Orlando Pride vs. Angel City FC: Final Score 3-2 as Pride Complete Comeback Win

The Orlando Pride (5-1-0, 15 points) bounced back from last week’s loss, coming back to defeat Angel City FC (2-2-2, 8 points) 3-2 tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. The visitors took an early lead through Riley Tiernan in the ninth minute and Katie Zelem doubled the advantage just before halftime. But the Pride came storming back in the final 20 minutes with goals by Marta in the 72nd minute, Barbra Banda in the 76th minute, and an own goal by M.A. Vignola in second-half stoppage time.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the Washington Spirit on April 19. Cori Dyke started in place of Oihane, who left injured at halftime against Washington, and Ally Lemos also got the start for Haley McCutcheon. Prisca Chilufya got her first start as a member of the Pride, replacing Ally Watt.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was made up of Kerry Abello, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Dyke. Lemos and Morgan Gautrat were the defensive midfielders behind Angelina, Marta, and Chilufya with Banda up top.

The first half was hard to watch for Pride fans. Despite flying across the country, Angel City dominated the first 45 minutes. The Pride looked much better coming out of the half, putting the opposition on the back foot. After failing to challenge Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson in the first half, the Pride put her under constant pressure as the game wound down. The pressure paid off as the Pride netted three goals in the final 20 minutes.

Angel City was the team on the attack early in this game. The first shot came in the sixth minute when Zelem received a pass back and attempted a shot from long distance. However, the shot sailed over the top of the goal.

In the ninth minute, the visitors took the lead. Kennedy Fuller sent a long ball down the right sideline where Tiernan was making a run behind Nadaner. The forward cut back to lose Nadaner before entering the box. It was a tight angle, but Tiernan went for the near post anyway. Moorhouse should have had that space covered, but the ball slipped between her and post to give Angel City an early 1-0 lead.

Angel City nearly scored a second in the 25th minute when Fuller used some nifty footwork before knocking the ball off Chilufya for a corner kick. Her set piece into the box found Vignola near the penalty spot and the defender put the ball on target. It looked to be past Moorhouse, but the Pride goalkeeper did well to dive backwards and tip it wide.

The visitors should’ve had a second in the 31st minute when Tiernan was sent forward. The attacker dribbled to the end line before playing the ball across the box. It was a bit too far in front of Fuller, but it went straight to Zelem with an open goal. However, the midfielder lost her footing and sent the attempt wide.

The Pride finally took their first shot of the game in the 33rd minute off a set piece. Marta’s corner kick was to Dyke near the top of the box. The right back fired on goal but sent her attempt well off target.

In the 40th minute, Abello got down the left and sent a cross into the box. She was aiming for Banda at the near post, but Savy King got her head to it first, cleaning it across the box.

The Pride kept possession and it ended up back up with Abello. The left back’s ball towards the six was blocked by Sarah Gorden, but it went right back to Abello. The defender took a second shot, sending it well wide of the target.

On the other end, Angel City extended their lead. Claire Emslie found Zelem to her left just outside of the box and the midfielder played Fuller just inside the 18. After making a move to lose her defender, Fuller took a shot at goal, forcing Moorhouse to tip it over the crossbar.

The ensuing corner kick was won by Alanna Kennedy, but she couldn’t put her header on goal. Gautrat and Abello both had a chance to clear the danger, but neither were able to get anything on the ball. It fell right to Zelem, who put it past Moorhouse to give the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead shortly before halftime.

The final chance of the first half came in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Banda fouled Tiernan from behind as she entered the Pride third of the field, earning a yellow card. The ensuing set piece went to Nadaner and Kennedy. It was redirected towards goal, but Moorhouse was there to catch it.

After 45 minutes of play, the Pride had the advantage in possession (57%-43%), crosses (12-5), corner kicks (7-4), and passing accuracy (85%-79%). But Angel City took more shots (8-5) and put more on target (4-0).

“Angel City are a good team in transition. And so, if you give away the ball in dangerous areas, they can punish you,” Hines said about the halftime deficit. “And ultimately, the first goal comes from a transition moment. The second goal is a set piece, and it’s unfamiliar territory for us. You know, it’s been a while since we’ve been a couple of goals down in games. But, again, two halves are never the same. We rectified it in our halftime team talk. And, yeah, we went after it. You know, nothing to lose at that point.”

“I think we just weren’t ourselves individually,” Abello added about the first half. “I think our press was a little off and we kind of got it in our heads. And they broke it a few times. And when they break it with players like Alyssa Thompson and Gisele and Emslie, you feel that, right? Because those players can do really dangerous things and then we weren’t connecting our passes. On the flip side, we’d win the ball and give it right back to them. And honestly, I think that was the hardest part for us, is just keeping possession. Because, again, they have dangerous players that can exploit you when you give the ball away. So yeah, not our best half.”

The Pride were the more attacking team coming out of the locker room and created a pair of chances in the 50th minute. It started when Marta’s cross was off Gisele Thompson and out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece went to the far side of the box, where Marta redirected it towards goal. But Kennedy was there to head it away.

Orlando recycled, creating an even better chance. Abello found Marta at the back post from the left with nobody on the Brazilian. Marta tried to volley the ball into the empty net, but it got caught in her feet and she was unable to get a shot off, allowing Anderson to collect it.

The Pride won another corner kick in the 51st minute, this time taken by Marta. She found Nadaner at the far post. The center back tried to get over the ball, but it was a little behind her and Nadnaer’s header was wide of the target.

A scary moment occurred in the 53rd minute. Gautrat and Kennedy went up for the ball and the Pride defensive midfielder elbowed Kennedy in the face. The former Pride player was down for several minutes before rising with a black eye. After a medical examination, it was determined she couldn’t continue and was replaced by Madison Hammond.

In the 59th minute, Hines made a triple substitution trying to get his team back into the game. Watt, McCutcheon, and Oihane came on for Chilufya, Gautrat, and Dyke.

It looked like the Pride had a chance to get a goal back in the 66th minute when Marta beat Vignola to a free ball and sprinted down the field. She played Banda forward and the striker had Watt — the fastest player on the field—  on her right. It looked like Banda tried to play her the ball but put it into the feet of King instead.

The Pride got a goal back in the 72nd minute when Lemos sent Oihane down the right. Nobody closed down the right back, allowing her to send a cross into the box. It was behind Banda, but went straight to Marta, who turned it on goal. Anderson got a hand to the ball, but knocked it into the bottom corner, cutting the Pride deficit to 2-1.

“I think it gave us belief,” Pickett said about the goal. “I think we, deep down, have belief, but we kind of need that, ‘Okay, we’re really in this game, and we can fight back, claw back.’ It gave us that extra bit of confidence to go there and continue to score, because we saw that we can. We could find a way to break them down, and we need to do it again and again.”

“That goal was everything,” Abello added “I think, up until that goal, we had so much momentum, and we all thought we were going to score that first goal to get us back in the game. But, as time drags on, you’re like, is it going to come? Is it going to come even with good chances? And so, for her to put that away early enough for us to be like, oh, we still have so much time left. We have the momentum. We can do this. So, that goal changed everything.”

Immediately after the goal, Hines made the final two changes for the Pride. Grace Chanda and Carson Pickett came on for Angelina and Nadaner.

The Pride found their equalizer in the 76th minute. Watt sent a cross through the box from the right, but it went over everyone. Pickett recovered the ball before it crossed the touchline, sending in a cross of her own from the left. Banda and Zelem attacked the ball at the near post and the Zambian got there first, heading it off the inside of the post and in to even the game at 2-2.

“I love a good left-footed service,” Pickett said about her assist. “So, when you see people like Ally Watt and Barbra Banda in the box, you put it on their head. Or you try to find their head. So, I think that’s what I was aiming for.”

The goal was Banda’s fourth of the season, allowing her to maintain her team lead.

Oihane had a chance to give the Pride the lead in the 79th minute when she played Banda forward into the box. King got there first and knocked the ball off Banda’s foot, but it went straight to Oihane. The Spanish international had a clear shot on Anderson and the goalkeeper did well to get down and make the stop.

Seconds later, Marta played Watt into the box. The attacker had gotten behind her defender and had a clear chance on goal. But, again, Anderson did well to get down and tap the ball wide. Anderson palmed the ensuing corner kick away and a foul was called on the Pride, ending the threat.

In the 85th minute, Watt received a throw-in before being pushed over by Vignola. Marta’s free kick was headed out, falling to the foot of Oihane. The defender took a right-foot volley towards goal, but sent it well off target.

The fourth official showed eight minutes of stoppage time and the Pride completed their comeback in the third minute. Pickett sent a curling ball into the box where Vignola was first to reach it. Watt was charging in from the right, forcing Vignola to make a quick decision. The ball went off Vignola’s chest, past Anderson, and in to give the Pride a 3-2 lead.

There was a video review, because Watt extended her arms slightly as she reached the back of Vignola, but it was a quick decision that there wasn’t a foul and the Pride kept the lead.

Pressing opposing defenders into own goals has been a strong point for the Pride this season. They benefited from own goals in the season opener against Chicago and the following game against NJ/NY Gotham FC. This was the third own goal just six games into the season.

Angel City defended furiously as the clock wound down but was forced to push for an equalizer. However, the Pride were able to keep some possession, holding on for the 3-2 win.

At full time, the Pride had had the advantage in possession (53.7%-46.3%), shots (15-10), crosses (27-11), corner kicks (10-6), and passing accuracy (82%-77.1%). Both teams ended the game putting five chances on target.

“Tale of two halves,” Hines said about the game. “I think, obviously, being 2-0 down in this league is incredibly difficult to get back into it. But we showed our character. We showed our mentality. That never say die, never give up. You know, we showed what we’re capable of doing in that second half by scoring three goals and missed some chances as well. So it could have been a lot easier and different, but thankful for the three points and we move on.”

While the Pride have a 100% record in Los Angeles (3-0-0), this is the first time the Pride have beaten Angel City at home (1-1-2). Tonight also marked the first time in club history that the Pride have won a game after trailing by multiple goals.

The three goals late in the game were also significant coming off a performance where finishing was a problem. It looked like poor finishing would doom the Pride for the second straight week, but they were able to find the net three times in the final 20 minutes.

“Last week, whether it was the final cross or final pass or not getting across defenders, what I need to give credit to with our players is they take on feedback really well,” Hines said. “They take information from all the coaching staff really well, and if they listen and continue to grow and learn, then they get their rewards up like they did. You know, by scoring three goals, the crosses were phenomenal from Oihane, Carson, the finishes from Barbra, getting across the defender, Marta, getting in the right area. And, you know, if you have enough players in that area, you can force an error from the defender.”

The win moves the Pride back into a tie for first place with the Kansas City Current. However, the Current have a better goal difference and a game in hand. They’ll play their sixth game tomorrow night in North Carolina.

After this two-game homestand, the Pride now head back out on the road. They’ll face the Portland Thorns at Providence Park on May 3.