Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns FC: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Win It Late
A second-half stoppage time goal saw the Pride claim all three points against the Portland Thorns.
The Orlando Pride (10-8-6, 36 points) used a late own goal to defeat the Portland Thorns (9-8-7, 34 points) 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium tonight in Orlando. The win ended a five-game winless run in home league games and gave the team a chance to finish top four and host in the playoffs.
Pride Head Coach Seb Hines used the same starting lineup that drew 1-1 with the Houston Dash a week ago. Anna Moorhouse was the goalkeeper behind a back line of Kerry Abello, Rafaelle, Emily Sams, and Oihane. Haley McCutcheon and Angelina were the defensive midfielders behind Carson Pickett, Ally Lemos, and Jacquie Ovalle, with Ally Watt up top.
This was a six-pointer for the Pride and Thorns, with the winner inching closer to clinching a playoff spot and potentially hosting a playoff game. The Thorns held more possession and created enough opportunities to score, but the Pride had the better chances. In the end, a bit of luck saw the Pride claim all three points, making it possible to clinch a playoff berth this weekend if other results go their way.
The Pride had the first chance of the game in the fourth minute when McCutcheon’s cross found Watt. However, the forward headed the ball straight down. Ovalle took possession and laid it back for Pickett, but her shot was blocked by Isabella Obaze.
Sams sent a long ball out of the back in the eighth minute that McCutcheon flicked forward with her head. It sent Watt behind the back line, and the striker did well to beat Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold. However, the flag went up for offside, and it wouldn’t be the last time in this game.
The visitors got their first decent attack in the 10th minute when Abello blocked Olivia Moultrie’s cross out of play for a corner kick. They couldn’t create anything from the set piece, but Oihane knocked the ball out of play while shielding Reilyn Turner, who was sent towards the end line. Rafaelle headed out Moultrie’s set piece to Alexa Spaanstra at the top of the box. Spaanstra attempted to volley the ball but mishit it. After Moultrie’s shot from distance was blocked, the Pride were able to clear.
Moultrie sent Turner down the right in the 14th minute with Abello on her back. Turner sent a low cross into the box that Sams cleared but only to the top of the 18. Jessie Fleming collected the ball and shot, but Rafaelle deflected it, allowing Moorhouse to catch it.
On the other end, McCutcheon played the ball to Lemos in the box. Unable to shake her defender, Lemos laid the ball back for Angelina, who fired a shot from distance, sending her attempt well over the goal.
Moultrie found Turner on her right again in the 17th minute. The attacker’s cross was too close to goal, but it went over Moorhouse’s hand and hit the crossbar. The ball ended up with Sam Coffey, who sent her shot over the target. Turner then got onto a long ball across the field in the 21st minute. As she approached the end line, Turner played it to Moultrie making a run to the top of the box. Moultrie had space, but sent her shot over the goal.
Watt dribbled down the right in the 24th minute before sending a pass behind Oihane. It went through to the far side to McCutcheon, whose shot was blocked. After a short header by Moultrie, Pickett played the ball back for Angelina approaching the Portland third. The Brazilian’s shot was close enough to force Arnold into a dive, but the ball sailed just wide of the left post.
The Pride nearly took the lead in the 34th minute when Abello and Lemos combined to get the ball to Ovalle on the right side. Oihane made a run inside and Ovalle played her forward toward the end line. Watt couldn’t get a touch on Oihane’s low cross, which found McCutcheon at the back post. Reyna Reyes got there first and nearly put it in her own net, but Arnold jumped on it before it crossed the line.
Moultrie played Spaanstra behind the Pride back line in the 41st minute, creating a good chance. Spaanstra found Pietra Tordin in the box, but the forward missed just wide of the near post. The flag went up for offside on the initial ball over the top anyway.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Ovalle played the ball back for Angelina, who sent it over the midfield stripe for Watt making a run. The striker did well to get space from Obaze and beat Arnold inside her far post. However, Watt was offside again.
“I think the evolution of this team is playing what the opponent gives you,” Hines said. “So if Portland want to press us high and be aggressive, you have to draw them out as well. There were moments where we wanted to exploit that space in behind. We wanted to get Ally facing forward through on goal. Obviously, she was offside, but she should take a lot of confidence from that. You know, there’s margins where the defender just takes an extra step. So, as long as she can continue to be a threat, she should still get opportunities to find the back of the net.”
At the half, the Thorns had the advantage in possession (58%-42%), shots (8-7), shots on target (1-0), crosses (10-3), corner kicks (3-1), and passing accuracy (84%-79%). However, if Watt could stay onside, the Pride would’ve been up 2-0 at the break.
“I think that it’s easy to fall into frustration when that happens, but we were just dead set on continuing to do what we were doing,” McCutcheon said. “Refine the little details that are going to get us the goals that we need. And I felt like we had them on the back foot for most of the game, and so that just gave us momentum. And we never shut off. We were locked into our details defensively, especially. And so, yeah, really proud of the group. And I think that at halftime, we just were like, Okay, we’ve got to dig in and keep doing what we’re doing.”
The Pride got the first chance of the second half when Fleming played a poor pass back for Jayden Perry at midfield. Ovalle took possession and carried the ball into the Portland third before firing from distance. However, her shot was right at Arnold.
Moorhouse attempted to play the ball to Oihane from inside her own box in the 51st minute, but it was intercepted by Vignola. The left back dribbled into the 18 and took a shot that was high and wide of the target.
Turner was sent towards the right corner flag in the 56th minute and Abello knocked the ball out of play as Turner attempted to cut back. Moultrie’s ensuing set piece found Turner on the far side of the box, but she redirected the ball into Moorhouse’s arms.
Lemos took possession from Watt in the 60th minute before shooting off the face of Obaze. The block went to the right side of the box for Watt, who went for the far post and forced Arnold into a kick save. The referee stopped play immediately after the save as Obaze remained down. The center back required attention but was able to continue.
Portland created a chance from a throw-in in the 65th minute. Fleming received the ball and quickly played it in for Deyna Castellanos, making a run between Rafaelle and Oihane. The substitute got her head to the ball, but sent it straight to Moorhouse, who made the easy catch.
In the 67th minute, Ovalle looked to make something happen at the top of the box, but her ball in was blocked. It went to Watt, who laid it back for Ovalle. The Mexican shot it, but it was right to Arnold.
A minute later, Hines made his first two changes. Marta and Simone Charley came into the game for Lemos and Watt. It was a return for Marta, who missed the last three games with a back injury.
“It’s massive. She’s a massive part of this team,” Hines said. “And, yeah, we’ve missed her. We’ve missed her leadership. We’ve missed what she brings on to the field.”
“She came on and she looked at me, and she said, ‘Feed me the ball.’ And I think when you have a player like Marta especially, who’s like, ‘Give me the ball, I’m feeling it,’ like that just gives me confidence in her,” McCutcheon added. “It gives me confidence in the group, and she just injects so much energy, and I know that when I get her the ball, she’s going to make something happen. She brings so much passion. And so we’re so lucky to have her.”
Ovalle created an opportunity for Charley in the 70th minute, sending a ball to the top of the six-yard box. With Obaze on her back, Charley got her head to the ball but put it wide.
Hines made his third substitution in the 71st minute, replacing Oihane with Zara Chavoshi, moving Sams to right back.
Turner made a run toward the top of the box in the 79th minute, before Moultrie took over. Moultrie shot from outside the box but McCutcheon cleared it out of play for a corner kick. Charley cleared the ensuing set piece while colliding with Turner, who went down and required attention but was able to continue.
Hines made his final two changes, sending Simone Jackson and Luana in for Ovalle and Pickett.
In the 83rd minute, Marta curled a ball behind the back line for Jackson making a run down the right. Jackson got into the box and took a shot that Arnold spilled wide of the post for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was too close to the goalkeeper, who made the catch.
Jackson intercepted a poor pass from Fleming to Perry in the 84th minute before entering the Thorns box. Perry put a shoulder into Jackson, who went down. The forward wanted a penalty, but referee Shawn Tehini didn’t see enough in it to award a spot kick.
In the 87th minute, Turner was sent long on the left before beating Chavoshi into the Pride box. She sent a shot on goal that Moorhouse saved, tipping it away.
The Pride nearly scored in the 88th minute when Marta played a ball for Charley in the six-yard box. However, McKenzie did well to get back and knock the ball off Charley to keep the game scoreless.
The fourth official showed nine minutes and the Pride found their goal in the second. Jackson tried to play Charley behind the back line but Obaze got there first. It looked like the center back might keep it in play, but she knocked it out for a corner kick instead.
Marta took the set piece, sending it to the near post. As Arnold came out to punch the ball away, it went off the back of McKenzie and in, giving the Pride a late lead.
Portland pushed hard in the final minutes, looking to get something out of the game. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Chavoshi pushed Fleming over, giving the Thorns a free kick in the Pride third of the field. Coffey sent the set piece over everyone, but Moorhouse had come off her line. It looked like the ball might sneak inside the far post, but it bounced wide instead.
The final chance came in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Abello knocked the ball out of play for a throw-in. McKenzie threw it in to Mimi Alidou, who played it right back. McKenzie’s cross found Moultrie, but she couldn’t get much on her header and Moorhouse made the stop.
Portland ended the game with the edge in possession (52.5%-47.5%), corner kicks (5-4), and passing accuracy (81.1%-80.1%), but the Pride had more shots (16-14) and crosses (12-11). More importantly, they scored the game’s lone goal.
“I think we were brilliant from start to finish,” Hines said. “I thought the first half, the intensity of our press, the intensity of how we play, we created some good opportunities. We stayed in the game, which was important as well, because there’s been previous games where we’ve dominated but haven’t got the rewards and been punished, so as long as it stayed nil-nil, we always felt that we were going to score that first goal. And we left it late, but it doesn’t matter. We’re walking away with three points, a clean sheet, and a one-goal victory. So really happy.”
“I feel like our mindset just changed. After those two wins we had in the last three games, it’s big,” Rafaelle said. “It’s huge, especially this time of the season, getting those two wins is going to help us so much looking forward, getting a spot in the playoffs. I feel like everybody is giving everything. We feel the pressure, and we just showed we’re fine, even though there’s a lot of pressure on us. And we’re doing great, great things. Just like, every time we get in front of the goal, the ball is hitting the post and going away. Now I feel like the luck is in our favor. So getting three points here is huge. It was a hard match, but we deserve to win.”
The win gives the Pride three straight NWSL matches without a loss (2-0-1) but snaps a five-match home winless streak in the league.
The Pride moved from sixth to third in the NWSL standings, the highest place they can finish now. However, while they jump NJ/NY Gotham FC and The Seattle Reign, both have yet to play this weekend. While the win is important, the Pride are still just three points ahead of seventh-place Racing Louisville.
Tonight’s win means the Pride could clinch a playoff spot this weekend. If the North Carolina Courage lose Saturday to the Washington Spirit and the Dash drop points Sunday evening against Angel City, the Pride will be in the postseason for the second consecutive year.
The Pride won’t have long to enjoy this win as they host CF Pachuca Wednesday, in a Concacaf W Champions Cup game that will see who joins Club America from Group A in the semifinals.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Final Score 3-1 as Banda Brace Leads Pride to Victory
Barbra Banda bags a brace and an assist but goes down injured late in the victory.
After dropping two games to expansion teams and stealing a win in San Diego, the Orlando Pride looked to enter the summer break on a good note. The Pride (5-5-2, 17 points) had never lost to Bay FC (3-6-2, 11 points) and used a second-half burst to maintain that winning record and won 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium.
Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the fourth minute and followed it up in the 51st minute with her second. She added an assist to Cori Dyke in the 55th minute to close out the Pride scoring. Caroline Conti scored the lone Bay FC goal at the seven-minute mark.
“No better gift than a 3-1 victory at home in front of our fans,” Pride Head Coach (and birthday boy) Seb Hines said after the game. “It feels good that we’re ending this period on a high. I think it’s the first time this season we’ve got back-to-back victories.”
The Pride made one change in the lineup, giving Kerry Abello her first start of the season over Julie Doyle. Anna Moorhouse started in goal with Abello, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane on defense. Haley McCutcheon and Ally Lemos played midfield in front of them with Mace, Luana, and Nicole Payne attacking from the midfield. Banda and her leading-leading nine goals played alone up top.
After an hour weather delay, the Pride went with the in-vogue start these days by kicking the ball straight out of bounds deep on the start and pressing high. It led to an opening three minutes of play in which the Pride kept the pressure up and forced the ball to stay on the Bay FC side. In the fourth minute, Luana headed a ball towards the center which Banda controlled, bodied Bay FC’s Joelle Anderson off the ball, and slotted the opening goal with her left foot.
Bay FC fought right back in the seventh minute as the visitors didn’t have to fight through the press off their kickoff. Claire Hutton crossed the ball into the box, Abello deflected it wide but there was no Pride defender there and it fell to Caroline Conti. Abello tried to fight all the way over but Conti was able to put it past Moorhouse before any help arrived.
The entire back line got pulled to the right on the play and Mace could not get back to help out wide.
“Hailie Mace came into NWSL as a winger. She’s got some tendencies that fit a winger profile. We knew Bay FC had a high back line. How do we get behind that back line? Having someone to support Barbra and not just Nicole but add in another player who can get into the attack,” Hines said regarding the switch.
In the 16th minute, Rachael Kundananji beat Oihane and crossed the ball to Hannah Bebar, who headed it into the net, but Cristiana Girelli was in an offside position threatening the goal, so the assistant referee ruled that it put Moorhouse off enough to interfere with the play.
The teams settled down a bit and traded possession until the 27th minute when Oihane centered the ball to Payne, who scuffed the shot high. One minute later, Luana sent a through ball for Banda to run onto and she went down in the box in a collision with Brooklyn Courtnall. It was fairly evident, however, that Banda got her leg into Courtnall’s to either try to control the ball or draw a foul, and the referee, Jaclyn Metz, saw it the same way.
In the 33rd minute, Oihane was subbed out for Hannah Anderson. Oihane had been laboring a little and may have picked up a knock somewhere.
The Pride couldn’t re-establish the high press so they turned into a lot of possession by Bay FC. Any attack by the Pride ended in a turnover off a bad pass or ill-conceived long shots as Orlando’s attackers were impatient in building play. Turnover after turnover plagued the Pride for the remainder of the half as they did not threaten at all until the 45th minute, when Banda took on Maddie Moreau and Kundananji, shook them both loose, and then crossed the ball into an empty area at the back post with no one to finish.
It was a fitting final piece of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as the half wrapped without any plays of interest. The Pride weren’t able to lead any of the statistics, tying Bay FC in shots (4-4), while Bay FC led in shots on target (3-1), possession (53%-47%), and passing accuracy (85%-83%). Neither team was able to force a corner in the first half.
To start the second half, Hines subbed in Summer Yates for Abello, which pushed Mace back to the back line. In the 48th minute, Kundananji got behind when Anderson got caught out and was sizing up a one-on-one with Moorhouse. Dyke hustled back and blocked the shot.
“We started the game super strong, super intense, but I think we fell off towards the end of that first half,” Dyke said. “We got a little too stretched between the lines and weren’t getting enough pressure on the ball and we talked about that at halftime. We needed to stay more compact and then pick our moments to go.”
Go they did. Three minutes later, Yates sent a through ball angled behind Banda which allowed her to run onto the ball unopposed. She beat goalkeeper Emmie Allen, who came out of the box aggressively to defend, and then passed the ball into the net in the 51st minute.
Four minutes later, Banda pressured Allen, forcing the goalkeeper into a clearance out of play. On the ensuing throw-in, Banda held off Bebar in the box, spun, and crossed the ball to Dyke, who put the ball in off the crossbar. The ability of the Pride to retain possession and work the ball in against a lesser opponent opened up the scoring and turned the game on its head.
Bay FC didn’t have a lot to do over the next stretch of time and Taylor Huff went down with an injury in the 61st minute, prompting a change as she was subbed out for Karlie Lema. Dorian Bailey came on for Joelle Anderson in the same stoppage but at the 62nd minute.
The teams went back and forth for a bit until the Pride drew a corner in the 71st minute. It deflected off a Bay FC defender and fell to Rafaelle at the far post, who headed it just wide. Three minutes later, Jacquie Ovalle and Zara Chavoshi wrapped up the Pride substitutions by coming in for Payne and Mace. Bay FC also took the stoppage in the 74th minute to sub two players in, bringing on Keria Barry and Onyeka Gamero for Kundananji and Girelli.
Unfortunately, in the 81st minute, Banda was dribbling down the left side when she pulled up lame and went to the ground off the pitch. She stayed there until tended to and was obviously upset. We’ll have to wait for any injury news on her. Bay FC made its final substitution in the ensuing stoppage in the 82nd minute, bringing on Kelli Hubly for Conti.
The injury to Banda left the Pride playing with only 10 players for the remaining 15 minutes (including added time) due to using up all three substitution windows. They stayed fairly solid in defense and played a lot of keep-away ball to see out the victory while playing short.
“A great way to finish this part of the season with a win at home. I think we were consistent today and we took the chances we created,” Luana said. “We’ve been having highs and lows in this part of the season but we bounced back in these two wins and it brought us a lot of confidence.”
Orlando City was ahead in the only stat that matters, goals, but trailed in every other major stat. Bay FC finished ahead in shots (14-8), shots on target (5-4), possession (54%-46%), passing accuracy (85%-84%), and corners (4-1).
The Orlando Pride now will be off until early July for the NWSL World Cup break. The next match is scheduled for July 3 in Los Angeles against Angel City FC.
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Pride return home to face Bay FC in their final game before the FIFA World Cup break.
Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (4-5-2, 14 points) return home from a three-game road trip to take on Bay FC (3-5-2, 11 points). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams with the return game scheduled for Sept. 27 in San Jose.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
History
Bay FC is one of two expansion teams that entered the NWSL for the 2024 season. The teams have met four times, with the Pride holding a 3-0-1 record and a 1-0-1 mark at home in the series.
The most recent meeting took place on Sept. 13, 2025, in Orlando. The visitors took the lead just before halftime when Racheal Kundananji headed in a long pass by Caprice Dydasco. The Pride equalized in the second half, when Ally Watt headed a Jacquie Ovalle cross past Jordan Silkowitz to claim a 1-1 draw.
On June 13 of last year in San Jose, CA, Bay FC led almost every statistical category, but the Pride defense held strong until Barbra Banda scored shortly after halftime. The Pride withstood attack after attack, coming away with a hard-fought 1-0 win.
The teams met twice in 2024, with the first-ever game between the clubs occurring on May 11. Just prior to the half-hour mark, Banda dribbled inside and Deyna Castellanos attempted an ill-advised challenge, resulting in a foul in the box and a Pride penalty. Adriana put the ball into the bottom left corner for the only goal, lifting the Pride to a 1-0 win. It was the sixth win in an NWSL-record, eight-game win streak.
The teams met for the second time on Sept. 20, 2024. It looked like the game might be headed for a scoreless draw until Banda got her head on the end of a Carson Pickett cross, redirecting it past Katelyn Rowland to give the Pride the 1-0 win.
Overview
The Pride return home tonight after a difficult road trip that saw the team fall 2-1 to Boston Legacy FC and 3-1 to Denver Summit FC. Having already lost to both expansion teams, they headed west to face San Diego Wave FC, a team near the top of the standings. But Nicole Payne’s first professional goal lifted Orlando to a 1-0 win.
Despite not scoring in two of the last three games, Banda still leads the league with nine goals in 10 games this season. She has a two-goal lead on Ashley Sanchez, who is second in the league. Haley McCutcheon is the only other Pride player with multiple goals, scoring twice in the same game. Ovalle, Marta, and Hannah Anderson have the team’s other three goals. The assists have been spread out much more evenly with Ovalle, McCutcheon, and Rafaelle all sharing the team lead with two.
The clean sheet against San Diego was big for the back line as the team has conceded too many goals recently. Dating back to their 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville FC on April 24, the Pride have conceded multiple goals in four of the last six games. The only other game in which they didn’t concede at least twice was a 1-0 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 8, their last home game.
Tonight is the Pride’s last game before the league breaks for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After the game, they won’t play again until July 3 and won’t play at home until July 10. That makes getting a quality result tonight essential for momentum going through the remainder of the season.
If you’re looking for a team to win against, Bay FC is one of the most likely candidates. The Bay -area side sits 13th in the NWSL on 11 points, just four points ahead of Louisville for last place. Tonight’s visitors are currently on a four-game winless run (0-2-2) and a two-game losing streak. Their last win was a 1-0 victory against San Diego on May 3. The club’s most recent games are a 2-0 loss to Portland Thorns FC on May 20 and a 1-0 loss to Chicago Stars FC on May 24.
Bay FC has struggled this year on both ends of the field. Its eight goals are second fewest in the league and Bay is one of three teams with single-digit goals this year. Meanwhile, the team’s 14 goals conceded are sixth in the league. The California side has been better defensively overall than the Pride, who have conceded 16 goals, but worse offensively, as the Pride have scored 15 goals so far this year.
Bay FC has been led in the attack by Alex Pfeiffer and Dorian Bailey with two goals each. Kundananji, Taylor Huff, Keira Barry, and Joelle Anderson have one apiece. Pfeiffer also leads the team in assists with two, tied with Cristina Girelli. Huff and Sydney Collins are the only other players with assists this season.
It should help the Pride tonight that Bay FC will be missing two key players. Silkowitz and starting center back Aldana Cometti were sent off against Chicago Sunday, meaning they’ll miss tonight’s game.
However, the Pride have their own key absences. In addition to injuries that have accumulated this season, Angelina was handed an additional game’s suspension after being sent off on May 16 for pulling Delanie Sheehan’s hair.
“We’re looking forward to it. Looking forward to being back home,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s game. “It’s been a long road trip. Excited to get in front of our own fans. Want to create that atmosphere, make it hostile for Bay FC. We know it’s a quick turnaround for both teams as well, so we want to make sure that we start off on the front foot, build on what we achieved last Sunday in San Diego, and finish this part of the season on a high.”
The Pride will be without Angelina (suspension), Cosette Morche (ankle), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Marta (thigh) and Ovalle (thigh) are listed as questionable. Bay FC will be without Cornetti (suspension), Abby Dahlkemper (maternity leave), Anouk Denton (lower leg), Dydasco (maternity leave), Heather Gilchrist (knee), Alyssa Malonson (knee), Emily Menges (maternity leave), Pfeiffer (knee), and Silkowitz (suspension).
Official Lineups
Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.
Defenders: Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.
Defensive Midfielders: Ally Lemos, Haley McCutcheon.
Attacking Midfielders: Kerry Abello, Luana, Nicole Payne.
Forward: Barbra Banda.
Bench: McKinley Crone, Zara Chavoshi, Hannah Anderson, Julie Doyle, Marta, Jacquie Ovalle, Summer Yates, Seven Castain, Simone Jackson.
Bay FC (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Emmie Allen.
Defenders: Sydney Collins, Joelle Anderson, Brooklyn Courtnall, Maddie Moreau.
Defensive Midfielders: Hannah Bebar, Claire Hutton.
Attacking Midfielders: Racheal Kundananji, Caroline Conti, Taylor Huff.
Forward: Cristiana Girelli.
Bench: Camryn Miller, Kelli Hubly, Jamie Shepherd, Dorian Bailey, Karlie Lema, Onyeka Gamero, Tess Boade, Keira Barry.
Referees
REF: Jaclyn Metz.
AR1: Art Arustamyan.
AR2: Adam Cook.
4TH: Edson Carvajal.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Katarzyna Wasiak.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.
TV: None.
Streaming: NWSL+.
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!
Orlando Pride
Orlando Pride vs. Bay FC: Three Keys to Victory
What do the Pride need to do to earn all three points against Bay FC?
The Orlando Pride welcome Bay FC to Inter&Co Stadium this Friday night for the last match before the World Cup break. This is an opportunity to get a win over a team lower in the table and move up in the standings. What must the Pride do to earn all three points against Bay FC this weekend?
Keep the Chip
I have been asking all season on SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for the Pride to play with the chip on their shoulder that they had when they won the double in 2024. We saw that against the San Diego Wave. My hope is that the players have now remembered what that feels like and will execute with the same level of intensity going forward.
The task is potentially a little easier against Bay FC, as the California-based side has scored less than half the number of goals that the Wave have this season. Of course, that is the trap. The Pride cannot slack off against Bay FC. Having Rafaelle anchoring the defense is a big help, and moving Hailie Mace out to right back has proven effective. In 2024, this team hated — with a capital “H” — conceding goals. They took it personally. That is the passion I want again. The chip on the shoulder.
Overwhelm and Outscore
As I mentioned above, Bay FC is not a prolific scoring team. Friday’s visitors have also given up 14 goals this season. That’s not the best or the worst in the league, but they haven’t faced Barbra Banda yet. The Orlando Pride don’t have any trouble creating chances, but they have had trouble getting anyone other than Banda to finish them this season. Banda leads the league in goals, and she has an opportunity to maintain or extend that lead against Bay FC.
What will truly make the difference for the Pride against Bay FC is if any of the other players can contribute a goal. We saw the space that Banda can provide her teammates when Nicole Payne scored her first goal against San Diego. Now I want other players to take advantage of that space to provide some goals for the Pride.
More Luana
Luana got her first start since coming back to the squad cancer-free. I think we’ve forgotten that she was a starter on the 2024 squad before her Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. She was a starter on a team that won the double. Now she is back and she is a leader and an inspiration for her fellow players.
Given Marta’s limited minutes, having Luana out there as a stabilizing presence is important. Obviously, she brings a different skill set than Marta but still a critical one. Much like the defense, the midfield was better last match, and I feel she was a big part of that.
That is what I will be looking for on Friday night. The Pride can head into the World Cup break on a high with a victory. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!
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