Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Final Score 3-1 as Pride Drop Second Straight Game
One loss turned into two in a row as the Orlando offense and defense both struggled again on the road.
The Orlando Pride (17-2-6, 57 points) fell for the second straight game, losing 3-1 to NJ/NY Gotham FC (16-4-5, 53 points) at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The hosts took the lead in the 13th minute through Sam Hiatt and the Pride answered when Adriana converted a penalty in the 31st minute. Gotham retook the lead in first-half stoppage time through Rose Lavelle and Ella Stevens put the game away in the 49th minute.
After making five changes to the lineup for the 2-0 loss to the Portland Thorns on Oct. 11, Pride Head Coach Seb Hines went back to his usual team. Anna Moorhouse was in goal behind a back line of Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. Morgan Gautrat and Angelina were in the defensive midfield behind Julie Doyle, Marta, and Adriana, with Barbra Banda up top.
Despite having their regular starting lineup back in action, this was a poor performance by the Pride. They struggled to clear the ball out of their own box and only put two shots on target. The first two Gotham goals should have been cleared, but the Pride were slow to react. Meanwhile, they rarely threatened Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, enabling the hosts to walk away with a stress-free win.
The Pride created the first shot on goal in the seventh minute when Angelina sent Banda down the left. The striker used some nifty moves to beat Jess Carter before playing the ball to Adriana, who was approaching the top of the box. The Brazilian took a touch inside to lose Jenna Nighswonger and tried to beat Berger to her left post but missed just wide.
In the 13th minute, Sams headed the ball away, but Stevens collected it. The midfielder found Esther near the top of the box and the striker continued it to Yazmeen Ryan on the far side. Abello left the midfielder, providing her with a free shot on goal, but Moorhouse tipped it over the top.
Stevens and Adriana challenged for the ensuing set piece in the box with the Gotham attacker getting her head to it. Hiatt was in front of goal and it didn’t appear as though she got a touch to it, but Moorhouse’s view was blocked and the ball went in to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead.
The goal was originally given to Stevens before it was changed to Hiatt when they determined the defender got a slight touch to the ball before it went in. Regardless of who scored, it was the second straight week that the Pride trailed in a game after playing the previous 21 without trailing.
In the 29th minute, Angelina sent a long pass behind the Gotham back line for Banda to run onto. Hiatt got back to defend the striker in the box, but Banda did well to tap the ball past her. It was an ill-advised challenge by Hiatt as she stuck her foot in and tripped the Zambian. Referee Ricardo Fierro immediately pointed to the spot, awarding the Pride a penalty.
Adriana stepped up to take the spot kick and sent Berger the wrong way, putting her penalty into the bottom right corner of the goal to even the game at 1-1.
Gotham tried to retake the lead in the 33rd minute when Nighswonger built an attack on the left. Receiving the ball at the top of the box, Esther laid it back for Lavelle just outside the 18, where the U.S. international fired towards goal. The midfielder was unable to get over the ball, sending it over the top.
Marta played Adriana forward in the 39th minute and the Pride had a promising attack with Banda on her right. Hiatt kept the striker onside and Adriana should’ve sent Banda into the box but kept the ball to herself instead. Eventually, Adriana took a shot that went right to Berger.
Gotham nearly regained the lead in the 41st minute when Lavelle played a dangerous ball across the box for Ryan. Sams was in front of the goal, but the midfielder had plenty of space for a shot. However, she was unable to connect with the ball, enabling the Pride to avoid conceding for a second time.
After Gotham recycled the ball, it ended up with Ryan again, providing the attacker with a second opportunity. She sent this chance over the top, again enabling the Pride to clear.
Abello lost the ball to Ryan in the 43rd minute while trying some fancy turns, giving Gotham another good chance to retake the lead. The midfielder dribbled through Angelina and Strom before Sams knocked it off of her foot. It went straight to Stevens, who tried to tuck it inside Moorhouse’s far post, but the ball rolled just wide.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Stevens used some quick turns to lose Angelina and sent a cross towards the back post. Esther tried to redirect the ball with her head, but only got a brief touch to it. However, the ball went to the far post, where Mandy Freeman was making a run. The defender took a shot on goal that Moohouse blocked with her foot.
Nobody in orange was able to clear the ball and it went to Lavelle with nobody on her. It was an easy finish for the midfielder, giving her team a 2-1 lead.
It was the first time the Pride have conceded twice in the first half since the season opener against Racing Louisville FC on March 16. The opposition that day scored twice inside the first 20 minutes.
The Pride had more first-half possession (55%-45%), but Gotham created more shots (10-5) and put more chances on target (4-2). Gotham also had more crosses (8-7) while the Pride had more corner kicks (3-1) and better passing accuracy (81%-79%).
Hines made one halftime change, replacing Gautrat with Summer Yates.
In the 48th minute, Stevens carried the ball into the Pride third and sent Delanie Sheehan into the box. Sams was on the attacker and forced her to tap the ball towards goal, but Strom was there. It wasn’t a simple clearance as the center back got the ball caught in her feet, but she eventually sent it out for a corner kick.
The ensuing set piece was cleared, but only to Nighswonger. The right back played it forward to Lavelle, who played a beautiful ball with the outside of her foot for Bruninha. The Brazilian’s first touch was into the six where Stevens beat her defenders and put it past Moorhouse to give Gotham a 3-1 lead.
The goal saw the Pride concede three goals in a game for the first time this season. The last time they conceded three times was on Oct. 6, 2023, the last loss they suffered prior to Portland and one they lost 3-2.
“I think we just gifted them goals,” Hines said about conceding three times. “You know, it’s another set piece that we conceded from. And, yeah, it’s a couple of giveaways that have led to the opportunities to score. So we haven’t showed (that) the whole season long. And so it’s such a critical time in the season that we can’t afford to give teams like Gotham those types of gifts.”
The Pride had a chance to get one back in the 53rd minute when Nighswonger pulled Adriana down from behind just outside the Gotham box, earning a yellow card for the challenge. Marta took the set piece, but sent it into the wall.
Hines made his second and third changes in the 60th minute, replacing Adriana and Doyle with Ally Watt and Haley McCutcheon.
Nealy Martin took out Marta from behind in the 66th minute, giving the Pride a free kick. Angelina sent the set piece to the back post, where it found the head of Watt, but the substitute forward’s chance went wide.
Immediately after the missed chance, Hines made his fourth change of the game. It was a more attacking one as Viviana Villacorta came on for Abello.
Yates sent a dangerous ball into the box and towards the back post in the 72nd minute. Banda and Watt were making runs, but Hiatt got to it first and headed it out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece by Marta was too high and rolled out of play untouched for a goal kick.
Yates sent Banda down the left in the 74th minute and Carter did well to shield the striker, knocking the ball out for a corner kick. Hines took the stoppage in play to make his final change of the game, replacing Marta with Evelina Duljan.
The set piece was sent into the six-yard box where Duljan and Watt went after it. Duljan got to the ball first and headed it towards goal, but it bounced off the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
Watt made a long run towards the top of the Gotham box in the 87th minute. Dribbling to the right and away from goal, the forward tried to turn and shoot. However, she was slightly unbalanced while shooting, sending the weak attempt wide.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Nighswonger went over Duljan and was called for a foul. Angelina lifted the free kick into the box and Berger punched it away. After Duljan’s ball back in was cleared, Sams’ poor touch enabled McCall Zerboni to knock it forward for Lavelle. The midfielder quickly sent it wide for Bruninha, who charged up field before sending an ambitious shot towards goal. Moorhouse seemed to know it was going over the whole time, but the ball barely missed the crossbar.
That was the last chance of the game as the Pride fell for the second straight time. The Pride ended the game with more possession (55%-45%), but Gotham took more shots (15-9) and put more on target (5-2). The visitors also had the advantage in crosses (16-10), corner kicks (5-2), and passing accuracy (78%-74%) despite losing by two goals.
“We showed our quality at times and we showed that if we don’t handle the ball with better care, you know, you get punished for it,” Hines said. “The goals that we conceded we’re really disappointed with. And so, yeah, we’ll review it and we’ll reflect, and again, make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
“Obviously we’re disappointed. We know it was not our best showing. We know we’re a way better team than that, so that’s frustrating,” Dyke added. “But with that, we know we just have to remember everything we did right leading up to this point and not let our confidence drop from that.”
The Pride entered this two-game road trip on the heels of clinching the NWSL Shield and maintaining an unbeaten record this season. It was a pair of games to forget as they lost their first two games of the year and were outscored 5-1 by the opposition. Despite the recent struggles, the players are still expressing confidence in their abilities.
“This team, this culture, is so great. And it’s easy to have a good culture when you’re winning, but, In instances like this, that culture kind of gets put to the test,” Dyke said about the losing streak. “And I think there’s a lot of growth that we can have in that through this adversity going into playoffs. I think when we learn from these mistakes. We can be even better going into the postseason.”
“Just to get back to where we were before the shield,” Hines added about his message to the team after the two losses. “We showed some really good form. We were hungry, we had desire, we’re very committed. And I feel at this period where whatever happens in the game, it doesn’t have any dividends on our position. So we just have to get back to who we are, our identity, you know, working extremely hard, not allowing teams to work harder than us once we step onto that field.”
The Pride will have two weeks before they take the field again. Next weekend is an international break and the NWSL will stop to avoid teams losing key players. It’s something that could enable the Pride to refocus before their last game of the season.
The Pride will return home on Nov. 2 for their last game of the regular season as they take on Seattle Reign FC.