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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Couarge: Final Score 1-1 as Pride Drop Points on Another Last-Second Goal

The Pride conceded a second-half stoppage time goal for the third straight game to draw the Courage at home.

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride opened their 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup campaign by conceding another late goal at Exploria Stadium, but this time they pulled out a point against the North Carolina Courage. Ally Watt gave the Pride (0-0-1, 1 point in the NWSL Challenge Cup) their first lead of the year early in the second half, but Denise O’Sullivan equalized for North Carolina (0-0-1, 1 point) deep in second-half stoppage time, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made six changes to the team that lost 2-0 to NJ/NY Gotham FC over the weekend. After Kaylie Collins started in goal Saturday night, Carly Nelson got her first minutes in goal for the Pride tonight. Tori Hansen, Megan Montefusco, Viviana Villacorta, and Summer Yates also started for the first time this year. The back line in front of Nelson was Hansen, and Montefusco in the middle, between fullbacks Emily Madril, and Kylie Strom. Villacorta and Mikayla Cluff were the defensive midfielders, with Yates, Erika Tymrak, and Watt in the attacking midfield, and Messiah Bright up top.

“We wanted to use this as an opportunity to give players game time,” Hines said about the six changes. “And the ones who haven’t played the last couple of games to get out there and play. We got hit with the injury bug. And we had to really manage players going into this game. You know, there were some players that suffered a couple of injuries after the Gotham game. We had a few injuries after training and it was ultimately just trying to manage players.”

The Pride got off to an attacking start in this game, but were unable to connect passes in the final third. In the third minute, Watt used her speed to dash down the right wing and send the ball towards the top of the six-yard box. It was a good cross, but she was well out in front of her teammates and her cross was sent in too early and easily cleared.

The visitors got their first attempt of the night in the fifth minute when Kerolin took a shot from the top of the box. She had space, but her effort was low and relatively soft, creating no trouble for Nelson to make her first official save as a member of the Pride.

After attempting to use Watt’s speed on the wing didn’t work, the Pride tried to send her through on goal from the midfield. In the eighth minute, Tymrak played a good ball forward, looking for the speedster to beat the center backs and goalkeeper Casey Murphy. Unfortunately, it was a little too far for her.

O’Sullivan sent Kerolin into the Pride box in the 16th minute and it looked like the Brazilian international would get a shot on goal. But Madril, playing right back instead of her usual center back position, did well to get in front of the shot and block it out for the game’s first corner kick.

The ensuing corner by Ryan Williams was headed out by Montefusco, but it went right to Kerolin at the top of the box. The midfielder sent in either a cross or a shot, but it went over the goal, giving the Pride a goal kick.

The Pride had their best chance of the early portion of the game in the 22nd minute, created by Watt. The attacker initially lost possession to Malia Berkely, but immediately won it back and sent a low cross into the box. It found Bright at the top of the six, but her first touch was too heavy, resulting in the loss of possession.

After attempting to create chances for Watt and Bright, Yates took her first shot in the 32nd minute. Bright played the ball back to her fellow rookie at the top left corner of the 18 and the fourth-round pick took an ambitious attempt. But O’Sullivan was too close, blocking it with relative ease.

In the 34th minute, Strom pushed forward down the left and got a cross off into the North Carolina box. Watt was making a run, but couldn’t connect with it and the ball skipped through, allowing the Courage to clear it.

North Carolina had a good chance in the 41st minute when a Williams cross was blocked, but went right out to Tyler Lussi. It looked like the midfielder had a clear look at goal, but her shot hit the back of O’Sullivan.

That was the last decent chance of the half as the game went into halftime scoreless. There was little action in the first 45 minutes, with North Carolina logging more possession (58.1%-41.9%), shots (5-1), shots on goal (1-0), corners (1-0), and passing accuracy (85.9%-81.4%). The Pride ended the first half with more duels won (28-22) and both teams had three crosses.

North Carolina got the first chance of the second half in the 49th minute. It was started by O’Sullivan, who sent a low cross into the six-yard box. Montefusco was there but couldn’t clear it and Lussi beat a flat-footed Strom to the ball. Lussi attempted to redirect the cross on target with her first touch, but it went wide of the goal.

The Courage had a quick flurry of chances in the 53rd minute when O’Sullivan sent Berkely into the Pride box. The right back attempted to cross it for Kerolin, but Montefusco was there to make the block. The ball went right back to Berkely, who shot again. This time, Nelson knocked it out for a Courage corner.

The ensuing corner kick ended up with Kerolin just outside of the box. The playmaker cut inside and was taken down by Kerry Abello, who came on for Cluff at halftime. Kerolin decided to take the kick herself and went for goal. The shot was on target, but Nelson blocked it away, enabling the Pride to clear.

Two minutes later, the Pride broke the deadlock. In the 56th minute, a long set piece by Nelson found Yates and the rookie quickly played Watt behind the North Carolina defense. Murphy came out to cut down Watt’s angle and got a piece of the ball, but she didn’t get enough of it and the ball bounced in to give the Pride the 1-0 lead.

“I know she’s gonna make that run in behind. I love that slip ball to her,” Yates said about the goal. “Ally’s so fast it makes my job easy. Just finding the gaps and, yeah, we’ve studied it a lot and we did it a lot in training.”

Right off the kickoff it looked like the Pride would give up their lead. Kerolin sprinted down the field and into the Pride box. Hansen was tracking back to defend and the attacker was near the end line so she cut back. Hansen went down, and the ball hit her arm. Referee Gabriele Giusti immediately pointed to the spot, awarding North Carolina a penalty.

Fortunately for the Pride, Giusti received an alert from the video assistant referee to go to the replay monitor and have another look at the play. After a review of over four minutes, Giusti returned to the field waving his arms, signaling no penalty, and allowing the Pride to avoid conceding a penalty in three consecutive games.

In the 64th minute, a clearance attempt by the Pride only went as far as Lussi at the top of the box. The midfielder took a shot towards goal, but missed just over the crossbar.

Three minutes later, Abello went to her knee with an injury. The Pride medical staff came out to look at her and ultimately took her straight back to the locker room. The Courage got a shot off from Ratcliffe, while the Pride were a player down, but it was blocked and Abello was replaced by Maliah Morris, who signed as an injury replacement on Tuesday. Hines also decided to make another change in addition to the Abello sub, bringing on Haley McCutcheon for Villacorta.

Ratcliffe nearly tied the game in the 72nd minute when a lovely turn beat Madril, taking her behind the Pride defense. Her shot towards the far post was beyond the reach of Nelson, but missed just wide.

The Courage had another chance in the 76th minute when a Berkely cross nearly connected with Ratcliffe at the near post, but she couldn’t get her foot to it. However, it went straight to Kerolin at the far post, but she couldn’t get on the end of the pass either and the Pride escaped.

The Pride finally created another chance in the 80th minute when Bright won a 50-50 ball and played it off for Yates. The attacker shielded her defender, dribbling into the Courage box and fired, but missed wide of the right post.

In the 82nd minute, Hines made the Pride’s fourth change, bringing on Adriana for Tymrak and it didn’t take long for the Brazilian to get involved. Two minutes after coming on, she completed a long run and sent the ball for Bright making a run into the box. But it was a little too far for the rookie.

In the 88th minute, substitute Rikke Madsen played Kerolin past Montefusco and into the Pride box. It was a game-defining moment for Nelson, who stood tall and made an excellent save to maintain the 1-0 lead.

The Courage continued their pressure in the 89th minute when the Pride couldn’t clear a Narumi Miura corner. It ended up at the foot of Williams, but she seemed unprepared for it and could only knock it out for a goal kick.

As the game entered second-half injury time, the fourth official Richonne Clark showed eight minutes. The visitors needed a goal, so they pushed forward, opening up the game and providing multiple chances for both teams in the final minutes.

The first chance came two minutes into injury time when quick passing by Kerolin and Madsen found Muira in the box. But McCutcheon did well to slide in and block it away.

With most of the North Carolina team pushed forward, the Pride quickly went the other way. Bright played a nice ball across the field to Watt on the right, giving her enough room to get a shot off, but Sydney Collins was there to block it.

Seven minutes into injury time, Madsen found O’Sullivan, who took a shot on goal from the top of the box, but it was right at Nelson, who fell on the ball.

On the other end, Adriana received the ball and made a long run into the Courage box. She was aiming for the far post, but her shot was too close to Murphy, who got down to knock the ball away.

As the eighth minute of stoppage time wound down, Strom fouled Ratcliffe on the Courage half of the field, giving the visitors a last attack into the Pride half. Looking for a last-minute equalizer and with only seconds remaining, they desperately attempted to keep the ball around the Pride box. Collins lifted the ball wide to Ratcliffe to create a final cross, which Madril was able to clear. But it only went to O’Sullivan at the top of the box. The Courage captain got over the ball, sending a direct shot past Nelson for the equalizer in the 99th minute.

“I had, I don’t know how many players in front of me, but the ball popped out I think just perfectly and there was a line of players,” Nelson said about the goal. “It may have had a deflection, I don’t know. But the ball, I couldn’t see it until it was in the back of the net.”

It’s the third consecutive week that the Pride have conceded in second-half injury time, though that goal nine minutes into stoppage time was the earliest of the three — the last four goals Orlando has conceded in competitive play came in the 99th, 107th, 100th, and 100th minutes. It also robbed the Pride of their first win of 2023.

Statistically, North Carolina dominated the game, ending with more possession (65.2%-34.8%), shots (18-6), shots on goal (6-2), corners (8-2), crosses (20-5), and passing accuracy (86%-73.2%).

“Feels like the weekend,” Hines said. “You know, I think that the players were tremendous. They put the work in, they were brilliant. They stuck to the game plan. You know, you take a 1-0 lead, we have to learn. That’s the only way that we can develop is that we have to learn from these moments that can’t keep happening. Put ourselves in a really good position to win the game and, you know, we’ve fallen short again. And we’re just repeating ourselves at the moment.”

“It just comes down to focus and game management,” Yates added about conceding late again. “We’re a young team and we could have probably done a better job of going into the corner, stalling a little longer, keeping the ball, winning the 50-50 balls on clearances, stuff like that that we need to learn from. We’re a young team and we’re going to watch this game back and we’re going to fix our mistakes.”

It’s been the same story for the Pride in their first three home games of 2023. They’ve struggled to convert on the attacking end and conceded late goals to drop points. Fortunately, they had a lead heading into second-half stoppage time tonight, so they still managed to pull out a point instead of dropping all three.

The Pride will look to bounce back from another devastating result when they hit the road to face the Kansas City Current in regular-season play on Sunday.

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Orlando Pride vs. Boston Legacy FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride look to build on their home win against North Carolina against Boston Legacy FC tonight in a midweek contest.

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4 hours ago

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May 12, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (3-3-2, 11 points) take on Boston Legacy FC (1-5-2, 5 points) in Foxborough, MA. This is the first of two games between the teams this year, with the return game in Orlando scheduled for July 15.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

Since this is the first year in the existence of Boston Legacy FC and the first time the two clubs will meet in 2026, there’s no history between the teams. However, Boston’s roster does include forward Amanda Allen, who played for the Pride from 2023 to 2025. Additionally, the Pride will be familiar with several of the opposing players as they have extensive experience in the league.

Overview

This has been an up-and-down season for the Pride so far. It began with a disappointing start as they fell 2-1 to Seattle Reign FC and drew 1-1 with Denver Summit FC. They bounced back from the homestand with an impressive 3-0 win over the Chicago Stars, a scoreless draw with defending NWSL champion NJ/NY Gotham FC, and a 2-1 win over Angel City FC.

Unfortunately, those highs didn’t last long. Orlando fell 3-2 to Racing Louisville FC and 4-2 to the Washington Spirit, before defeating the North Carolina Courage 1-0 Friday night.

The Pride have been carried offensively by striker Barbra Banda, who has eight goals and has scored the team’s five most recent goals. All five have come in the last three games. The team has only played two games in which other players have scored. Jacquie Ovalle and Hannah Anderson converted against Chicago and Haley McCutcheon had a surprising brace against Angel City.

The team got off to a good start defensively, conceding just four goals in the first five games, including two clean sheets. But the Pride were torn apart by Louisville and Washington, giving up seven goals in those two games.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines responded by making adjustments to the back line Friday night. While it was the same back four, Cori Dyke moved from left back to center back, Oihane moved from right back to left back, and Hailie Mace moved from center back to her natural right back position. The changes resulted in the team’s first clean sheet in five games.

They’ll look to build on their most recent result tonight against a team that sits at the bottom of the NWSL standings. Through five games, Boston has just one win, a 3-2 victory over fellow newcomers Denver at home. However, they sandwiched that win with a 2-2 draw against the Courage and a 1-1 draw with Gotham away from home on Saturday.

With only seven goals this season, there hasn’t been much of a threat from this new team. Aissata Traore and Alba Cano lead the way with two goals each, while Bianca St-Georges, Sammy Smith, and Nichelle Prince have one goal each. Prince also has a team-leading two assists.

Defensively, Boston is led by league veteran goalkeeper Casey Murphy, who spent the last five seasons with the Courage and has made her way into the U.S. National Team setup. The team has seen several defensive units and formations since the start of the season as it looks to find the best lineup.

Tonight’s hosts face a tough challenge as they welcome the league-leading goal scorer in Banda. Meanwhile, the Pride will undoubtedly see this game as an opportunity to create some momentum as the schedule creeps closer to the FIFA World Cup break.

“I think it is going to be a tough game. I think any game in this league is tough, regardless of where the standings are,” Hines said ahead of tonight’s game. “Boston are in good form right now. I think they are unbeaten in three games, so we are looking to build on our performance this last week against North Carolina. Hopefully, get three points away from home and start that journey on our away form as well. Always expect a tough match. They have some tough players as well, and we have to put our best game forward.”

The Pride will take the field tonight without Kerry Abello (hip), Zara Chavoshi (lower leg), Cosette Morche (ankle), Jacquie Ovalle (thigh), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), Viviana Villacorta (knee), and Solai Washington (knee). Boston will be without Kaka (ankle) and Fauzia Najjemba (thigh), while Nicki Hernandez (thigh) is listed as questionable.

Projected Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Oihane, Rafaelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.

Defensive Midfielders: Angelina, Ally Lemos.

Attacking Midfielders: Summer Yates, Haley McCutcheon, Marta.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Boston Legacy FC (3-1-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Casey Murphy.

Defenders: Lois Araujo, Bianca St-Georges, Emerson Elgin.

Defensive Midfielder: Annie Karich.

Attacking Midfielders: Sammy Smith, Josefine Hasbo, Alba Cano, Nichelle Prince.

Forwards: Amanda Gutierres, Barbara Olivierei.

Referees

REF: Katja Koroleva.
AR1: Sharon Gingrich.
AR2: Kristin Patterson.
4TH: Jeremy Scheer.
VAR: Brad Jensen.
AVAR: Matthew Seem.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Gillette Stadium — Foxborough, MA.

TV: None.

Streaming: Victory+.

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!

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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Win on Banda’s Late Goal

North Carolina hadn’t allowed a goal in the second half all season until Banda’s breakthrough.

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4 days ago

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May 8, 2026

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Image of Barbra Banda celebrating her winning goal against the Courage.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

A sloppy first 85 minutes finally gave way to a moment of brilliance from Barbra Banda as she worked her way free for the one and only goal to get the Orlando Pride (3-3-2, 11 points) back to their winning ways. Banda’s eighth of the season led to a 1-0 Pride win over the North Carolina Courage (2-3-3, 9 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride are still waking up from the international break, having lost the last two to Racing Louisville, a team well below them in the standings, and the Washington Spirit at home. Banda has scored five goals in the last three games, leading the NWSL in goals, but she’s the only one scoring.

“We’ve met as units. We watch film, we go over things,” Pride forward Simone Jackson said in preparation for this game. “We’re talking to each other. We’re working on shifting faster and covering splits and making change for this North Carolina game and making sure that our press is matching their style of play.”

Head Coach Seb Hines put the same lineup on the field as the previous game against the Spirit, with Anna Moorhouse in goal. The only changes were in where the players started. Cori Dyke moved from left back to right center back, with Oihane and Rafaelle to her left and Hailie Mace at right back. Additionally, Haley McCutcheon dropped into central midfield with Ally Lemos, while Angelina joined Summer Yates and Solai Washington in the attacking midfield with Banda up top.

“We felt we had conceded seven goals in two games and we needed to make a shift in the back line,” Hines said after the game. “Cori Dyke has played center back for me and Hailie Mace is a new player to the club and just finding a bit more comfort with her playing right back. We just felt we needed to shift a bit — not change the personnel but shift the personnel.”

The Pride opened the match with a free kick from 40 yards out that Lemos sent straight to Courage goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. North Carolina was able to get to the end line four minutes later but the cross went straight to Moorhouse. At the eight-minute mark, Angelina intercepted a long ball and headed it to Yates at the top of the box, whose first touch failed her and snuffed out the counter.

Banda got her elbow up high in the 10th minute and caught Natalia Staude in the chin. That prompted a delay as the video assistant referee evaluated it for a red card offense but eventually play resumed without incident. Banda then showed her immense talents three minutes later, outracing and outmuscling center backs, Staude and Uno Shiragaki for 40 yards, but the double team eventually won out.

Moorhouse and Lemos collided defending a free kick at the 18-minute mark, which caused Lemos to take a moment to gather herself. Yates picked up a yellow card in the 21st minute for sliding under Riley Jackson and catching her with her studs in the fallout of a foul she herself had drawn on the play. Washington slipped by Jackson with a great move in the 25th but the play ended up with a corner that turned into nothing.

As a light rain (that eventually turned into a full-on downpour) settled in with 18 minutes to play in the half, the Pride definitely had shown more promise on offense but no real threats. It was a good start for a team that had fallen behind early previously but more precision was going to be needed on the offensive side. Washington worked herself free in the box but, again, the shot went wide.

The first real threat from the Courage came in the 31st minute as Manaka Matsukubo got on the end of a deflected corner and pushed it just wide of the far post. Yates went to the ground a minute later after she took a shot to the ribcage by Lauryn Thompson.

Whether it was the rain picking up or a tactical adjustment, the game flowed to where North Carolina started owning possession but without any real threats. The Pride couldn’t get out of their own end until the 40th minute when a pass from Lemos to Banda at the top of the box allowed her to open up enough space to rocket a shot just wide of the near post.

Thompson tried to chip a cross towards the Pride goal but ended up skying it into the stands in the 43rd minute. With five minutes added to the first half for the various video reviews and injuries, The Courage kept Orlando bottled up in their own defensive end. Trying to escape, Oihane overhit a touch and kicked the legs out of Thompson, picking up a yellow card in the third minute of added time. A shot by McCutcheon a minute later deflected off Banda just wide.

To wrap up the half, Lemos picked up a yellow card in the fifth minute of added time for tripping Matsukubo. North Carolina’s ensuing free kick went long and ended the half just as the rain let up.

It wasn’t a great half of soccer by either team, highlighted by minimal threats and mostly defined by turnovers. The Pride trailed possession (58%-42%), crosses (7-5) and passing accuracy (83%-76%) but led on shots (4-3). Both teams had two corners and neither put a shot on goal.

The Pride came out with energy in the second half trying to change that. Just 30 seconds in, Washington crossed it to Banda at the penalty spot but she scuffed the volley. One minute later, Banda held off Shiragaki to open up a shot but put it just over the bar.

“Honestly, to be switched on from the beginning,” Angelina said when asked about the halftime message. “We know that in past games we got scored on pretty early coming back from the half. That was a big goal for us to come and be disciplined.”

Dani Weatherholt elbowed Washington to the ground in the 50th minute, picking up the Courage’s first yellow card. Matsukubo unleashed a 40-yard through ball to Thompson at the 53-minute mark, freeing Thompson for a shot wide.

Hines decided to try to bring some precision to the attack in the 55th minute, bringing in Marta for Yates and Seven Castain for Washington. It didn’t lead to anything immediately and, in the 60th, Shinomi Koyama got free at the top of the box and put it just over the bar.

However, just seconds later, Banda held off her defender at midfield and dribbled to the middle, laying it off to Marta in the box, who worked herself free for the first shot on target for either team. Sheridan kept it out with a huge save. The ensuing corner by Lemos rattled off the near post, leading to nothing. Lemos was subbed off a minute later in the 64th, with Julie Doyle taking her place.

Marta’s influence on the game started to become even more apparent with a slick left-footed inside-of-the-boot pass that curled perfectly to Banda, but she dribbled in too deep and didn’t get a shot off, losing the ball to Sheridan while trying to round the keeper. Ryan Williams put a shot over the bar 90 seconds later off a block.

Marta rifled a corner in the 69th minute that Sheridan parried right to McCutcheon, who fired it just wide. The Courage then made their first substitutes, bringing in Chioma Okafor for Thompson and Ally Schlegel for Evelyn Ijeh. Ijeh is listed as the forward for the Courage, yet this is the first mention she got in this writeup.

There was a lot of back-and-forth play over the next few minutes until Sanchez pushed a shot just past the far post in the 76th minute. North Carolina then brought in Carly Wickenheiser for Jackson in the 77th minute.

Marta shook herself loose in the 81st and thought she had a corner off a Sheridan tip but it was judged as a missed shot. Angelina went down in the ensuing Courage possession and was subbed off for Luana at the 84th-minute mark. The Courage made a substitution in the 85th, bringing in Ivy Younce for Sanchez.

In the 87th, the Pride broke the scoreless deadlock. Rafaelle intercepted a long pass and fired it over the top to Banda, who was kept onside by Staude. Banda worked her way into the box on the left. The Zambian international sent a curling shot around Sheridan and inside the right post, finally converting and giving the Pride the lead they had been knocking on for a while. Banda had been wasteful all game, but a striker just needs one. The Courage had not surrendered a second-half goal all season but they hadn’t played Banda yet either.

Banda went down in the ensuing celebration and then again five minutes later after a tough shoulder-to-shoulder challenge. She was able to return and, 60 seconds later, held off three defenders while transitioning the ball all the way down the field. She looked winded at this point, but the Pride had used all their subs.

Rafaelle picked up a yellow card in the seventh minute of added time for an over-the-top challenge. That produced the last meaningful action of the half as the Pride wrapped up the win.

The Pride ended up with roughly the same amount of possession as in the first half, finishing behind the Courage (56%-44%). They trailed in shots (12-9) but led in shots on target (2-1). The Courage led in crosses (13-8), but the Pride had one more corner (5-4). Passing accuracy picked up for the Pride in the second half, but they still ended up trailing (82.4%-79.6%).

The Pride now head out on a long road trip. They’ll head to Boston for a game against the Legacy on Tuesday, fly to Denver for a Saturday game against the Summit. Orlando will then get an eight-day break before going to San Diego to play the Wave.

“Sometimes road trips are nice, because you get to bond as a team,” Moorhouse said. “You’re with your teammates 24/7, so you get to bond a bit and hopefully this win will now snowball.”

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Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Pride look to end their two-game losing streak as they welcome the North Carolina Courage to Inter&Co Stadium.

Published

4 days ago

on

May 8, 2026

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Image of Rafaelle playing the ball.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to your preview and match thread as the Orlando Pride (2-3-2, 8 points) look to bounce back from a tough loss as they welcome the North Carolina Courage (2-2-3, 9 points) to Inter&Co Stadium (8 p.m., Prime Video). This is the first of two meetings between the two teams this season, with the return game in Cary, NC scheduled for July 31.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Pride and Courage have played 28 times since the Western New York Flash moved to North Carolina and became the Courage in 2017. The Pride are 6-11-3 in the all-time series in NWSL play and 6-14-8 in all competitions (0-0-2 in the Fall Series, 0-3-2 in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and 0-0-1 in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.). Orlando is 3-6-0 at home in league play and 3-7-2 in home matches against the Courage in all competitions.

The most recent meeting between the two teams took place Sept. 19, 2025. The game appeared to be headed towards a scoreless draw until the end of normal time, when Shinomi Koyama converted to give the Courage the 1-0 win.

Prior to that game, the teams met on May 10 in Cary, NC. Feli Rauch scored in the first half to give the hosts the lead and it looked like they would hold on for all three points. But Prisca Chilufya’s equalizer in second-half stoppage time saw the game end in a 1-1 draw.

The first meeting in 2024 was held on May 1 in Orlando. Barbra Banda set up Ally Watt for the opener in the first half, and Watt repaid the favor just over 10 minutes later, as the Pride went up 2-0. Julie Doyle added a goal just before halftime, giving the Pride a commanding lead. Emily Sams’ own goal was the only scoring for the Courage, and Banda’s second of the night gave the Pride a 4-1 win.

On June 15, the Pride were the better team with more possession, shots, and shots on target, but the game ended in a scoreless draw. While they were disappointed with the result, the Pride were the first team to take points in North Carolina in 2024. On July 20 in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup in North Carolina, Manaka Matsukubo gave the hosts the lead just before halftime before Celia equalized late for the Pride. The game went into penalties and the Courage won the shootout 5-4. 

The first game between the Pride and Courage in 2023 took place April 19 in Orlando. The Pride took the lead after halftime when Summer Yates set up Watt for the opening goal, but Denise O’Sullivan equalized deep in second-half injury time, resulting in a 1-1 draw. On June 17 in North Carolina, it was all Courage. Kerolin and Meredith Speck gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before a Haley McCutcheon own goal made it 3-0 to North Carolina.

The Pride didn’t show up for the July 29 Challenge Cup contest in North Carolina, getting demolished by the Courage. Brittany Ratcliffe and Malia Berkely gave the hosts a 2-0 halftime lead before Frankie Tagliaferri made it three, and a late brace by Haley Hopkins completed the 5-0 beating. The Pride finally got a win over the Courage in 2023 on Sept. 17 at home. Watt scored inside the first minute. After assisting on the first goal, Adriana doubled the lead before halftime. Matsukubo got one back for the visitors, but it wasn’t enough and the Pride won 2-1.

The first meeting in 2022 came on May 18 in North Carolina. Sydney Leroux scored early and Mikayla Cluff doubled the lead with her first professional goal. A late goal by Brianna Pinto got the Courage back within one, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride took the2-1 win. On Sept. 21, 2022, at Exploria Stadium, Debinha scored early, assisted Tess Boade in first-half injury time to double the lead, and later added another goal, dooming the Pride to a 3-0 defeat.

The Pride and Courage were placed in the same division for the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, so the teams played twice before the regular season started. The first game took place March 26 in North Carolina. Merritt Mathias converted a penalty after Gunny Jonsdottir was called for a handball in the box, lifting the hosts to a 1-0 win. The return match in the tournament took place on April 16 in Orlando. The Courage scored three goals in the first nine minutes. Darian Jenkins netted a brace to make it 3-2, but a late Debinha goal put the game away and North Carolina won 4-2.

The teams played three times during the 2021 NWSL season. On May 22 in North Carolina, goals by Leroux and Alex Morgan gave the Pride a 2-0 lead late into the game. Jessica McDonald scored late to pull one back but the Pride held on for a 2-1 win. On July 4 in Orlando, Debinha and Havana Solaun goals helped the Courage take home a 2-0 win. The final game was played July 31 in North Carolina. Leroux opened the scoring but Ratcliffe equalized moments later and the teams drew 1-1.

The two teams were also matched up in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup but they only played once in that tournament. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in a scoreless draw.

Similar to the Challenge Cup, the teams were in the same group of the 2020 Fall Series, meeting twice. The first took place Sept. 19 in North Carolina and ended in a scoreless draw. The second was held on Oct. 17 at Exploria Stadium. Led by a Debinha brace, the Courage went up 3-0. But the Pride came back with goals by Marisa Viggiano, Kristen Edmonds, and Ally Haran for an exciting 3-3 draw.

The Pride and Courage played three times during the 2019 season. The first game was on April 17 in North Carolina. The Courage took a 1-0 lead into halftime but scored four times in the second half to win 5-0. They played a second time on June 1 in Orlando. Again, it was a dominant performance by the Courage as the Pride fell 3-0. The final meeting that year was another thrashing by North Carolina as the Pride fell 6-1.

The teams also met three times in 2018. On May 23 in Orlando, goals by Alanna Kennedy and Rachel Hill saw the Pride come back from a 3-1 deficit. But McDonald scored a winner in the 90th minute and the Courage won 4-3. The Pride went down by three goals in the final two games that season, but were unable to come back and fell 3-0 in both contests.

The 2017 season saw the teams meet for the first time. The Courage took the first game 3-1 on April 29 in North Carolina. They played a second time two weeks later in Orlando when the Pride took the 3-1 win. The final meeting in 2017 came in the final game of the season on Sept. 30. Kennedy netted a late winner, leading the Pride to a 3-2 win.

Overview

The Pride went into the three-week international break on a four-game point streak, recording a pair of wins and a pair of draws. However, they’ve had two poor results since then, a 3-2 loss to Racing Louisville on the road and a 4-2 loss to the Washington Spirit at home.

The most recent game got off to a terrible start as Sofia Cantore scored twice in the first five and a half minutes to give the Spirit a 2-0 lead. It looked worse when Ally Lemos had her penalty saved by Sandy MacIver. But Banda scored twice before the break to even the game at 2-2.

Unfortunately, Claudia Martinez and Trinity Rodman scored in the second half, lifting the visitors to a two-goal win and handing the Pride their second consecutive loss. The losses put the Pride in 12th place in the league standings, but just one point behind eighth.

With Kerry Abello and Kylie Nadaner out, the Pride’s back line has consisted of Cori Dyke, Rafaelle, Hailie Mace, and Oihane. Together with starting goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, the defensive unit has conceded seven goals in the last two games. But that’s not the only reason they’ve struggled the last two weeks.

Finishing has been another problem for the Pride. The only player able to convert has been Banda, who has scored four goals in the two most recent games. As previously mentioned, that included a Lemos penalty saved against the Spirit.

Tonight, the Pride face a foe in a similar position, as the Courage also sit on nine points. They’ve played three games since the break. They returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over the Houston Dash before drawing Boston Legacy 2-2 and losing to the Kansas City Current 2-1.

The Courage are tied for the sixth-most goals conceded through their first seven games. That’s despite adding Canadian international goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who joined from San Diego Wave FC, where she was one of the league’s top shot stoppers.

The back line in front of Sheridan has been consistent recently, consisting of Dani Weatherholt, Maycee Bell, Uno Shiragaki, and Ryan Williams. However, Bell missed the team’s loss against Kansas City with a lower body injury.

Offensively, the Courage are led by U.S. international Ashley Sanchez, who has five goals. Matsukubo is second on the team with two goals and Weatherholt has the remaining one.

Williams leads the Courage with three assists so far this season, followed by Carly Wickenheiser, Matsukubo, Payton Linnehan, and Shinomi Koyama with one each.

“I think in any game in this league, it’s always going to be a tough matchup. I think they’re looking to bounce back from a defeat this past weekend. Similarly, we are as well,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said leading into tonight’s game. “We want to get our home form going again. Looking back at the Washington game, we’re very disappointed in the goals we conceded. We created some of our own as well and we have to capitalize on those moments. But there’s been a big emphasis on getting back to who we are as a team and not conceding sloppy goals.”

The Pride will play tonight without Kerry Abello (hip), Hannah Anderson (illness), Zara Chavoshi (lower leg), Cosette Morche (ankle), Jacquie Ovalle (thigh), Kylie Nadaner (maternity leave), and Viviana Villacorta (knee). The Courage are without Maycee Bell (knee), Payton Crawford (knee), Natalie Jacobs (ankle), Feli Rauch (suspension), and Olivia Wingate (knee).

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Oihane, Raelle, Cori Dyke, Hailie Mace.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Ally Lemos.

Attacking Midfielders: Solai Washington, Angelina, Summer Yates.

Forward: Barbra Banda.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Nicole Payne, Reagan Raabe, Luana, Seven Castain, Julie Doyle, Simone Jackson, Marta

North Carolina Courage (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Kailen Sheridan.

Defenders: Dani Weatherholt, Natalia Staude, Uno Shiragaki, Ryan Williams.

Midfielders: Manaka Matsukubo, Shinomi Koyama, Riley Jackson.

Forwards: Ashley Sanchez, Evelyn Ijeh, Lauryn Thompson.

Bench: Molly Pritchard, Sydney Schmidt, Cameron Brooks, Ivy Younce, Carly Wickenheiser, Ally Schlegel, Hannah Betfort, Cortnee Vine, Chioma Okafor.

Referees

REF: Lauren Aldrich.
AR1: Zeno Cho.
AR2: Seun Yinka-Kehinde.
4TH: Elvis Osmanovic.
VAR: Anya Voigt.
AVAR: Kaili Terry.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: None.

Streaming: Prime Video.

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!

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