Orlando Pride vs. Chicago Stars: Photo Gallery

The Orlando Pride dominated possession and peppered the Chicago Stars’ goal but had to wait until late for a magic combination between Cori Dyke and Julie Doyle to pull out a 1-0 victory on Friday night. A Marta missed penalty and 18 missed shots pretty well summed up the evening on a night when better finishing could have seen an easy, multi-goal victory.

The Pride were especially front-footed early, with 20 shots in the first half and eight on target. They could not seem to miss Chicago goalkeeper Katie Atkinson, with Angelina (twice), Jacquie Ovalle, Marta, and Solai Washington (also twice) all directing unchallenging shots directly at the goalkeeper. Haley McCutcheon rattling the bar (off a dangerous Oihane cross) in the eighth minute and Ally Lemos’ decent strike from a tight angle in the 33rd minute were the best chances from open play in the half.

Not all the Atkinson saves were easy, however, as she knocked a deflected would-be own goal off her own crossbar to avoid a disastrous sequence for Chicago. She also saved a so-so Marta penalty attempt late in the half and did well to not move first against the veteran Brazilian, but the location was poorly placed in just the second NWSL penalty that Marta has failed to score on.

The second half brought some adjustments from Chicago that balanced the game more, particularly after the Pride’s substitutes in the 61st minute did not inject energy into the match and, in fact, had the opposite effect.

Orlando’s finishing issues continued, with most of the chances still generated by Orlando but only Ovalle getting a shot on target — again, straight at Atkinson. That is until late in normal time, when some good ball movement following a throw-in saw Dyke play a perfectly weighted ball to Doyle at the corner of the six-yard box. Doyle finally found some finishing magic, lasering the ball into the roof of the net for her first goal of the season in the 88th minute. Chicago pushed for a tying goal and kept more of the possession for the remainder of the game, but Orlando defended well, allowing only two off-target shots from distance.

The victory pulls the Pride back up above the playoff line (although most of the teams around them have games in hand). The Pride go on the road to face the North Caroline Courage next Friday night.

We hope you enjoy these images of an Orlando Pride victory that was much more difficult than it should have been.