ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 11, 2018) – Orlando Pride (8-7-6, 30 points) lost 2-0 to Portland Thorns FC (9-6-5, 32 points) on Saturday at Orlando City Stadium.
With three regular-season games remaining, Orlando holds the fourth and final NWSL playoff spot, two points behind third-place Portland and one above fifth-place Chicago.
“We started out terrific first 15, 20 minutes, probably searching into the first 30 minutes. I thought we dictated the game, the tempo was good, our attacking was good, movement was good. But then we don’t score. You dominate and dominate in games and you don’t score,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “And then second half it looked like we put a different team out on the park. Same bodies, but a different team out on the field in the second half and the game was over within seven minutes.”
Sermanni rolled out a starting XI with captain Ashlyn Harris in goal and Ali Krieger, Alanna Kennedy and Toni Pressley on defense. Shelina Zadorsky, Dani Weatherholt and Emily van Egmond started in the midfield with Chioma Ubogagu and Kristen Edmonds as wingbacks. Marta and Alex Morgan started up top.
The match was closely contested through the first half but Portland broke through two minutes into the second half when Lindsey Horan knocked in a loose ball following a Thorns cross after a short corner.
Hayley Raso made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute.
Orlando inserted Camila for Ubogagu in the 59th minute, Rachel Hill for Edmonds in the 68th, and Carson Pickett for Pressley in the 80th.
The Pride had several good looks at goal late in the second half. In the 63rd minute, Marta drove a hard cross through the box for van Egmond, who chested it on goal and forced a diving save from Thorns goalkeeper Adrianna Franch. Franch also tipped Marta’s hard shot from distance over the bar in the 89th.
Orlando visits the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed live on NWSLsoccer.com. The Pride will play their regular-season home finale against the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, Aug. 25, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are available at orlando-pride.com/tickets or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
NWSL Match Report
Match: Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns FC
Date: August 11, 2018
Venue: Orlando City Stadium
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Attendance: 6,012
Weather: Clear, Humid
Scoring Summary:
POR - Lindsey Horan (Tobin Heath) 47’
POR - Hayley Raso (Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic) 53’
Lineups:
Orlando Pride: Ashlyn Harris ©; Ali Krieger, Alanna Kennedy, Toni Pressley (Carson Pickett 80’); Shelina Zadorsky, Kristen Edmonds (Rachel Hill 68’), Dani Weatherholt, Emily van Egmond, Chioma Ubogagu (Camila 59’); Alex Morgan, Marta
Substitutes Not Used: Haley Kopmeyer; Monica; Christine Nairn; Danica Evans
Portland Thorns FC: Adrianna Franch; Ellie Carpenter (Midge Purce 76’), Emily Sonnett, Emily Menges, Meghan Klingenberg; Lindsey Horan, Celeste Bourielle, Christine Sinclair ©; Hayley Raso (Andressinha 87’), Ana Crnogorcevic (Caitlin Foord 55’), Tobin Heath
Substitutes Not Used: Britt Eckerstrom; Elizabeth Ball; Mallory Weber, Tyler Lussi
Stats Summary: ORL / POR
Possession: 39.7% / 60.3%
Shots: 13 / 17
Shots on Goal: 6 / 3
Saves: 1 / 6
Corner Kicks: 9 / 8
Fouls: 8 / 7
Offsides: 4 / 1
Misconduct Summary:
POR - Christine Sinclair (Yellow Card) 27’
ORL - Marta (Yellow Card) 73’
Officials:
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Osterhouse
Assistant Referee 2: Trent VanHaitsma
Fourth Official: Erika Barahona
