian volleyed the ball towards goal, but sent it wide.
In the 16th minute, the Pride had a great chance to take the lead when Adriana sent a great ball forward for Banda. The striker used her body to shield her defender and enter the box. While the Zambian international dribbled inside looking for space for a shot, Doyle caught up and was open to the right. However, Banda decided to take the attempt herself, sending the ball into the arms of Campbell.
Houston had its first chance of the game in the 18th minute when Angelina pushed Nagasato over. The set piece into the box was headed out by McCutcheon, but only to Nagasato at the top of the 18. The former Japanese international tried to get over the ball, but sent the volley over the goal.
Adriana sent Banda down the field in the 20th minute for the second time in the game. The striker was surrounded by three defenders without a teammate in sight as she entered the box. The Zambian used her speed to round the last defender and get a shot off, but Campbell was there to catch it at the near post.
Pressure by the Pride resulted in a turnover in the 37th minute. Banda won the ball from Sophie Schmidt in the Houston third before playing it towards the top of the box. Adriana initially looked as though she would take a one-touch shot but let it go for Marta at the top of the 18. The Pride captain took the attempt, but Tarciane was there to block it.
In the 42nd minute, Banda was fouled by Tarciane in the Houston third of the field. The free kick was headed out by Ordonez, but only to Banda in the box. The second touch by Banda was a shot right at Campbell.
Unable to catch the attempt, the block went to McCutcheon, who played it wide for Strom. The center back went down after contact from behind by Avery Patterson, but Billeter didn’t determine it was a foul. McCutcheon ended up with possession and got another shot off. This one was blocked as well, enabling the Dash to clear.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Banda made a strong run into the Houston box before laying the ball off for Adriana. The midfielder looked as though she would shoot, but played it to her right for Doyle instead. Doyle didn’t appear to be expecting the ball, which resulted in her shooting off balance. It was on target but didn’t cause any trouble for Campbell.
At halftime, the Pride had more possession (51%-49%), shots (13-4), and shots on target (4-0), and better passing accuracy (83%-79%). The Dash had more corner kicks (2-1) and crosses (8-5).
Both teams made a change at halftime. Yates entered the game for the Pride, replacing Doyle. Houston brought Michelle Alozie in for Ordonez after the latter didn’t have much impact on the game.
In the 48th minute, Alozie collided with Sams, resulting in the forward going down. The Houston medical staff called for a stretcher, but Alozie walked off under her own power. It looked like the hosts would make a substitution, but Alozie eventually decided she could continue.
Adriana made a strong run down the left and into the box in the 55th minute. The midfielder cut inside and then back out to lose her defender before sending a shot towards the back post. Unfortunately, the ball skipped just wide.
In the 58th minute, Patterson’s cross into the box was headed out by Sams. It went to Barbara Olivieri just outside the box and the midfielder volleyed it just wide of the near post.
The Pride were unable to get the short goal kick out of their end, giving the ball away. Elin Rubensson attempted a low cross that Sams couldn’t control, enabling Alozie to get a shot off. The Nigerian international was able to get over the ball, but sent the volley wide of the far post.
It was somewhat of a surprise that Dyke started the game over Pickett, but the veteran right back made her Pride return in the 61st minute, coming on for the rookie.
Despite defending for much of the second half, the Pride opened the scoring in the 67th minute when Angelina found Yates making a run down the left. Natalie Jacobs was in a good position to intercept the pass but missed the ball, enabling Yates to get free on goal. The second-year midfielder didn’t make any mistakes, curling the shot around Campbell to give the Pride a 1-0 lead.
“So me and Ang, we made eye contact. We do it all the time for training, but she played an absolute beautiful ball in behind,” Yates said. “And I knew it was going to get through, just because she has that technical ability. Jane Campbell’s a great goalkeeper, so I had to take a breath before I took that shot. But yeah, it was a great ball by Ang and just overall, good buildup for that goal to happen.”
“Summer fully took her opportunity,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines added. “Great finish, great ball from Ang as well. Recognizing the spacing behind and the calmness to just put it away.”
The Pride nearly doubled their lead in the 70th minute when Marta made a pair of cuts to beat Schmidt and Paige Nielsen before firing on goal. The shot was on target, but Campbell did well to knock it over the crossbar.
The first cut left Schmidt laying on the ground and the midfielder required treatment before the game could continue. The ensuing corner kick by Angelina found the head of Banda and the striker put her attempt on frame, but Campbell was there to catch it.
The Pride nearly conceded in the 76th minute after Pickett gave the ball away in the back. Olivieri took possession and played Rubensson down the right. The midfielder’s cross was headed away by Sams, but it was a poor clearance attempt, not leaving the box. Patterson took possession and played a give-and-go with Andressa before finding Alozie on her left. Moorhouse came off her line to cut down the angle and made a great stop to maintain her team’s one-goal lead.
Billeter used the stoppage to send the teams to the sideline for the second-half hydration break. During the stoppage, Hines made his third change, replacing Angelina with Ally Watt.
The game restarted with a goal kick and it was immediately won by Houston. The ball ended up with Olivieri who made some moves to weave through the defenders before shooting from outside the box. However, the attempt was well off target, not causing any concern for Moorhouse.
In the 82nd minute, Adriana made a long run to the top of the Houston box. Rather than trying to find a higher-percentage shot, the midfielder took a long attempt for the top far corner. She was unable to get over the ball and it sailed high and wide.
The Dash should’ve equalized in the 86th minute when former Pride defender Courtney Petersen sent a beautiful cross into the box that found the head of Andressa. Left open, it should’ve been an easy finish for the Brazilian, but she hit the post.
Hines made his final two changes in the 88th minute and they were defensive ones as the Pride looked to see out the win. Morgan Gautrat and Evelina Duljan entered the game for Marta and Adriana.
The fourth official showed 11 minutes of second-half stoppage time, but the Dash were unable to create anything in the closing minutes. The closest they came was in the seventh minute when Alozie made a long run down the left and into the Pride third of the field. But Gautrat was able to catch up and win the ball back before the Nigerian could create a chance at goal.
The Pride ended the game with more possession (54%-46%), shots (21-9), shots on target (8-1), and corner kicks (6-2) and better passing accuracy (80%-78%). Meanwhile, Houston ended the game with more crosses (15-13).
“Obviously, pleased with the win. Pleased with the three points,” Hines said. “We continue our momentum from the last away game against Kansas. I think, overall, pleased with the result. I think we can play a lot better. I think the performance wasn’t quite there, but one thing with this team is their attitude, their mentality, even towards the end, their calmness to keep the ball, run down the clock, was great. Keep the clean sheet away from home and then, you know, we got the goal that we much needed. We rode our luck as well with them hitting the post and not going in, but sometimes you need that. Sometimes you need a bit of luck on your side. So overall, pleased with the result, but a lot to build on moving forward.”
The Pride snapped the Kansas City Current’s 17-game unbeaten run in the last game before the Olympic break, tying their record. The win tonight is the team’s 18th consecutive NWSL regular-season game unbeaten, setting a new league record.
Tonight’s win also snaps a run of negative results against the Dash in Houston. It’s their first win in the city since June 17, 2017 (eight games) and their first point in the city since June 15, 2019 (five games).
This is the 12th win for the Pride during the 2024 NWSL season, a new club record. The team’s previous highest win total of 11 was set in 2017, the last time the Pride qualified for the NWSL playoffs.
“Records are great. It’s nice when you break them, but we want something at the end of it to show,” Hines said. “I think you can see the effort. You can see the attitude of the players. You know, their desire, again, a lot of hard work’s been put into their craft and what they’ve done this year. You can see their togetherness. Players coming off the bench and making a difference. You know, Summer coming off the bench and scoring the winning goal. Really, really pleased for her as well. And so again, everyone has to contribute. Everyone has to play a part in it. And we just want to continue to keep winning and staying undefeated throughout the season.”
The clean sheet is Moorhouse’s eighth of the 2024 NWSL season, topping her total of seven last year. As a result, she extended her club record for clean sheets in a single season. Additionally, she ties Ashlyn Harris for most all-time regular-season clean sheets for a Pride goalkeeper.
“It sounds pretty good. I’ve been here for three years. I’ve only played for two years. So it’s pretty incredible that I’ve broken both of those records,” Moorhouse said. “That’s something that I’m proud of. And yeah, I don’t think I can take all the credit for it to be honest. It’s definitely a team game. I have a great 10 players in front of me. I can’t even say back line because we defend so well as a team. So yeah, I think the plaudits have to go to them really. I have a great, great team in front of me, and I definitely couldn’t do it without them.”
The Pride now sit on 41 points and remain atop the NWSL standings. They’re six points ahead of the Current, though the Current have a game in hand and play in Washington on Sunday.
The Pride return home next Sunday for their first home league game since June 21 when they welcome NJ/NY Gotham FC to Inter&Co Stadium.