Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (16-0-6, 54 points) look to secure the NWSL Shield as they welcome the Washington Spirit (15-5-2, 47 points) to Inter&Co Stadium. This is the second and final time these two teams will meet during the regular season, though both have already secured playoff spots.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Pride and Spirit have faced off 24 times since the Pride joined the NWSL in 2016. Orlando has a record of 8-9-7 in all competitions against Washington. This includes a 7-6-6 record in NWSL play and a 5-3-4 record at home.

The last time these two teams met was on April 26 in Washington, D.C. Angelina gave the Pride the lead early, before Ouleymata Sarr equalized shortly before halftime. A Barbra Banda strike and a Summer Yates penalty conversion in the second half seemed to put the game away, but Anna Moorhouse dropped an easy catch from Ashley Hatch, giving the Spirit a second goal. Fortunately, the Pride held on for the 3-2 win, extending their early-season winning streak to three games.

The first meeting of 2023 was on May 10 at Audi Field in the NWSL Challenge Cup. Tori Hansen gave the Pride a surprising early lead, but late first-half goals by Lena Silano, Sam Staab, and Marissa Sheva made it 3-1 Washington at halftime. Ally Watt scored off the bench early in the second half and Ashley Sanchez put the game away in injury time as the Spirit won 4-2.

The first regular-season matchup of 2023 was on May 20 in Orlando. Marta converted a first-half penalty, but Staab equalized five minutes later. Kylie Strom netted the winner late, and the Pride won 2-1. The Pride dominated the Spirit in the second regular-season matchup on July 1. Julie Doyle had a brace in the first 16 minutes and a Tara McKeown own goal put the game out of reach as the Pride won 3-0.

The final meeting in 2023 was in the Challenge Cup on Aug. 4 in Orlando. The game appeared to be headed for a scoreless draw until Mariana Speckmaier scored eight minutes into second-half injury time, lifting her team to a 1-0 win.

The first game between the teams in 2022 came on May 27 at Exploria Stadium. Trinity Rodman gave the Spirit an early lead and Hatch doubled the advantage after halftime. As the game entered second-half stoppage time, it appeared as though the Pride would fall for the second straight time, but a pair of late goals by Mikayla Cluff and Darian Jenkins stunned Washington with a 2-2 draw. The teams met again on July 17 at Audi Field and the Spirit dominated the game statistically. They had more possession, shots, and shots on target but couldn’t find the back of the net, resulting in a scoreless draw.

Prior to the draw in May, the Pride and Spirit played two games in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. The first was on March 19 in Orlando. The Pride had less possession and fewer shots, but a strong defensive effort allowed them to come away with a scoreless draw. The second Challenge Cup meeting came on April 3 at Audi Field. Gunny Jonsdottir scored the team’s first goal in four games. However, the Spirit already had a 3-0 lead. Rodman scored a late goal to put the game away as the Pride fell 4-1.

The two teams played four times during 2021. The first was on April 21 in the Challenge Cup. Sydney Leroux’s goal was the only scoring as the Pride won 1-0. Just two games later, the Pride opened their regular season by hosting the Spirit on May 16. Hatch gave Washington the lead, but Alex Morgan equalized to claim a 1-1 draw. The second regular-season meeting that year was on June 6 in Washington. Hatch opened the scoring, but Taylor Kornieck equalized minutes later, resulting in a 1-1 draw. The final meeting of 2021 came Aug. 22 at Audi Field. Marta gave the Pride the lead, but Hatch equalized just two minutes later. It looked like it would be a third straight 1-1 draw but Sanchez won it for Washington late.

Due to the pandemic, the Pride and Spirit didn’t play in 2020 but faced off three times in 2019. The first was on July 6 in Orlando. Marta scored a brace in the second half, leading the Pride to a 4-3 win. They played again on Aug. 24 in Washington. Crystal Thomas gave the hosts the lead and Marta equalized. But Hatch’s goal lifted the Spirit to a 2-1 win. The final game was supposed to be the following weekend but was postponed due to Hurricane Dorian. Instead, the game was played Oct. 9 in Orlando. The Spirit dominated the rubber match, beating the Pride 3-0.

The first of two meetings in 2018 was on March 31 at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Hatch scored a goal and added an assist in a 2-0 win for the Spirit. The Pride got their revenge in the second game in the same location. Alanna Kennedy’s goal was the difference as the Pride won 1-0. The final meeting that year was on July 7 in Orlando. Hatch gave the Spirit the lead, but Leroux scored just before halftime and Marta’s goal gave Orlando the 2-1 win.

The 2017 season was the first time the teams played three times in a year. Their April 22 meeting was the Pride’s first home game that year. Line Sigvardsen-Jensen gave the visitors the lead, but Danica Evans answered as the teams drew 1-1. They met for the second time that year in Maryland on July 8 when Marta and Mallory Pugh both scored braces in a 2-2 draw. The final game in 2018 was on Aug. 8 in Orlando. Marta, Camila, and Morgan all scored as the Pride ran away with a 3-0 win.

The Spirit swept the first two meetings in 2016, winning 2-0 in Maryland and 2-1 in Orlando.

Overview

With only four games remaining in the regular season, the NWSL’s first-ever unbeaten campaign remains within reach for the Pride. They’ve been as hot in recent weeks as they’ve been all year, winning eight of their last nine. The only game they didn’t win was a scoreless draw at home against the Kansas City Current on Sept. 13.

While the team wants to continue its unbeaten season, there’s even more on the line this weekend. The Spirit currently sit in second place, seven points behind the Pride, and no other team can catch Orlando. As a result, three points tonight would clinch the NWSL Shield, giving the Pride their first-ever trophy and securing their spot in next year’s Concacaf W Champions Cup.

There’s a lot on the line tonight for the Pride, but the second-best team in the league is standing in their way. It’s an interesting scenario, because the rebuild that led the Pride to their current success was modeled after tonight’s opponent. Now they have a chance to win the regular-season title against them.

Similar to the Pride, the Spirit have already clinched a playoff spot and are fighting to get the highest seed possible. In addition to chasing the Pride, Washington is tied on points with NJ/NY Gotham FC and sits just one point ahead of the Current. Three points away from home would be huge for the Spirit.

While the Pride have been the best defensive team in the league — conceding 13 goals in 22 games — the Spirit have been an offensive force. Their 44 goals scored this season is second behind the Current’s 49. They’ve also been strong defensively, but not quite at the Pride’s level. They’ve conceded 25 goals this year, fourth fewest in the league.

The team is led by French international Ouleymata Sarr and U.S. star Trinity Rodman, each with eight goals this year. Hatch and Croix Bethune are tied for third on the team with five each, and Brittany Ratcliffe has three. Bethune currently leads the league with 10 assists, followed by Rodman with six, and Casey Krueger with three. While Bethune has been key to the Spirit’s success this season, she’s out for the rest of the year after injuring your knee throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals baseball game. Rodman and Sarr have also missed time recently with injuries, but the Spirit have kept winning anyway.

This will be a tough test for a Pride back line that is trying to set a new league record for fewest goals conceded in the season. They’ll need to avoid conceding four goals in the last four games to achieve that feat, but tonight they’ll face one of the three teams to score twice against them in a game this season. However, the defensive unit has been excellent recently, giving up its first goal in six games in the team’s most recent outing. The Pride haven’t conceded multiple goals in a game since May 19 away to Seattle Reign FC.

“It’s number one versus number two, so we expect a very competitive game,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s match. “Washington has been in a good run of form, as well as us, so I would expect both teams going out to get a win.”

There are no surprises on the Pride’s availability list for this game, with seven players out injured or ill, including Grace Chanda (thigh), Simone Charley (ankle), Luana (illness), Sofia Manner (concussion), Haley McCutcheon (foot), Megan Montefusco (heel), and Rafaelle (thigh). Washington will be without Bethune (knee), Lyza Bosselmann (wrist), Anna Heilferty (knee), Civana Kuhlmann (knee), Krueger (hip), Chloe Ricketts (knee), Rodman
(back), Leicy Santos (thigh), Sarr (back), and Hal Hershfelt (suspension).

Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Carson Pickett, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, Cori Dyke.

Defensive Midfielders: Morgan Gautrat, Angelina.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Marta, Adriana.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Washington Spirit (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Aubrey Kingsbury.

Defenders: Gabrielle Carle, Annaig Butel, Tara McKeown, Paige Metayer.

Defensive Midfielders: Makenna Morris, Andi Sullivan.

Midfielders: Courtney Brown, Leicy Santos, Rosemonde Kouassi.

Forward: Ashley Hatch.

Referees

REF: Danielle Chesky.
AR1: Ricardo Ocampo.
AR2: Matt Trotter.
4TH: Jade Mallea.
VAR: Abdou Ndiaye.
AVAR: Brian Marshall.

How to Watch

Match Time: 5 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes.

Streaming: ESPN+.

Twitter: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

Enjoy the match. Go Pride!