Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 2-1 as Pride Take Three Points Away From Home

The Orlando Pride (11-14-3, 36 points) went on the road and took all three points, defeating the Houston Dash (8-14-6, 30 points) 2-1 this afternoon at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, TX. Luana gave the visitors the lead with a 16th-minute penalty and Solai Washington doubled the advantage in the 31st minute. Daniele Colaprico got one back for the hosts in the 55th minute, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride stave off postseason elimination.

Pride interim head coach Yolanda Thomas made four changes to the team that lost 2-1 to San Diego Wave FC on Oct. 2. Rafaelle, Kerry Abello, Luana, and Marta entered the lineup, replacing Hannah Anderson, Ally Lemos, Jacquie Ovalle, and Barbra Banda.

The back line in front of Cosette Morche was Abello, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, and Oihane. Angelina and Luana were the defensive midfielders behind Washington, Haley McCutcheon, and Haillie Mace with Marta up top.

The Pride dominated the first half of this game, creating nearly all of the dangerous chances. It was a much different second 45 minutes, as Houston looked to erase a two-goal deficit. Thomas’ substitutions didn’t make the impact she hoped they would and it took a strong effort to earn the three points. In the end, the two first-half goals were enough to get the win.

The Pride started the game on the front foot, creating multiple chances early. In the second minute, they kept a short clearance in the Dash third. Angelina sent McCutcheon into the Houston box, but Leah Klenke knocked the ball out for a corner kick.

Marta’s ensuing set piece curled on target, forcing Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell to punch it away. It was headed further out but to an oncoming Luana, who headed the ball over the crossbar.

The Pride kept the ball in the Houston half, creating a second opportunity in the fourth minute. Washington played Angelina into the box from the right and the defensive midfielder immediately sent the ball centrally for Abello. However, Natalie Hammond deflected Abello’s shot, allowing Campbell to collect it.

The Dash created their first shot in the sixth minute. Kat Rader received a pass forward in the Pride third of the field and had plenty of space to approach the top of the box. Since nobody stepped up to defend the attacker, she took a shot, sending the ball into the arms of Morche.

Oihane pushed forward in the 11th minute, sending Washington towards the Houston box. The attacker avoided a slide tackle from Paige Nielsen and got into the box before being taken down by Miljana Ivanovic. Referee Shawn Tehini immediately pointed to the spot, awarding the Pride an early penalty.

As Luana stood over the ball, there was a delay in the action while VAR looked at the play. Eventually, Tehini was sent to the monitor to check whether it was a penalty or if there was an offside. After a lengthy review, Tehini pointed to the spot again, confirming the penalty.

Despite Marta being the team’s primary penalty taker, Luana remained over the ball and took the spot kick. 

“We always have conversations so players are ready, and we make sure that we train them,” Thomas said about Luana taking the penalty. “But really, in those moments, it’s about having multiple players ready and then letting them make those decisions.”

Campbell guessed correctly, but it was a quality attempt by the Brazilian, sending the ball just beyond Campbell’s reach and into the left corner. It’s the second time in the last three games that the Pride have taken the lead inside the first 20 minutes.

“I actually said in the locker room, we are going to score inside the first 15 minutes. I think the goal clocked after 15 because of the VAR review, but that was my expectation,” Thomas said about the early goal. “I told them I know we have the quality to go out and put this team under pressure, and we did.”

“That’s huge. And I think that catapulted us to having the rest of the first half be so well played,” Washington added. “I think we’re able to play so freely as a team. And all credit to Luana for being able to step up and bury it in the back of the net. Super special for her, and I’m just really glad that she was able to bury that and then you know give us a lead early.”

The Dash attempted a quick response, sending Clarissa Larisey over the top. While the striker had a step on Rafaelle, the center back got enough contact on Larisey to force the shot wide.

On the other end, Washington created another opportunity in the 19th minute. The attacker used her change of pace to create space from Allysha Chapman before sending a low cross to Abello. Unfortunately, Hammond was in front of Abello, forcing a weak shot that didn’t cause much trouble for Campbell.

Angelina sent the ball over the top in the 25th minute for Abello on the left. After entering the box, Abello laid the ball off for Washington, who sent a somewhat weak shot on goal. It looked like Campbell was in position to stop the attempt, but it somehow beat her, rolling just inside her right post. However, she was saved by the whistle of Tehini as Abello was offside on the initial ball.

Luana received a throw-in in her own third in the 31st minute, immediately playing the ball forward for Marta. The Pride captain spun to beat Klenke and sent Washington into the Houston half. Chapman put a body on Washington, but the attacker did well to shield her and beat Campbell.

“I saw Marta face up, and I know that when she can face up, she can play a perfect ball. And so my job is to run, create the space,” Washington said about her goal. “And when I saw that there was so much open space in the second half, I wanted to exploit it. She played a perfectly weighted ball, and I was just able to fight back with it.”

It was Washington’s first professional goal and came just a week after she scored for Jamaica against Mexico.

“I mean, all glory to God. I wouldn’t be here without him,” Washington said after the game. “And I think it’s just a surreal feeling, kind of like a weight off my shoulders. And it just feels awesome.”

“She’s a forward that wants to score goals and is capable of scoring goals. So you score a goal, you feel confident, and we wanted to ride that wave,” Thomas said about Washington. “So I’m really happy for her. She worked so hard. She had the early one too that was pulled back. So, credit to her. She created a ton, and I think as she continues to work, she’ll walk out of these games with multiple goals.”

The penalty review resulted in seven minutes of stoppage time, allowing the Dash to create a couple of final first-half shots. But neither Kiki Van Zanten or Ivanovic’s chances were on target, giving the Pride a 2-0 lead at the break.

The Pride ended the first 45 minutes with more possession (58%-42%), shots (7-5), shots on target (3-1), crosses (13-6), corner kicks (5-1), and better passing accuracy (84%-83%). Most importantly, they converted on two chances, giving them a commanding halftime lead.

“We wanted to go after them. We wanted to be confident on the ball, take space, play, and move off of each other,” Dyke said about the first-half performance. “And I think we did. We did that. We did a really good job of that. And then defensively, we wanted to put the pressure on them as well. Pick our moments to go. And when we go, fully commit to that. And I think we did well with that as well in the first half.”

Thomas made two changes during the break replacing Luana and Abello with Lemos and Julie Doyle.

Nielsen played a poor pass to Klenke near midfield in the 51st minute, giving the Pride a great chance to make it 3-0. Washington challenged Klenke for the ball, allowing McCutcheon to take possession. As her teammate collected it, Washington made a run forward and was sent on goal. Campbell came off her line to challenge Washington, blocking the shot to keep her team’s deficit at two.

Halftime substitute Khyah Harper intercepted a poor Angelina pass in the 54th minute, sending the ball up the right side for fellow substitute Kate Faasse. Rafaelle got in possession to shield the attacker, but knocked the ball out for a corner kick.

Washington blocked Rader’s initial set piece over the end line, but the second one resulted in a goal. With Angelina on her, Hammond put the back across the face of the goal from the back post. Colaprico got in front of Rafaelle to put the ball off Morche and in to cut the Pride lead in half.

“We obviously are disappointed not to get the clean sheet. We always want to get that, and it shouldn’t take us a goal against to get going again,” Dyke said about conceding. “But when that happens, for sure, you got to get the group together, refocus, get the energy up for the rest of the half, get that full commitment from the group to make sure we’re getting three points.”

The Pride should’ve had a third goal in the 57th minute when Lemos intercepted a Nielsen pass that Colaprico whiffed on. She lifted the ball over the back line for Washington making a run into the Houston box. For the second time, Washington had a breakaway, only for Campbell to block it. The ball went to the top of the box as Marta was approaching, but her attempt was right to Campbell.

A giveaway in the back by Luana in the 65th minute was nearly costly for the Pride. Harper laid the ball off for Linda Ullmark 25 yards away from the goal. The substitute took a touch inside before unleashing a shot that looked like it might be on target. But she wasn’t able to keep it down, sending her attempt over the crossbar.

It appeared as though Houston tied the game in the 71st minute when Harper received a pass forward on the right. The attacker sent Faasse behind the back line and she did well to finish behind Morche. However, Faasse wasn’t able to hold her run enough, resulting in her being just offside.

Thomas made two more changes in the 74th minute as Ovalle and Sanne Lekven repalced Angelina and Washington.

Lekven received a pass down the left in the 80th minute. She tried to beat Hammond, but her touch was too strong, allowing Hammond to gain position. As the two challenged for it and went down, Lekven rolled her left ankle. She had to be helped off the field and was replaced by Nicole Payne.

Quick passing by Lemos and Doyle in the 83rd minute sent Ovalle towards the end line. The attacker cut inside to lose Hammond and found Marta at the penalty spot. You’d expect Marta to wrap the ball around Campbell to seal the win, but she couldn’t get around the ball, sending her attempt wide.

Rader made a long run in the 86th minute before sending Faasse behind the Pride back line. Morche made the quick decision to come off her line, forcing Faasse to shoot earlier than she wanted. As a result, the attempt rolled wide of the near post.

The fourth official showed seven minutes of stoppage time, the same as the first half. The Pride did well to see out the game, keeping possession and preventing the Dash from getting any decent looks.

The Pride ended the game with more possession (55%-45%) and shots on target (6-3), but both teams had 12 attempts during the contest. The Pride also won more corner kicks (6-5), while Houston took more crosses (20-15) and had slightly better passing accuracy (81%-80%).

“Really happy with three points. So I think that’s the most important thing. We get out of here with a win,” Thomas said about the game. “We had a really fantastic first half. Not a great performance in the second half, but finding a way to win is what matters.”

“Always stoked to get three points, so we’re really happy about that,” Dyke added. “We were super encouraged by our performance in the first half. I think there’s a lot of positives to take away from that. Didn’t come out as strong in the second half, and we know that kind of let the level drop a little bit. But we still found a way to win, which at the end of the day is what matters.”

Since both Denver Summit FC and the North Carolina Courage lost last night, the win allows the Pride to avoid official postseason elimination. However, Seattle Reign FC can still end any hopes the Pride have of a miracle comeback if they win tonight in Chicago.

For the time being, the Pride remain in 11th place with 36 points, two behind Denver, four behind the Reign, and six behind the Courage with two games remaining.

The Pride will look to build on this win as they return home a week from today to face NJ/NY Gotham FC at Inter.co Stadium. It’s their final game in Orlando this season.