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Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Final Score 3-1 as Pride Claim Three Points in Front of Record Crowd

The Pride beat the Houston Dash 3-1 in front of a record crowd to extend their unbeaten streak.

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2 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride (16-0-6, 54 points) beat the Houston Dash (4-13-5, 17 points) 3-1 tonight at Inter&Co Stadium, extending their season-long unbeaten run in front of a record crowd of 17,087. It is the Pride’s largest crowd since moving into their current stadium and second-largest ever.

The previous record for a Pride game at Inter&Co Stadium was 14,452 on April 22, 2017. The highest attendance in team history is still their first-ever home game of 23,403 on April 23, 2016, at Camping World Stadium.

“I’ve said it from the start, we’ve had to make it our duty to try to attract more fans to come watch us play,”Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about the record crowd. “I know behind the scenes the front office are doing a terrific job to continue to try to promote fans to come out and support this team, and our job is to put the performances together. And I can assure you, the players are giving absolutely everything. They are doing the most to go out there and perform at their highest level and get victories. And I think tonight epitomizes with the crowd coming out and showing their support for this team. Because they’ve done so well this year.”

Carson Pickett gave the Pride the lead in the 29th minute and Angelina doubled the advantage in the 51st minute. Yuki Nagasato got one back for the Dash in the 53rd minute before Marta put the game away in the second minute of second-half injury time.

Hines made two changes to the team that beat Bay FC 1-0 on Sept. 20. Kylie Strom and Summer Yates entered the starting lineup, replacing Kerry Abello and Angelina. Additionally, midfielder Viviana Villacorta was on the bench for the first time this season.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was Pickett, Strom, Emily Sams, and Cori Dyke. Morgan Gautrat and Yates were the defensive midfielders behind Julie Doyle, Marta, and Adriana with Barbra Banda up top.

As you might expect from a game between teams at either end of the standings, the Pride dominated this contest. Houston’s chances on goal were few and far between, while the Pride constantly threatened to extend their lead. Nagasato’s 53rd-minute goal kept the Dash in the game until the end, when Marta scored from a great individual effort, ensuring her team would take all three points.

The Pride nearly had the first chance of the game in the third minute when Adriana sent a cross into the center of the box. Doyle was making a run with a defender on her back and couldn’t quite reach the pass.

In the 13th minute, Banda played a give-and-go with Doyle, resulting in Doyle sending the striker into the box. Banda did well to bring the ball down and set herself up for a shot. Unfortunately, the attempt was directly into the arms of Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell.

Yates made a good run forward in the 18th minute as Banda made her way into the Houston box. Yates sent her forward as the striker tussled with Paige Nielsen. It looked like Nielsen was holding onto Banda as she sent a weak shot wide, but referee Iryna Petrunok determined it wasn’t a foul and awarded the Dash a goal kick.

The Pride had another good chance in the 23rd minute when a low Adriana cross was knocked out for a corner kick. The set piece was headed away, but only to Adriana, who was fouled by Barbara Olivieri 25 yards from goal. Marta stepped up to take the free kick, sending it into the wall. The block went right back to the Pride captain and she curled her second shot wide of the target.

The hosts had been knocking on the door and finally broke through in the 29th minute. It started when Banda got her head to Doyle’s cross but sent it wide. Marta collected the ball and played it back for Dyke, who sent a cross towards the back post. After being involved in the initial buildup, Pickett was making a run and got her head to the ball, placing it past Campbell and inside the far post to give the Pride a 1-0 lead.

The goal was Pickett’s first in 43 appearances for the Pride.

“Cori Dyke. What an unbelievable service,” Pickett said. “Like I said on the TV interview, I credit it to her, because I would have never gotten the ball without her. So, yeah, we just, I felt, kind of locked eyes. She saw the back line stepping, I saw the back line stepping, and then she overhit it. And, yeah, I was there. I mean, it was just, it was an unbelievable ball from her. So it’s nice to get my first.”

Doyle sent Marta into the box in the 37th minute, and the Pride captain was in on goal with Nielsen sprinting to get in front of her. However, Marta used a nice touch to her right, causing Nielsen to slide right past. She had space for a shot but sent the attempt right to Campbell.

In the 40th minute, Marta carried the ball to the end line and Avery Patterson caught up to knock it out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was to the near post, where Doyle was making a run. The ball bounced off the midfielder and was close to crossing the line, but Campbell saved it with one hand.

The Pride players threw their arms in the air, claiming it was a goal as Marta retained possession. There was a brief stoppage as the video assistant referee looked at the play, eventually determining there wasn’t enough to have Petrunok review it. Marta won another corner kick and this time took it short to Adriana. The Brazilian shot from outside the box, but it was an easy catch for Campbell.

The Dash had their best first-half chance in the third minute of stoppage time when Strom gave the ball away to Andressa in the Pride third of the field. Andressa dribbled towards the Pride box and nobody stepped up to challenge her. The Brazilian accepted the invitation to shoot, sending her attempt straight into the arms of Moorhouse.

The Pride dominated the first 45 minutes with more possession (58%-42%), shots (12-3), shots on target (4-1), crosses (14-5), and corner kicks (6-2). They also had better passing accuracy (87%-78%) in the first half.

Hines made one halftime change, replacing Gautrat with Angelina.

“It’s always a tough decision. I thought Morgan was brilliant,” Hines said. “I thought, you know, she did so well intercepting passes, getting on the ball, linking it, linking play. But I felt at times in that first half, it was getting too stretched at times. You know, Summer is doing a role for us in midfield. She’s more of an attacking player and just getting Ang on the field for 45 minutes, it’s really important that we keep the players fresh and ready to go.”

Shortly after the restart, the Pride set yet another NWSL record, passing 548 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal.

The Pride doubled their lead in the 51st minute when Angelina played the ball forward for Adriana. The midfielder sent a pass into the box for Marta, who had the ball knocked off her foot. It went to Banda, who also had the ball knocked away. However, this time it went to Angelina, who sent a rocket past Campbell to give the Pride a 2-0 lead.

“I’m just really happy to have the opportunity to put the ball in the net. Been working hard for that,” Angelina said. “We’ve been doing a lot of finishing in training, so I’m really glad that I got that one.”

It didn’t take long for the visitors to get on the board, doing so just two minutes later. Receiving the ball in the middle of the field, Elin Rubensson turned Yates and played it to Nagasato, who had gotten behind Dyke. It only took a slight redirection from Nagasato to knock the ball past Moorhouse and cut the Pride’s deficit in half.

The goal was the first conceded by the Pride since a 39th-minute goal by Temwa Chawinga on July 6, a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Current. The Pride had gone 554 minutes without conceding a goal and it was the first since the Olympic break.

“It was just like a tiny, I don’t know. We blacked out that moment,” Angelina said about conceding the goal. “Got too many spaces, let them drive with the ball into the final third, and we don’t need to give them that much space in the game.”

The Pride had a chance to extend their lead for a second time in the 57th minute when Doyle sent Banda down the left. The striker found Adriana making a run towards the six and connected with her in front of goal. The Brazilian tried to use the outside of her foot to redirect the ball on target but sent it wide.

A poor clearance by Houston in the 64th minute gave the Pride another chance when Marta sent Pickett behind the back line. The right back shot from close distance, but Campbell did well to get a piece of the ball, sending it wide.

In the 68th minute, Sophie Schmidt touched the ball off of Banda’s foot and out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was cleared away, but the Pride retained possession. Adriana sent a curling ball towards the back post where Strom was making a run and the center back connected with it. However, Campbell made an excellent recovery to get in front of the shot and make the save.

After the play, there was a stoppage for an injury. Hines took the opportunity to make two more changes. Carrie Lawrence and Evelina Duljan came into the game for Dyke and Doyle.

Olivieri tried to make something happen for the visitors in the 80th minute, carrying the ball inside and shooting for the far post. However, she was unable to get over the ball, sending the shot off target.

Hines made his final substitution in the 89th minute, bringing Villacorta into the game for Adriana. It was Villacorta’s first appearance for the Pride since Sept. 17, 2023, after she suffered a torn ACL, her second since being drafted by the club.

“I’ve been here from the start with Viv’s Orlando Pride career and it’s been very stop-start. She’s suffered with a lot of major injuries and she’s worked tremendously hard,” Hines said. “You know, going back to the end of last year and seeing her rehab and the medical staff had done a terrific job of getting her into this position. We’ve been a little bit more cautious than most players who were coming back from an ACL based on this past history, but we felt she was ready to go. And, you know, she took her opportunity. It’s nerve-wracking, obviously, that first time you go back onto the field. But we decided just to throw her in and she did a good job in midfield.”

The Dash had a chance to equalize shortly after the substitution when an initial shot was blocked and fell to Olivieri. The Venezuelan international laid it off for Diana Ordonez, who took a shot but sent it off target.

The Dash were searching for the equalizing goal, but the Pride were the ones to strike, putting the game away. In the second minute of stoppage time, Marta made a long run into the Houston box. She used a stepover to beat Jyllissa Harris and sent a strong shot to the far corner past Campbell and in to give the Pride a 3-1 lead.

“Pretty amazing,” Angelina said about Marta’s goal. “I mean, the whole team was just jogging forward and she took it herself and made it happen. She’s amazing.”

In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Angelina pushed Andressa over from behind, earning a yellow card. Schmidt and Andressa stood over the ball with the latter taking the free kick. It was a solid strike, but Moorhouse tipped it over the crossbar.

The ensuing corner kick was redirected on goal, but Moorhouse was there again to make the catch.

A minute after that chance, Patterson dribbled down the right and into the Pride box. The midfielder took the shot herself, but it was from a tight angle and didn’t cause any trouble for the Pride goalkeeper.

The Dash continued to push forward in an attempt to get a second goal, but they were unable to create any other threats and the Pride came away with the win.

The Pride led every significant statistical category in this game, with more possession (55.2%-44.8%), shots (22-14), shots on target (9-6), crosses (17-8), and corner kicks (8-4). They also had better passing accuracy (83.2%-77.3%) than the Dash.

“We knew that we had more goals on the table. We knew that we could go and get that third goal and that showed in the performance after Houston scores. We created more opportunities, more passages of play,” Hines said. “But I think we’ve got to respect the competition as well. There’s no easy games in this league. As much as people might look at the standings, teams like Houston, Utah, Seattle, they’re good teams with good players. And they can punish you. And tonight, we let our guard down a little bit. You know, we allowed them to get back into the game, but our reaction was brilliant.”

While the team set a new league record for consecutive minutes without a goal, the Pride failed to set another record. Coming into this game, Orlando was tied with the 2016 Seattle Reign and 2021 North Carolina Carolina with five consecutive games without conceding. One more shutout would’ve seen the Pride hold that record alone, but a brief lapse in concentration saw them concede in the league for the first time in nearly three months.

The team now sits on 54 points, tying the 2014 Seattle Reign and just three points behind the 2018 North Carolina Courage for the most points in a single season in NWSL history. The Pride’s 16 wins place them only one behind the 2018 Courage for the most in league history.

Most importantly, the Pride claimed all three points. The win extends the team’s unbeaten run to 23 games, dating back to last season, and 26 games if you include the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. They continue to be on pace to become the first NWSL team to finish a season undefeated. The Washington Spirit beat Angel City FC 2-1 Friday night, so the three points gained lifts the Pride back to seven points clear with four games remaining in the season.

The Pride will return to Inter&Co Stadium on Oct. 6 to wrap up their two-game homestand against the Spirit. Only the Spirit, Current, and NJ/NY Gotham FC can catch the Pride and both the Current and Gotham play on Oct. 5. So the Pride could clinch the NWSL Shield with a win against Washington.

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Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Three Keys to Victory

What do the Pride need to do to secure an NWSL Championship win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday?

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14 hours ago

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November 22, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Win or lose, the Orlando Pride’s season comes to an end on Saturday night at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. After they defeated the Chicago Red Stars and the Kansas City Current in prior playoff matches, this final match could see the Pride lift the NWSL Championship trophy. The Pride have already won the NWSL Shield earlier in the year, and this second trophy would cement them as one of the greatest teams in NWSL history. Standing in their way is the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, the same Washington Spirit club the Pride defeated to clinch the Shield.

So, what do the Pride need to do to defeat the Spirit and bring home more silverware?

Prepare for a Better Spirit

During the regular season, the Pride defeated the Spirit twice, 3-2 in Washington all the way back in April, and 2-0 at home in October. The Pride may need to scrub these results from their memory and prepare for a more capable and complete opponent. For starters, in the first matchup, the Spirit were led by interim head coach Adrián González, who is still with the club as an assistant. While González performed well in the role, the Spirit are now led by one of the best coaches in the game, Jonatan Giráldez, who took over in July. Before joining the Spirit, Giráldez led Barcelona Femeni, the single most dominant club in Europe during his tenure. In each of the past two seasons, Giráldez’ Barcelona won the Copa de la Reina, Spain’s domestic cup tournament, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, showcasing his skill in coaching championship games.

The Pride were able to beat Giráldez’ Spirit squad just over a month ago, but that matchup was missing several key players on Washington’s side of the pitch. The Spirit were without NWSL Best XI players Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger as well as Best XI Second Team representative Hal Hershfelt. All three of these players have since returned and are likely to play in the NWSL Championship. Ouleye Sarr, the joint leading scorer for Washington along with Rodman, was also out for the October matchup, but she is struggling with a back injury and may not play this weekend. While the Spirit were limited in the last meeting, Orlando was convincing in its 2-0 win. This time around, the Pride will have to prepare for a Spirit team that looks a lot different than the last time out.

Keep the Match to 90 Minutes

One of the key storylines heading into the NWSL Championship is the paths each team has taken. While the higher-seeded teams have won each match of the 2024 playoffs, Orlando has won its matches in regulation, while Washington required extra time to beat Bay FC and penalty kicks to get past NJ/NY Gotham FC. As a result, Orlando has played fewer high-stress minutes in recent weeks and comes in on a great run of form. On the other hand, the Spirit are battle tested, knowing the challenges that come from tight matches. Their goals forcing extra time have come late in matches — the 86th minute against Bay, and the third minute of stoppage time against Gotham. To their credit, the Spirit never know when they are beaten, so Orlando will need to be locked in all the way to the final whistle, hoping to avoid the chaos that ensued at the end of the Kansas City match.

Despite looking shaky at the end of the match against the Current, Orlando’s success this season has come about in the opposite manner of the Spirit’s postseason wins. Orlando has done exceedingly well to get the lead and secure the result. The Pride have only dropped points from winning positions twice, losing none. The semifinal match against Kansas City was also their first come-from-behind victory of the year, showcasing how uncommon it was for them to fall behind in an NWSL match in their 18-win season. Should the NWSL Championship go to extra time, it would be uncharted territory for Orlando. With so few elimination matches in their history, very few players on the roster would have any experience with extra time. The Orlando Pride as a club only participated in their first-ever (then their second and third) penalty shootout in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, winning one of three shootouts. In the end, Orlando will be in a much better position if it can keep this game to 90 minutes.

Marta Magic

The Orlando Pride have four players on the NWSL Best XI first and second teams, but no player is more easily recognized in purple than 38-year-old Marta, the GOAT. While she has been with the Pride since 2017, this campaign (11 goals, 1 assist) has been her most productive since 2017, her first in Orlando (13 goals, 6 assists). The 2017 season was also the last time that Orlando made the playoffs. In 2024, Marta has scored two postseason goals so far, including a magical game winner against the Current. Orlando’s success is inexorably linked to the performances of its best-ever player. Yet, as hard as it is to imagine, the NWSL Championship will be the last match of her existing contract with the Pride, and win or lose, this could be farewell, at least for now. 

On the pitch, Marta will be a focal point for the Orlando attack against the Washington Spirit. While Washington’s Best XI defenders Krueger and Tara McKeown attempt to slow down Barbra Banda and Ally Watt, Marta is likely to drop deep and connect the play. Her precision passing and driving runs in recent matches have contributed mightily to an attack that has now scored 10 goals in the past three matches — three by Marta herself. Beyond these traits, Marta will also be a pitch general for the Pride in this final match, directing traffic and keeping the team locked in and organized. Earlier this year, Marta announced her retirement from international soccer with Brazil and took home the silver medal in the Summer Olympics. Expect Marta to leave it all on the pitch on Saturday, and if it were to be her last match for the Pride, it would be incredible to leave with an NWSL Championship.

Saturday night the NWSL Champions will be crowned. Could one of these keys to victory make the critical difference? Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando Pride Center Back Emily Sams Named 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year

Pride center back Emily Sams adds another honor to her trophy case after being named the NWSL Defender of the Year.

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1 day ago

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November 21, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

The National Women’s Soccer League announced this evening that Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams has been named the 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year. She’s the first player in club history to win the award. It was the second major NWSL award won by the Pride after Seb Hines was named the league’s Coach of the Year on Tuesday.

Sams played center back during her 2023 rookie season, but moved to right back at the beginning of this year. Brazilian international Rafaelle’s injury trouble forced Sams back to her natural position where she partnered Kylie Strom, forming arguably the best center back partnership in the league. Together with goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse and the rest of the back line, the Pride conceded a league-best 20 goals while tying the league records for most shutouts in a season (13) and setting a new mark for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (554).

Individually, Sams was second in the league with 163 recoveries, and she led the Pride with 108 possessions in the defensive third, 76 clearances, and 16 blocks. Additionally, her 88.18% passing accuracy led all Pride defenders.

Including the playoffs, Sams has played in 27 games this season with 26 starts and recorded 2,365 minutes. She’s recorded 25 tackles and 28 interceptions, winning 30 headed duels and 47% of her tackles. She’s also contributed offensively with a goal and three assists, including assisting Barbra Banda’s first goal in the NWSL quarterfinals against the Chicago Red Stars.

The center back was named to the league’s monthly Best XI three times this year — in May, September, and October/November — and was named to the league’s end-of-the-year Best XI.

The Boise, ID, native played three seasons over five years at Florida State before signing with Racing Louisville’s W League team for the 2022 season. She decided to forgo her senior year at Florida State, signing with the NWSL instead on Aug. 31, 2022. The league loaned her to Swedish club BK Hacken for the remainder of the 2022 season, enabling her to enter the 2023 NWSL Draft. The Pride selected Sams with the third overall pick and she immediately became a key player on the team’s back line.

She was paired with veteran Megan Montefusco at the beginning of her rookie season and Brazilian international Rafaelle after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sams played 22 regular-season games last year, recording 1,977 minutes, 19 interceptions, and 17 tackles. She won 61% of her tackles and 33 headed duels.

Despite not having any caps, Sams was selected by new USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes to compete for the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, earning a gold medal. Her first appearance for the national side came on Oct. 24 when she started against Iceland in Nashville, TN.

Preliminary voting for the NWSL Defender of the Year award included league owners, general managers, coaches, players, and media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media with the winner announced this evening. Strom, San Diego Wave FC center back Naomi Girma, North Carolina Courage center back Kaleigh Kurtz, and Washington Spirit center back Tara McKeown were the other finalists.

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Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines Named NWSL Coach of the Year

After a record-breaking regular season, Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year.

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4 days ago

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November 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The National Women’s Soccer League announced this afternoon that Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines had been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year. It’s the first time in the club’s history that a coach has won the award.

In his second year as permanent head coach, Hines led the Pride to a record-breaking season that saw them finish 18-2-6, winning the NWSL Shield. They finished third in the league with 46 goals scored and tied with NJ/NY Gotham FC for a league-best 20 goals conceded. They set five league records this year, including most points in a season (60), most wins in a season (18), longest winning streak (8), longest shutout streak (554 minutes), and longest single-season unbeaten run (23 games). The Pride also tied the league record for clean sheets in a season (13). Dating back to last season’s finale, the club went 24 matches without a loss under Hines. Orlando also drew all three Summer Cup matches this season, giving the Pride 26 matches without a loss in all competitions under Hines in 2023 and 27 games overall dating back to last year. Orlando’s 2.31 points per game in 2024 is second in league history behind the 2018 North Carolina Courage, who had 2.4 points per game. 

The 2024 season caps a rebuild that started following the 2021 NWSL season when the Pride traded away several star players. They hired Amanda Cromwell as head coach for the 2022 season, but she and assistant Sam Greene were suspended and eventually fired for retaliatory behavior. Assistants Michelle Akers and Aline Villares Reis left their positions following the suspensions, leaving Hines as the club’s only option as head coach.

The controversy turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Hines finished the season strong as interim coach, taking the team to a 3-7-5 mark in the final 15 games, which included a seven-game unbeaten run (3-0-4). His performance down the stretch was enough to earn the permanent role. The Pride elevated Hines from interim coach to head coach on Nov. 11, 2022.

In his first year as the club’s permanent head coach, Hines nearly led the Pride to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and second in club history last year, missing out on the goal difference tiebreaker on the final match day of the 2023 campaign. This year, the team came back with the goal of making the postseason and soon became the best team in the league, going the full season without a single home loss in any competition.

Since taking over in June 2022, Hines has become the Pride’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 31-30-12 in league play. His 1.67 points per game and .492 winning percentage also top all previous Pride coaches.

Despite a turnaround that saw the Pride go from one of the worst teams in the league to narrowly missing out on the playoffs, Hines wasn’t a finalist for coach of the year in 2023. It was an easy choice this year as he led the team to its best-ever season and the first trophy in team history.

The team’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars on Nov. 8 was the first playoff win in club history and the Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 Sunday afternoon to secure their spot in the 2024 NWSL Championship, which will be in Kansas City on Saturday night.

The NWSL Coach of the Year Award began with a preliminary round voted on by owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media. The finalists were then voted on by fans, owners, general managers, coaches, players, and the media to determine the winner. The other finalists were Current Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski and Gotham Head Coach Juan Carlos Amoros, last year’s winner.

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