ORLANDO, Fla. (June 18, 2022) — Orlando Pride (2-4-2, 8 points) is set to face off against Portland Thorns FC (3-1-4, 13 points) on Sunday, June 19, at 3 p.m. ET at Providence Park. The match is set to be streamed on Paramount+ in the U.S. and internationally on Twitch.
“It’s something to build on from Sunday against Chicago. I think we built a foundation,” said Assistant Coach Seb Hines. “We looked harder to beat, which was our objective going into the game, not giving away too many spaces between the lines. Definitely something to build on because we ended the second half well. We created more opportunities to score. If it fell another way or had a little bit more desire to get into the box then those opportunities turn into goal scoring opportunities. That is ultimately what we are looking for going into Portland.”
Sunday’s fixture will mark the first of the two matches in the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season between the two sides. This will also serve as the third and final road game in the month of June for the Pride.
In the first match against the Thorns during the 2021 NWSL regular season, the Pride came away with a 2-1 victory at Exploria Stadium thanks to goals from Alex Morgan and Sydney Leroux on May 26. The two sides met again on July 18 at Providence Park where the Thorns pulled out a 2-1 victory. In the third and final matchup of the season, the two sides returned to Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw.
The Pride enter the weekend after dropping a 1-0 result at SeatGeek Stadium against the Chicago Red Stars. The game saw Assistant Coach Seb Hines make his professional debut, serving as the acting head coach for the Pride. Midfielder Thais Reiss also made her professional debut coming on as a substitute in the 82nd minute after signing with the Club last week.
The Thorns are coming off a convincing 4-0 road victory over the Houston Dash over the weekend. Forward Sophia Smith netted a brace for the Thorns and midfielder Olivia Moultrie scored her first career regular season goal, becoming the youngest player in NWSL history to score at 16 years old.
Portland is currently riding a four-game unbeaten streak dating back to May 28. During the stretch the Thorns have scored at least two goals in every match and have recorded a clean sheet in two of the four.
Following Sunday’s contest, the Pride and the rest of the NWSL will take a week off from play. The team returns to action on July 3, squaring off against Racing Louisville at Daytona International Speedway as part of DAYTONA SoccerFest. Kickoff for the match is set for 8 p.m. ET and is set to be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network, with tickets available at daytonasoccerfest.com.
