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Orlando Pride Have Built Something Special and Sustainable

How playing style and culture earned the Pride an NWSL Championship and will keep them competetive in the coming seasons.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride are your 2024 NWSL champions and NWSL Shield winners. These awards capped a season where they set the league records for longest win streak, longest unbeaten streak, most points, most shutouts, and most wins, among many other accolades. That level of success was deserved after a years-long rebuild, both in personnel and club culture.

In a league like the NWSL, it can be difficult to sustain such performances and stay at the top for long. Despite the challenges ahead, Orlando showed in the NWSL Championship, as well as the whole 26-match season, that due to the team’s talent, playing style, and strong culture, this is a club that will continue to fight for trophies for years to come.

Saturday night in the NWSL Championship, the Pride showed all the foundational elements of their record-breaking season, including that trademark gritty defense and the lightning quick attacking transitions. On the defensive end, there just aren’t many more ways to write about how dominant the Pride are. The win over the Washington Spirit was Orlando’s 14th clean sheet of the season and its eighth 1-0 victory in 29 matches.

While the Pride conceded 26 shots in the match, only five were on target for the Spirit, and their efforts got more and more speculative as the minutes wore on. Trinity Rodman had some success against Kerry Abello in one-on-one situations, but Kylie Strom and NWSL Defender of-the Year Emily Sams were lively in snuffing out the danger early. Behind it all, Anna Moorhouse was commanding in the box, coming out to collect several crosses and free kicks to kill off the opposing attack.

When it comes to next year, there will not be any relief for the rest of the league’s attacks. For how elite the Pride defense was, it can be surprising how young the group is. In the NWSL Championship, Orlando’s back four featured a rookie (Cori Dyke), a second-year player (Sams), and a third-year player (Abello), who are all 25 years old or younger.

Add in starters Kylie Strom, Anna Moorhouse, and critical depth pieces Rafaelle — actually a starter when healthy, but a defender who missed the rest of the season after the Olympic break — and Carson Pickett, and Orlando’s most reliable defenders are all under contract through next year as well. With this ideal mix of experience and youth and a full year playing together as the league’s best defense, the expectation is that the back line will remain dominant next year as well.

On the attacking front, the Pride showed once again that they only need a handful of chances to get the winning goal, especially with a player like Barbra Banda. Their chances don’t need to come from intricate buildup play either, as it has felt at times this season that the Pride would rather cede possession and attack off the counter than waste time working the ball slowly up the pitch. Against the Spirit, that’s exactly how it went. For the match, the Pride had 43% possession and completed 100 fewer passes than the Spirit. Orlando only managed nine shots, with three on target, but once the Pride had the lead, they were even more content to play in transition, limiting their offensive output but still creating several threatening situations.

Statistics aside, most of the big opportunities on the night for Orlando, including the lone goal, came from similar situations. These plays started with Orlando winning possession off of the Spirit in the Pride’s defensive third. From there, the Pride played long balls forward and let Banda or Marta go to work. First, in the 15th minute, Banda was able to gather a loose ball in her own half and drive forward. Once she had committed the Spirit defenders to her, she fed the ball out wide to Marta, who was able to create space for a shot that ended up straight at the keeper.

Image of the Orlando Pride raising the NWSL Championship trophy, illustrating the success the team achieved in 2024.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

On the goal, only two players in purple touched the ball. Angelina won the ball off of Leicy Santos and heaved it forward to Banda, who chased it down, beat her defender in the box, and rifled a low and hard shot past the keeper. Later in the match, there was potentially the best opportunity of the night but it did not end in a shot. Banda was in a similar position to the first big chance, with three defenders around her, driving towards net. However, she was unable to find a pass to Marta, who was open in space near the top of the box.

This chance showed that there is still room for improvement for Banda, as crazy as it sounds. Improvements to her passing and finishing with her feet could take her even higher, and as she is just 24 years old, she will have years to sharpen those areas of her game in Orlando. This year she showed that the sky is the limit. To score 17 goals across all competitions in her first season, including a record-setting four goals in the postseason, is an incredible accomplishment. While Temwa Chawinga won league MVP for her record-breaking debut campaign of 20 regular-season goals, Banda is sure to be happy to have the NWSL Championship MVP award instead. It is absolutely wonderful for the NWSL and women’s soccer as a whole, to have those two going head to head for years to come.

The culture in Orlando may be the biggest factor in the Pride’s success in 2024, but the foundations were laid in prior seasons. In the aftermath of Amanda Cromwell’s suspension, the club turned to an unknown commodity in Seb Hines to lead the team in an interim capacity. While he was unknown as a head coach, those at the top of the organization felt they knew his character well enough to trust him to take care of the club through the end of 2022. That off-season, Haley Carter joined as general manager and vice president of soccer operations — recently swapping out the “general manager” part of her title for “sporting director.” The duo of Hines and Carter deserves much of the credit for the rebuild.

These two have been instrumental in establishing a culture of hard work and creating an environment that values each player as a person above all. It was that ethos that led to the club sanctioning the trade of 2023 Rookie of the Year candidate Messiah Bright to Angel City, a move that seemed like a risk at the time, but one the player requested. The club demonstrated that it values players as individuals and also wants players who want to be in Orlando — something that likely helped convince several free agents to join the team, such as Morgan Gautrat and Angelina. With the players more bought-in to the club than ever before, Marta, the longest-serving member of the club (staff included) and Strom acted as captains and as a bridge between the staff and the players both in the locker room and on the pitch.

For all their hard work and togetherness, the players played for each other and unlocked even more in this already talented roster en route to the NWSL Championship. Now that the staff and the players have created a strong and positive culture in Orlando, they will know what it takes to continue to keep the culture going and can grind for more results and more trophies. These players who have been through it will also be able to demonstrate to any new faces just what it means to be a part of this winning organization.

While playing style and club culture have set the Pride up for success, continuity of the staff and the roster can be a huge factor to ongoing success in the league. While it’s always unknown exactly what the Pride squad and starting 11 will look like next season, it is a massive benefit for Carter that only one starter, Marta, is not already under contract for next season. She is the only player who was on the pitch for more than 300 minutes this NWSL season that is out of contract.

It has to be said that Marta was a vital leader and a massive part of the Pride’s successes this year and for years prior, but if the club must try to fill a hole left by her potential absence, it is much easier to concentrate time and funds on one big piece as opposed to a total rebuild. With the increased revenue and exposure from an NWSL Championship and rising ticket sales, expect the club to make a splashy signing or two to cement its position at the top of the league.

Roster continuity also allows for continued growth of the players that remain. As mentioned above, Banda, Summer Yates, and the young defenders all played big roles this year and already showed improvement as the season wore on. There is no reason that these players can’t continue to learn from Hines and his staff and benefit from another off season to hone their skills. Behind these players is also a cohort of young athletes who may not have played as much as they hoped this year, but are primed to push for more minutes in the future. This goes for players like Evelina Duljan and Ally Lemos, who showed flashes this season, and Amanda Allen, who should be learning a lot on her loan to Lexington Soccer Club. This winter will also be the first without an NWSL draft, and the Orlando Pride should be a desired destination for more top young players.

Looking forward to 2025, one of the loftiest goals for the Pride would be to play soccer as well as they did in 2024. This NWSL Championship and Shield were well-earned; the club went through an effective and focused rebuild led by Hines and Carter. The players picked up along the way, either free agents, draftees, or big-name acquisitions, all played phenomenally well this year, especially in the playoffs. The performances on the pitch matched the culture that was built in the locker room, leading to something special. For all the club’s hard work, the Pride will know that the foundations are solid, and the team will not relinquish its spot among the best in the league anytime soon.

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Orlando Pride vs. Denver Summit: Final Score 3-1 as 10-Player Pride Fall Again on Road

The Pride get swept by the 2026 NWSL expansion sides in one week with a lopsided loss in Denver.

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3 days ago

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May 16, 2026

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Image of Barbra Banda playing against Denver.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride lost to their second 2026 NWSL expansion team in less than a week, falling behind, seeing Angelina sent off, and getting outclassed by Denver Summit FC. The Summit (3-3-3, 12 points) were the aggressors, picking up their first-ever home win, 3-1, at the expense of the Pride (3-5-2, 11 points).

Orlando conceded another early goal, as Eva Gaetino put the Summit up early, with Janine Sonis doubling the lead in the 54th minute. Barbra Banda pulled one back for the Pride in the 76th minute, but the fragile Pride conceded a second to Sonis a minute later to spoil any comeback bid.

“I think right now we’re going through a really rough patch,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said after the match. “It’s always difficult away from home. Any opponent you play away from home, whether they’re at the bottom or at the top, it’s always a challenge.”

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse in Hines’ lineup was made up of Oihane, Hannah Anderson, Cori Dyke and Hailie Mace. Ally Lemos and Haley McCutcheon served as the defensive midfielders. Seven Castain, Summer Yates and Julie Doyle took up the attacking midfielder roles with Banda up top.

Other than a brief defensive highlight in the fifth minute—when Castain stole the ball and played it forward to Banda, who ultimately sent it over the endline—the Pride struggled in the first 10 minutes. The Summit maintained relentless pressure, which paid off in the 10th minute with a goal from Eva Gaetino.

The play began with a short corner from Ayo Oke, who delivered a precise ball into the box. Denver completely dominated the set play, beating Orlando players at every level. Melissa Kossler fought hard to head it toward goal near the right post, where Gaetino got the final touch and scored past Moorhouse to make it 1-0.

The Pride gradually regained their composure and began to grow into the match. Still, little in the way of a cohesive attack materialized over the next few minutes. In the 17th minute, Banda attempted a long-distance chip with Abby Smith off her line, after Mace won the ball just past the halfway line, but she sent her shot wide.

Denver responded with a long-range effort, which sailed just over the crossbar.

Oihane pushed forward in the 26th, finding Banda, who forced her way through the Denver defense and into the box, only for her shot to drift wide once more. Ally Lemos delivered a cross in the 28th minute, but it went straight to the Denver defense. She tried again a minute later, but this time she sent the ball over the end line for a Denver goal kick.

Orlando’s best chance of the half came when Banda charged down the right and into the box, sending a cutback that bounced around the penalty area. A Denver player fired it into Castain, and the ball nearly ricocheted into the goal, but it went harmlessly over the end line.

In the 39th minute, Banda met a free kick from distance with a powerful header, but again the effort was wide. Mace launched a long-shot lob into the box in the 40th, but Smith was equal to it, covering the ball the whole way.

Anderson nearly gifted Denver a goal in the 42nd with a soft header back to Moorhouse, allowing Yasmeen Ryan to slip past her and onto the ball, but Denver couldn’t capitalize.

The Summit led in all categories at the break, including possession (53%-47%), shots (11-3), shots on target (1-0), passing accuracy (87%-86%), and corners (3-1).

Hines made a triple substitution at halftime, bringing Angelina on for Yates, Nicole Payne on for Mace, and Marta on for Doyle.

Orlando started the second half with much more energy and purpose, delivering two threatening crosses within the first two minutes but the Pride were unfortunate not to convert either.

Early in the second half, Marta made herself known with some signature footwork just outside Denver’s 18-yard box, sending a through ball in for Castain, but Denver just managed to snuff out the chance.

The shift in energy was electric, with Orlando looking like a completely different team. However, an overzealous challenge in the box by Oihane handed Denver a penalty, completely changing the complexion of the game from that point forward. Sonis took the penalty, firing to the right and past Moorhouse, who guessed the wrong way, putting Denver up 2-0 in the 54th minute.

The Pride were fortunate not to go down 3-0 in the 56th minute, doing little to slow a Denver attack that allowed Kossler to get off a shot—though she put it wide. Then, Devin Lynch stole the ball from Marta, drove straight down the middle of the pitch, and sent a pass out left to Natalie Means, who fired at Moorhouse, forcing a save.

In the 60th minute, Banda managed a shot, but it didn’t trouble the Denver keeper.

Angelina pulled Delanie Sheehan’s hair and was shown a red card for violent conduct. It appeared she was trying to grab Sheehan’s jersey and let go immediately, but after reviewing the video, the referee made the call, leaving the Pride with 10 players and leaving Angelina suspended for the San Diego game.

Simone Jackson subbed on for Castain in the 64th minute.

At this point, the Pride were firmly on the back foot, and even Marta struggled at times, losing the ball more than once in uncharacteristic fashion.

After the sending-off, the Pride shifted into a defensive posture and looked to counterattack.

Against the run of play, the Pride struck back in the 76th minute. Haley McCutcheon did well to steal the ball after a poor touch from Sheehan and fed a nice through ball for a charging Banda, who took a touch to throw off the keeper and fired past Smith to make it 2-1.

Denver struck right back in the 77th following a throw-in. The ball was back heeled to Ryan who passed to Natasha Flint. Payne parried Flint’s shot, but Sonis put away the rebound to restore the two-goal lead.

Kerry Abello subbed on, after a six-month absence, replacing a gassed Banda in the 78th minute.

“It’s been six months to the day since I’ve stepped on the pitch, and so it was definitely emotional, but I felt really good despite the breathing and the altitude,” Abello said. “I think coming on for your first minutes, you know, in Denver, a man down, goal down, is really challenging fitness-wise, but no, I feel really good, and I’m just excited to build on that.”

Denver nearly added another when Moorhouse bobbled a long-range shot from former Orlando Pride forward Ally Brazier (née Watt), but she managed to cover up the ball and keep the score at 3-1.

The Summitt put the ball in the net again in the 83rd minute, but the play was offside, letting the Pride off the hook.

In the 84th minute, Abello delivered a cross that sailed high over the 18-yard box and harmlessly into touch. About a minute later, she followed up with an acrobatic head-over-heels throw-in, which was flashy but ultimately resulted in nothing threatening for the Pride.

Denver kept pressing, with Ryan sending a shot straight at Moorhouse for an easy save in the 91st minute.

In the late stages, the Pride looked a bit gassed, seeing out the final minutes with nothing to show for their efforts on a tough night at high altitude against strong competition, including some familiar former Pride players.

In the end, the Summit held their lead in all categories, finishing with the advantage in possession (56%-44%), shots (23-9), shots on target (7-2), passing accuracy (90%-86%), and corners (3-1).

“We made some good adjustments at halftime, you know. I thought we started the second half really well,” Hines said. “The sending off changes the whole game and yeah, we were just battling to the end, obviously. We’ll analyze it and move on, you know. We’ve got to bounce back, show some resilience, and come back stronger against San Diego.”

“Credit to Denver, they came out there with lots of energy, with a full week to prepare, whereas ourselves, you know, we had the game on Tuesday against Boston, which was a game that went all the way to the end, and then today was another one, where it was a tough challenge,” Hines said.

The Pride travel to take on the San Diego Wave on Sunday, May 24.

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Orlando Pride vs. Denver Summit FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride travel to Colorado for the first time ever as they take on Denver Summit FC.

Published

4 days ago

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May 16, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (3-4-2, 11 points) continue their road trip in Colorado as they face Denver Summit FC (2-3-3, 9 points) on the road (8:45 p.m., Ion). This is the final game of the regular season between these two teams.

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

History

This is the inaugural season for Denver, so the first meeting this year in Orlando was the first-ever matchup between the two clubs, which are both 0-0-1 against the other. This is the first meeting in Denver. The visitors shocked the Pride, taking the lead in the first half through Melissa Kossler. Barbra Banda equalized in the second half, allowing the Pride to come away with a 1-1 draw.

Overview

The Pride are coming off their most disappointing loss in quite some time. Facing a Boston Legacy FC team that only had one win on the season — a 3-2 win over Denver Summit on May 3 — Orlando took the lead when Marta converted an early penalty. But goals by second-half substitutes Aleigh Gambone and Amanda Gutierres saw the Pride drop the 2-1 decision.

Since the Pride had played three days earlier — a 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage — Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made multiple changes to the lineup. The most notable omissions from the lineup were Banda and Ally Lemos, who started on the bench and came on at halftime. Marta, Angelina, and Rafaelle all started, but came off at halftime.

Banda is the league leader in goals through nine games with eight, three more than Ashley Sanchez. Unfortunately, she’s been one of the team’s few sources of offense this year. Haley McCutcheon is the only other player with multiple goals, a brace against Angel City on April 3.

Defensively, the team’s been strong except for a 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville FC and a 4-2 loss to the Washington Spirit in back-to-back games. Hines responded with a shift to the back line that resulted in a clean sheet against the Courage on May 8. The loss Tuesday night is the fourth time the Pride have conceded multiple goals this season.

Similarly to the Pride, Denver has struggled this season, claiming just two wins in its first eight games. However, one of those was away to the defending NWSL champion NJ/NY Gotham FC and a 4-1 win in Houston on May 9, the Summit’s last game.

Unlike the Pride, Denver’s gotten offensive production from multiple players. Kossler and Natasha Flint each have four goals so far this year. They’re followed by Janine Sonis with two and Yazmeen Ryan with one goal. Ryan leads the team with three assists and Flint has two, the only players with multiple assists.

Denver’s total of 12 goals this year is only three behind the league-leading Spirit and Portland Thorns. The league newcomers have also been strong defensively with the exception of two games. They suffered back-to-back 3-2 losses to San Diego Wave FC on April 25 and Boston on May 3. Other than that, they’ve had three clean sheets and conceded once on two occasions.

The Pride will take the field without Kerry Abello (hip), Cosette Morche (ankle), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Jacquie Ovalle (thigh), Rafaelle (head), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Zara Chavoshi (lower leg) is listed as questionable. Denver will be without Jasmine Ailey (knee) and Jordan Baggett (maternity leave), while Olivia Thomas (illness) is listed as questionable.

Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Oihane, Hannah Anderson, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.

Defensive Midfielders: Angelina, Ally Lemos.

Attacking Midfielders: Summer Yates, Julie Doyle, Marta.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Denver Summit FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Abby Smith.

Defenders: Carson Pickett, Kaleigh Kurtz, Megan Reid, Janine Sonis.

Defensive Midfielders: Devin Lynch, Delanie Sheehan.

Attacking Midfielders: Yazmeen Ryan, Natasha Flint, Yuna McCormack.

Forward: Melissa Kossler.

Referees

REF: Cristian Campo Hernandez.
AR1: Matt Trotter.
AR2: Matthew Schwartz.
4TH: Patricia McCracken.
VAR: Corbyn May.
AVAR: Alicia Messer.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8:45 p.m.

Venue: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park — Commerce City, CO.

TV: Ion.

Streaming: None.

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter (@ORLPride) or Bluesky (@orlpride.com) feed. 

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!

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Orlando Pride vs. Boston Legacy FC: Final Score 2-1 as Pride Blow Second-Half Lead in Loss

The Pride fell to Boston Legacy FC in one of the most disappointing results in team history.

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1 week ago

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May 12, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (3-4-2, 11 points) fell to league bottom-dwellers Boston Legacy FC (2-5-2, 8 points) 2-1 tonight at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. Marta gave the Pride the lead from the spot in the 14th minute, but a 72nd-minute goal by Aleigh Gambone and an Amanda Gutierres penalty in stoppage time sealed Boston’s second win of the year. 

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made three changes to the team that beat the North Carolina Courage 1-0 Friday night. Ally Lemos, Solai Washington, and Barbra Banda were replaced by Julie Doyle, Marta, and Simone Jackson.

“We put a lot into the last game against North Carolina. Some of the players had minor injuries,” Hines said about the changes. “Didn’t want to rule them out of this game, so had to rotate Barbra out of the lineup. Solai was forced with an injury. I thought Julie at the 10 did really well, running in behind, getting in some dangerous areas. SJ, getting her first start today, did well also.”

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Hailie Mace. Angelina and Haley McCutcheon were the defensive midfielders behind Doyle, Summer Yates, and Jackson with Marta up top.

On paper, this should’ve been a win for the Pride. They’ve been one of the top teams in the league the last three seasons and were playing an expansion side with only one win. But Boston was the better team throughout the 90 minutes. The Legacy controlled possession and chances, but some poor decision-making left little to do for Moorhouse.

Allowing the hosts to control the game came back to haunt the Pride as they conceded two goals in the final 20 minutes. They’ll feel aggrieved as Boston should’ve had a player sent off right before its first goal and a video review on the late penalty that the Pride weren’t provided. But it never should’ve come to that, even with the changes to the starting lineup.

The hosts had the first attack in the third minute when Oihane lost the ball to Nichelle Prince in her own third. Aissata Traore took possession and attempted to cross, but Angelina knocked it out of play. The ensuing corner kick was sent to the back post where Lais Araujo took the game’s first shot. However, it was blocked and the Pride were able to clear.

The Pride created their first attack in the fourth minute when a poor touch by Araujo allowed Yates to take control. She played Marta into the box, but Emerson Elgin did well to shield the attacker, allowing Casey Murphy to collect it.

Annie Karich tried to surprise Moorhouse in the 10th minute with the goalkeeper slightly off her line. The shot from well outside the box was on target and caused Moorhouse to tip it over the crossbar. The corner kick was headed away by McCutcheon, ending the threat.

Mace played the ball over the top on the right sideline in the 11th minute for Doyle. The midfielder played the ball through the legs of Araujo before firing on target, forcing Murphy to block the ball out of play.

As the ensuing set piece went into the box, Traore pushed Rafaelle over near the far post. While Murphy caught the ball, referee Ekaterina Koroleva blew her whistle and pointed to the spot.

Angelina and Marta stood at the penalty spot as the Boston players argued the decision. Unsurprisingly, it was Marta who took the spot kick. The Pride captain placed the ball under Murphy’s arm on a diving save attempt to give the Pride the early 1-0 lead.

Boston tried to beat Moorhouse from distance again in the 17th minute when Bianca St-Georges received a pass from Karich at the top of the box. The Canadian international’s second touch was a shot that was easily handled by Moorhouse.

Jackson played a beautiful ball down the right in the 25th minute for Doyle. The attacker got behind her defender and sent a cross toward the penalty spot where Yates was making a run. It looked like she might have a free shot on goal, but Jorelyn Carabali stuck her foot in to tap it away.

Boston quickly went the other way, earning a corner kick when St-Georges’ shot was blocked out of play. The ensuing set piece bounced around the box before Traore turned to shoot. However, her attempt was blocked and the Pride were able to clear.

Down a goal, Boston held the majority of possession, continuing to look for a breakthrough. However, nearly all of its chances came from low-percentage attempts from outside the box. Prince sent a shot from outside that sailed over the target, and Karich shot from even further out a minute later, which also went over everything.

Boston had one of itsr few close-range chances in the 34th minute when Carabali made a run to the top of the Pride box before finding Alba Cano making a diagonal run. The attacker turned to shoot, forcing Moorhouse to make a save.

Barbara Olivieri played the ball through Cano to Prince on the right side, creating one of Boston’s best chances of the half. Prince’s first touch was a ball to Olivieri, who continued her run into the box. The Venezuelan had space for a shot but sent her attempt over the top.

Boston had one last attack in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. Olivieri made a strong run to the end line before her cross was blocked out of play by Mace. The corner kick to the near post was knocked down by Prince for Traore, whose shot was blocked into the side netting. Cano’s second corner kick skipped off the head of St-Georges, the last chance for either team.

After 45 minutes, Boston had the advantage in possession (61%-39%), shots (14-3), shots on target (3-2), crosses (17-3), corner kicks (6-2), and passing accuracy (80%-74%). But the penalty was the difference as the Pride took a one-goal lead into the break.

Hines made three changes at halftime. Banda, Lemos, and Hannah Anderson came on for Marta, Angelina, and Rafaelle.

“Really, just stay with the game. Don’t, don’t overthink. Don’t overcomplicate,” Raabe said about the message to the substitutes. “Go in, do your thing, work with the team, work together.”

Rafaelle’s departure was due to a concussion, so the teams were given a sixth substitution.

Boston continued to hold possession, but it also continued to shoot from long range. In the 47th minute, Karich played the ball square for Olivieri. The Pride left the attacker alone, daring her to shoot from distance. Olivieri took the opportunity and put the shot on target, but it didn’t cause any trouble for Moorhouse.

Banda made her presence felt in the 48th minute when she shielded Araujo and drew a foul in the Boston third of the field. Lemos’ set piece was initially headed away by St-Georges, but it went to Banda, who turned to shoot. The attempt was off Doyle to McCutcheon, who sent a weak shot to Murphy.

While neither attempt caused any problems for Boston, they were the Pride’s first shots since Marta’s 14th-minute goal.

Jackson intercepted a poor pass in the 52nd minute and played it forward for Doyle. The attacker initially looked to lay the ball off before seeing Banda one-on-one with Araujo. The Zambian did well to shield the defender, forcing Elgin to leave Mace making a run from the back. Banda found her teammate with plenty of space for a shot, but the right back sent it wide of the target.

Hines made his fourth change in the 57th minute. Doyle, who was on a yellow card, came off for Luana.

Luana immediately made an impact, drawing a foul on Josefine Hasbo in the Boston third. Lemos sent the set piece into the box, finding the head of Banda. The striker tried to tuck the shot inside the far post but missed wide.

In the 62nd minute, Yates went down as Mace shielded Sammy Smith to earn a goal kick. As Yates limped off the field, she was replaced by Seven Castain.

The Pride should’ve been a player up in the 69th minute when Carabali went studs up over the ball on Banda. The forward went down and received attention, though she was able to continue. Koroleva didn’t even call a foul on a play that should’ve been a red card.

Hines made his final change of the night in the 71st minute, replacing Jackson with Reagan Raabe.

A minute later, Boston found its equalizer. A long ball into the Pride box was headed back nicely by Gutierres for Gambone making a trailing run. The second-half substitute struck the ball cleanly past Moorhouse to even the game at 1-1.

The Pride quickly went on the attack, nearly finding their second goal in the 74th minute. Castain sent a long ball down the field for Banda, who collected it in a seemingly innocuous position. But the striker cut back and fired for the far post. The ball took a deflection off a defender, likely keeping it from going in.

The ensuing set piece found Castain, who headed it wide.

In the 79th minute, Gutierres sent a long ball forward for Smith. But Oihane knocked it out for a corner kick. The corner kick by Gambone was to the top of the box where Gutierres was waiting. The attacker volleyed the ball just wide of the post, keeping the game even.

The Pride felt they should’ve had a second penalty in the 86th minute when Banda dribbled into the Boston box and sent a cross towards the penalty spot. The ball hit the arm of Karich as she attempted to tuck it behind her. Banda’s arm went up, but Koroleva decided Karich didn’t make herself bigger.

The fourth official showed five minutes of stoppage time and the Pride nearly found a winner in the third minute. Banda used her physicality to win a long ball that Elgin looked to have under control. She dribbled into the box before firing at the near post.

Murphy blocked the ball and it appeared to be heading out of play, but Raabe kept it in. She sent a very dangerous ball across the face of goal with Castain approaching it, but it was just beyond her reach.

Boston went to the other end and won a corner kick when Oihane cleared the ball over the end line. The ensuing set piece went beyond the far post where Karich collected it. The midfielder took a touch inside before firing on goal. Anderson blocked the attempt, though Moorhouse was in position to make the save.

The next time the ball went out of play, Koroleva signaled for a video review. The corner kick went off the hand of Luana, whose arms were above her head. As a result, Boston was awarded a penalty.

Gutierres stepped up to take the spot kick. The Brazilian sent Moorhouse the wrong way and tucked the ball into the corner to give the hosts a late 2-1 lead.

With only a minute added onto added time, the Pride were unable to create anything on the attacking end and came away with a devastating loss.

At full time, Boston had the edge in possession (62%-38%), shots (22-11), shots on target (7-4), crosses (31-8), corner kicks (11-4), and passing accuracy (79%-72%). The Pride defended for nearly the entire game, a strategy that came back to haunt them.

“Frustrated. Disappointed. Never like losing, especially in the manner that we lost the game,” Hines said. “It was a tough game, physical game, took the lead. Going into halftime, lots of positives. Trying to maintain that defensive structure, not give them too many opportunities. A lot of their opportunities in the first half came from distance. I felt in moments we could have been more threatening in transition, making sure that we have the willingness to run and support the attack. Obviously had to make some changes at halftime that were forced on us. And then, obviously, overall, we’re not happy with the defeat.”

The biggest surprise about this game was how much Boston controlled it. The hosts were the aggressors throughout the game, putting the Pride on their heels. Chances for the visitors were few and far between, even in the second half when they brought on Banda.

“We knew what we were going into. We knew that they were aggressive. We knew that they, at times, want to press individually,” Hines said about the gameplan. “So how do you create that space when the team is so aggressive in those moments? You have to pull them out of positions and then exploit the space that they’ve left in behind. And I think that’s where we had a lot of joy in the first half, with Marta as the nine dropping down and Julie as the 10 running in behind. I would have liked to see that a little bit more with other players, other than Julie running in behind as well.”

The loss sees the Pride tied with Seattle Reign FC on 11 points for the eighth and final playoff spot after nine games. It’s a crowded group as the Houston Dash and Bay FC are one point behind and one point behind the Kansas City Current.

The Pride will have to shake this loss off as they stay out on the road against expansion sides, facing Denver Summit FC in Colorado Saturday night.

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