TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 13, 2021) — Orlando Pride picked up its first win of its 2021 preseason, presented by Orlando Health, on Saturday afternoon, defeating NCAA powerhouse Florida State University 2-1 in Tallahassee. The team will see a quick turnaround, hosting Division II side Flagler College tomorrow, Sunday, March 14, in Orlando.
It took only a three-minute span for the Pride to lock up the win, with Marta playing a role in both of the team’s scores. First, the Brazilian forward found Alex Morgan in the box off a corner in the 37th minute, with the U.S. striker heading the ball home for the opening goal. Then, in the 40th minute, Marta was the one to capitalize after Marisa Viggiano rolled the ball back inside the box.
FSU got one back late in the match to end the shutout bid.
Like their previous match against Kansas City, the Pride had a number of strong scoring opportunities throughout the 90 minutes of play. Forward Sydney Leroux came knocking multiple times, with two big chances in the first half and another late in the game that nearly made it 3-1. About 10 minutes into the second half, Leroux stripped the ball away from the home side and fed Morgan but her attempt was tipped just over the bar by the Seminoles’ goalkeeper.
Second-year defender Courtney Petersen also had a look in the first half, but her blast from outside of the box ricocheted down off of the crossbar and remained in front of the white line.
All 11 of the Pride’s starters played each of the 90 minutes, with Head Coach Marc Skinner making only one change to his previous lineup, putting captain Ashlyn Harris between the pipes.
Orlando continues building toward April 10, when it opens 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup play at expansion side Racing Louisville. The Pride will host two Challenge Cup matches at Exploria Stadium, both open to a reduced capacity, on April 14 and April 21. Tickets for those matches are available at the link here.
Season ticket memberships and Pick 4 Plans for the regular season can also be purchased here or by calling 855-ORL-CITY.
The complete Pride preseason schedule, presented by Orlando Health, can be found here.
Teams 1 2 F
Orlando Pride 2 0 2
FSU 0 1 1
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Alex Morgan (Marta) 37’
ORL - Marta (Marisa Viggiano) 40’
FSU - Jenna Nighswonger (Ran Iwai) 86’
Orlando Lineup: Ashlyn Harris, Gunny Jónsdóttir, Ali Krieger, Sydney Leroux, Marta, Phoebe McClernon, Jade Moore, Alex Morgan, Courtney Petersen, Ali Riley, Marisa Viggiano
