ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Pride are making a habit of beating NWSL teams at the top of the table with a 1-0 win against OL Reign Friday night at Exploria Stadium.
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Minus Marta and Adriana, who are out for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Pride played an aggressive, pressing offense to score early and hold on for a win.
OL Reign started quickly on the attack and their first and best opportunity of the game came in the opening minute.
The Reign’s Elyse Bennett received a pass inside the Prides box and, from a tight angle, tried to shoot the ball to the far post, but was saved by Anna Moorhouse.
After a first minute threat, the Pride controlled most of the first half, with the midfielders maintaining possession and finding escape routes out of tight spaces.
The Pride’s first chance came off a corner kick early in the game. Erika Tymrak sent the ball into the box and, as a Reign defender tried to clear with a header, almost put the ball in the goal, but the ball came off the post and back out of the box and cleared by a Reign defender.
In the 16-minute, Tymrak started a transition with a pass to Kerry Abello, who was able to find Julie Doyle running up the outside.
Doyle took the Reign defender towards the end line and cut back for a cross in the box to find Messiah Bright in full stride to head the ball past the Reign goalkeeper, Pride up 1-0.
The Pride had multiple changes throughout the game, with 16 total shots on goal for the night.
The most promising came in the 85-minute when Bright was able to dribble between two defenders, aimed for the near post and off the side netting.
For the rest of the evening, with the threat and speed of Bright, Doyle, Tymrak and 62-minute substitute Ally Watt up top, possession by the midfield and the defense able to eliminate any potential threats in the Pride’s defensive third, the Pride kept a clean sheet and picked up back-to-back wins against another top table teams.
The Pride have extended time off and will return to Exploria Stadium on July 23 to make up a Challenge Cup game with NJ/NY Gotham FC, postponed from June due to weather and travel difficulties out of the northeast.
Next Match:
When: July 23 at 7 p.m.
Where: Exploria Stadium, Orlando
Tickets: https://www.orlandocitysc.com/pride/tickets/
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