ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 24, 2022) - Orlando Pride (5-9-6, 21 points) is set to welcome San Diego Wave FC (10-6-4, 34 points) to Exploria Stadium on Sunday night, which will serve as the team’s final home game of the 2022 NWSL season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with the match available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. and internationally on Twitch.
Sunday’s match, presented by Publix, will mark Fan Appreciation Night with a t-shirt gate giveaway, 50% off Nike items in The Den, as well as plenty of other giveaways. There will also be posters placed around the stadium for all attending fans to grab and get signed after the game by Pride players and coaches.
In the inaugural matchup between the two clubs, the Pride walked out of Torero Stadium with a 1-0 victory back on August 13. Orlando found the back of the net courtesy of a Meggie Dougherty Howard penalty kick in the 23rd minute of the match. Goalkeeper Erin McLeod also made six saves on the night, including a few vital ones late in the match to earn all three points. The match saw midfielder Erika Tymrak make her 150th NWSL regular-season appearance, becoming just the 11th player in NWSL history to accomplish the achievement.
The Pride last fell 3-0 to the North Carolina Courage at Exploria Stadium on Wednesday night. The match saw forward Haley Bugeja make her NWSL and Orlando Pride debut when she entered the match in the 71st minute as a second-half substitute. With the appearance, the 18-year-old became the fourth youngest player to ever appear in an NWSL match. However, the loss eliminated the Pride from postseason contention.
The Wave are coming off a 1-0 victory against their Southern California rival, Angel City FC, in front of a sold-out crowd of 32,000 in the opening of the new Snapdragon Stadium. The match marked the largest crowd to ever attend an NWSL match in the league’s 10 years of existence. The lone goal of the match was scored by 17-year-old Jaedyn Shaw, which served as her third goal of the season in just three appearances.
At Sunday’s match, fans can also get their hands on “The Futures Collection”, which will be available for purchase at The Den. The Pride and goalkeeper Erin McLeod unveiled “The Futures Collection”, a clothing line driven and designed by the Pride goalkeeper, last week. In a first-of-its-kind collaboration between an NWSL team and a player, the collection is made from upcycled scrap materials, eliminating the need for fabric milling and reducing the climate impact from production. A portion of the proceeds from each item sold will be donated to the Zebra Coalition, an Orlando-based non-profit that aids LGBTQ+ youth facing homelessness, bullying and much more.
Following Sunday’s match, the Pride will close out the 2022 season and head to Lumen Field to take on the OL Reign on Saturday, Oct. 1. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET.
