Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 1-0 as Cori Dyke’s Goal at the Death Lifts Pride

Cori Dyke scored on nearly the last kick of the game to lift the Pride (7-3-1, 22 points) to their second-straight win, as Orlando defeated the Houston Dash (3-6-2, 11 points) 1-0 tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. It was Dyke’s first professional goal and it was a difference maker in front of an announced crowd of 9,766.

Coming out of the international break, the Pride made three changes to the team that beat the Utah Royals 3-1 on May 23. Oihane, Ally Lemos, and Julie Doyle entered the lineup in place of Dyke, Angelina, and Barbra Banda.

“We made a lot of changes going into this game and I stick by it,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about the lineup. “You know, you have to take into consideration the amount of travel that some of our players have done, the competitiveness of international football as well. And it’s not ideal, but this is why we have a great squad. And so, players come in and they play a role in what you’re trying to achieve.”

Additionally, Hines made a late change, replacing Morgan Gautrat with Summer Yates. The time of the change meant the Pride used their first substitution before kickoff.

“Listen, we make a decision to select a starting lineup. We leave it until as long as possible. Morgan was just feeling a little bit underwhelmed going into the game and we just have to make a decision,” Hines said about the last-minute change. “And Summer was ready. She was brilliant, Summer, with a quick turnaround for herself. And, yeah, like I said, you just have to be adaptable in those moments.”

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was made up of Kerry Abello, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, and Oihane. Yates, Lemos, Haley McCutcheon, and Carson Pickett were in the midfield, with Doyle and Ally Watt up top.

The first half was evenly played with both teams struggling to create good chances. But the Pride took off in the second half, completely controlling the final 45 minutes. The substitutions of Banda, Marta, and Prisca Chilufya sparked the Pride, who pushed hard for a winner until the dying moments. They found the goal in their final attack, claiming a big three points.

Neither team created a shot until the 17th minute, when Delanie Sheehan found Yazmeen Ryan approaching the box. However, the veteran attacker’s shot from distance was blocked by Sams.

Two minutes later, Moorhouse misplayed a long shot by Barbara Olivieri out for a corner kick. The set piece by Olivieri was long to Evelina Duljan, who sent the ball back into the six-yard box. Katie Lind tried to redirect it on goal but was unable to get over the ball, allowing Moorhouse to make the jumping catch.

The Pride’s first chance of the game came in the 20th minute, when Pickett played the ball back for Lemos. The second-year midfielder fired from distance, sending her shot over the target.

Pickett attempted an ambitious shot in the 32nd minute, trying to chip Abby Smith from the top left corner of the box. The shot appeared to be going wide, but it was close enough for Smith to tip it out of play.

Olivieri tripped Yates just outside the Houston box in the 33rd minute, giving the Pride a free kick in a dangerous position. It was cleared, but only to the top of the box, where Lemos collected it. The midfielder played the ball to Nadaner, whose first touch was heavy, but she was able to turn and shoot. However, Maggie Graham got in front to block the attempt.

The Pride were unable to do anything with the ensuing set piece and the visitors were able to clear the danger.

In the second minute of stoppage time, Duljan blocked a pass by Abello out for a corner kick. Lemos’ ensuing set piece was short to Doyle, whose cross was punched out by Smith. However, it went to McCutcheon at the top of the box. Unfortunately, the midfielder’s shot was over the target.

Quick passing in the fourth minute of stoppage time saw Olivieri send Ryan behind the Pride back line. The attacker cut back to lose Sams, forcing Moorhouse into a good save. However, the flag went up for offside.

That was the last chance for either team as the game went into halftime scoreless. After 45 minutes, possession was even. The Pride had more shots (6-4), but Houston put more on target (2-1). Meanwhile, the Pride had more corner kicks (5-1) and the Dash had more crosses (6-5) and better passing accuracy (88%-85%).

The Dash created the first second-half chance in the 47th minute when Sheehan lifted the ball to the back post. Kiki van Zanten got her head to it but sent her attempt wide.

A minute later, a give-and-go between Oihane and McCutcheon saw the former send Watt towards the endline. The speedster’s first touch was a low cross for Banda. However, the striker sent her shot wide of the target.

Ryan and van Zanten combined in the 57th minute to get Ryan behind Nadaner. However, the pass forced her to shoot from a tight angle, creating an easy save for Moorhouse.

Banda intercepted a pass from Olivieri to Lind in the 58th minute and darted towards goal. Lind tried to pull her back, but Banda kept going. The striker was aiming for the near post, but Smith did well to get down for the stop.

Seconds later, another poor pass in the back by the Dash allowed Yates to intercept and get in on goal. This time, Smith could only block the attempt over the crossbar for a Pride corner kick.

Banda redirected a hard pass by Lemos forward for Sams in the 61st minute, allowing the center back to get into the box. She passed the ball thorugh the box for Pickett on the far side, but her shot was right at Smith.

Hines made another substitution in the 62nd minute, replacing Watt with Marta.

Banda was sent into the box in the 64th minute, twisting and turning Natalie Jacobs to get a shot off. The striker opened up to put it around Smith, but hit it directly at her.

Ryan Gareis sent Ryan behind the back line in the 65th minute. Moorhouse was indecisive, standing in place until the ball bounced. She then rushed out, but Ryan got there first, tapping it past the goalkeeper and in. However, the flag went up for offside. There was a pause for a review, but the attacker was clearly a step offside.

The Pride’s final change came in the 72nd minute, when Chilufya came on for Oihane in an attacking move.

Chilufya tried to make an immediate impact in the 73rd minute, dribbling to the end line and finding Banda in the box. The Zambian tried to turn a shot on goal, but sent the attempt wide of the near post.

Marta sent a cross into the box in the 82nd minute that found the head of Banda. The striker turned the attempt on goal, but it went off Lind’s arm and out of play. The referee waited as the video assistant referee checked for a possible hand ball in the box, deciding the arm was in a natural position.

Marta sent another cross into the box in the 85th minute. McCutcheon was waiting for the ball, but Nadaner attacked it first, sending her header off the hands of Smith. McCutcheon went after the free ball, sending it wide.

In the 88th minute, Yates fouled van Zanten from behind near the top of the Pride box, earning a yellow card. Ryan’s short free kick to van Zanten resulted in the Jamaican’s shot going off Chilufya.

The Dash kept possession, sending it wide for Graham. The Dash’s leading goal scorer sent a cross into the box that went off the shin of Paige Nielsen and right to Moorhouse.

Dyke sent Chilufya down the right in the second minute of stoppage time and the attacker played a hard cross across the box. However, Smith got a piece of it before it reached Yates charging in at the back post.

Chilufya’s cross in the seventh minute of stoppage time found the head of Yates making a back-post run. But it was a little behind her and the midfielder couldn’t turn it on goal.

A minute later, Lemos’ cross into the box fell for McCutcheon. The defensive midfielder’s shot was blocked by the arm of Lind. The Pride players appealed for a penalty, but the referee determined Lind’s arm was in a natural position.

The Pride had one more attack as the game neared the ninth minute of stoppage time. Yates made a run into the box and sent a cross that went through Smith. It bounced out to Dyke just beyond the top corner of the six-yard box. The defender fired the ball off Sophie Schmidt and past Smith to give the Pride the late lead.

“Shout out Summy for, you know, she’s so good at that, getting to the end line, beating her players, putting a great ball in,” Dyke said.  “And I think I just saw that space in the back side and wanted to get in there. I knew it was the last play, so I was like, let’s take a chance on it. And then when it fell to me, I just was, all that was going through my head was just stay composed and get it on frame.”

“Great finish as well from a defender,” Hines added. “I don’t think defenders get enough credit for their finishing ability. So, yeah, she took her goal really well.”

As soon as Houston restarted play, the final whistle blew, making Dyke’s goal nearly the last kick of the game.

At full time, the Pride had the advantage in possession (56.2%-43.8%), shots (21-8), shots on target (8-4), crosses (30-10), corner kicks (11-1), and passing accuracy (87.1%-83.9%).

“A roller coaster of emotions, but managed to get the job done tonight,” Hines said. “You know, one thing I’ll give credit to this team — we’ll go until the final whistle. And we’re so pleased that we managed to get that goal towards the end and come away with three points.”

“That was crazy,” Nadaner added. “You know, we were pretty much in control of the game. We had a feeling we were going to score, like it was coming. We were putting it on them. They were playing great defensively. Their back line, their keeper made some unbelievable saves. So, they were a tough opponent, for sure. And had to have Cori come in and have the game winner. I’m so pumped for her. That was so big time.”

The Pride went on a three-game skid with two losses and draw leading into their May 23 win in Utah. They’ve now won two straight with two games remianing until the summer break that lasts until Aug. 3.

“Momentum is massive. I think we showed that last year, but I think it’s a different type of challenge this year,” Hines said. “Obviously, we’ve said it at the start of year, we’ve got a target on our backs. You know, teams can come to Inter&Co Stadium and maybe be content with the 0-0. That’s where we’re at. Teams may have a completely different game plan against us in those two recent other games. So, we know that that’s the challenge. We know that winning in this league is incredibly difficult, no more so than having a team come here and sit everyone back and be content with 0-0. So, like I said, early on in this the players are giving absolutely everything. They’re not leaving a drip of sweat off the field, and so they are putting absolutely everything into it. And you can see, when you do that, you can get the rewards that you aspire to do at the start the game.”

“We talked about going into the Utah game,” Nadaner added. “Our form wasn’t great, so we knew how important that Utah game was leading into the international break. And now these three games leading into the even longer break for the Euros. So yeah, we want to get that momentum back and yeah, just keep growing and learning each game.”

The game marked Nadaner’s 100th appearance with the club. The center back became the second Pride player to reach 100 appearances, following team captain Marta. With Marta on the bench, Nadaner — the club’s vice captain — wore the armband to start the game.

“It’s a surreal moment for sure,” Nadaner said about her 100th appearance for the club. “To be honest, it’s something I never thought I would achieve. My journey has been kind of crazy, even before here. Even since I got here. So, to achieve that and to have my family and my husband and all my teammates here, it was a really special moment to celebrate with the fans and everybody. It’s up there in my career for sure. And I have to thank Cori Dyke for putting the cherry on top, because it wouldn’t have been as sweet without the win. Without the win, I don’t enjoy that half as much as I did. So thank you Cori.”

“She epitomizes this club. She epitomizes what this team’s about,” Hines added about his vice captain. “It’s been an amazing experience to be part of Kylie’s growth, to see her when she first came in to where she’s at now. And she probably won’t mind me saying this, it’s been night and day. She really took a leadership role when I took over. She stays true to our values, our core values. She’s had buy-in from it. We’ve put faith in her, and she’s rewarded us with the performance she’s put in. And she’s such a great role model to any player that comes into our environment. I just can’t believe that it’s been 100 games. It’s just flown by. My credit to her, because she has put her head down, she’s got on with it, she’s made herself available, and hopefully she can get a lot more games moving forward. But there’s not enough words to describe how great she has been for myself and for this club.”

The Pride will look to carry this momentum into a two-game road trip before the looming summer break that will last more than a month. It starts with a long trip to San Jose, CA, where the Pride will face Bay FC on Friday night.