HARRISON, N.J. (Sept. 29, 2019) - Orlando Pride (4-15-3, 15 points) earned a point in its final road match of the 2019 season, drawing Sky Blue FC (5-13-5, 20 points) 1-1 at Red Bull Arena on Sunday morning. Shelina Zadorsky scored her first professional goal in the match, while Sydney Leroux made her first appearance of the 2019 season - just three months after giving birth.
The match in Harrison also marked the 100th NWSL appearance for Kristen Edmonds, a New Jersey native.
Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner:
“I’m proud of the way the girls fought today. We simplified the message. I asked them to trust the training process and go on and show teams who we’re going to be next year. We see this in training all of the time, and unfortunately, you just don’t see it in games. They were just being brave in possession. We have the ability to do that...If you look at it, we were dominant first half. I don’t think we gave Sky Blue a chance to come into the game. But, we just weren’t consistent [second half], whether that’s fitness or focus, so we have to be better at that. I think then you’ll see a more consistent team.”
Scoring Recap:
18’ Shelina Zadorsky (Ali Krieger) - ORL 1, NJ 0
After building pressure early in the match, the Pride eventually found the breakthrough in the 18th minute off the foot of Shelina Zadorsky - the defender’s first professional goal. Zadorsky got on the end of a curling Claire Emslie free kick that was directed by Ali Krieger, slamming the ball home at the far post.
88’ Carli Lloyd (Sarah Killion) - ORL 1, NJ 1
The home side leveled things late in the match, after Carli Lloyd connected on a corner kick, heading the ball in for the equalizer.
Match Notes:
- Pride defender Kristen Edmonds earned her 100th NWSL appearance with a start on Sunday morning. The match marked Edmonds’ 67th played as a member of the Pride.
- The 18th minute goal from Shelina Zadorsky marked the first NWSL goal for the Canadian defender. Zadorsky also has three assists on her resume, two of those coming while a member of the Pride.
- Forward Sydney Leroux made her first appearance of the season for the Pride, coming into the match in the 86th minute. Leroux returned to play just three months after giving birth to her second child, Roux, at the end of June.
- Marta made her first appearance for the Pride since August 24 against the Washington Spirit, missing the previous three matches due to injury.
- Sunday’s match was originally scheduled to be played at 1 p.m. at Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University, but was moved to Red Bull Arena to accommodate a larger crowd.
Next Match: The Pride will close the 2019 season with their two final matches at Exploria Stadium, first hosting the Washington Spirit on Saturday, Oct. 5 in a rescheduled match that kicks off at 5 p.m. ET. Orlando closes the campaign on Oct. 12, hosting Reign FC in a 7:30 p.m. kick. That match will be the Club’s first-ever Breast Cancer Awareness match.
