ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 30, 2022) - Orlando Pride (5-9-7, 22 points) ends the 2022 season on Saturday night, heading to Lumen Field to battle the OL Reign (10-4-7, 37 points). Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET with the match available to stream exclusively on Twitch.
“[It’ll be] a competitive game. We know what to expect with the way that [the Reign] play, we experienced it not long ago at our own stadium,” Interim Head Coach Seb Hines said. “It’ll be a tough game, another challenge for us and something that we can build from from our last game with San Diego. We want to continue to play the way that we want to play and there’s no better way to do it than at Seattle.
In the first matchup between the two sides, the OL Reign visited Exploria Stadium and needed two second-half goals, including a game-winner in the 92nd minute to beat the Pride, 2-1. The lone goal for the Pride was scored by Meggie Dougherty Howard who struck the ball from outside the box, marking the first regular season goal scored by the Pride that came outside the 18-yard box. The loss also snapped a seven consecutive unbeaten streak, which finished tied for the second longest in Club history.
The Pride are coming off a 2-2 draw with the San Diego Wave, in what served as the Pride’s final home match of the 2022 campaign. Orlando jumped out to a 2-0 lead courtesy of finishes from Dougherty Howard and Gunny Jónsdóttir. Dougherty Howard’s finish accounted for her team-leading third goal of the regular season while Jónsdóttir’s goal was her second of the regular season, and her fourth across all competitions. With the result, the Pride finished unbeaten against both 2022 expansion teams this season, holding a combined 2-0-2 record against the San Diego Wave and Angel City FC.
OL Reign defeated the Houston Dash, 2-0, in their last matchup and were able to clinch a playoff spot in the 2022 NWSL playoffs. Reign were backed by goals from Bethany Balcer in the first half and Veronica Latsko in the second half. Balcer has six goals this season, which is tied for first on the team with forward Megan Rapinoe. Latsko netted her first goal while donning the Reign kit.
Saturday’s game will conclude the 2022 season for the Pride as they were eliminated from playoff contention, however the Reign will be eager to secure all three points with the potential for the NWSL Shield still within reach.
