BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (May 2, 2018) – Orlando Pride (2-2-2, 8 points) recorded its second shutout of the season en route to a 2-0 midweek win at the Chicago Red Stars (2-2-3, 9 points) on Wednesday night. In the first match of a three-game road trip, goals from Chioma Ubogagu and Rachel Hill led Orlando to its first ever victory against the Red Stars. The Pride are now unbeaten in their last three contests.
“I’m delighted with the result. We knew coming here was always a very tough game. We’ve never won here,” Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “Obviously never had a clean sheet, so great result for us. I thought we started a little bit slowly but Chicago were in the ascendency for the first 25, 30 minutes. But I felt that after we scored and we settled down, I felt that we eliminated their opportunities and were committed to the game a little bit more. A great performance away from home.”
The Pride scored on both sides of the half, with Ubogagu putting in her team-leading third goal of the season in the 28th minute. The forward intercepted a pass at midfield and, after fighting off a defender, played a quick combination with Sydney Leroux, eventually leading to Leroux laying the ball off at the top of the box. Ubogagu used her favored left foot, placing the ball inside the left goal post of Alyssa Naeher for the lead.
Despite a weather delay just five minutes into the second half, 70th minute substitute Hill made her presence known 11 minutes into her match debut, dancing around Naeher to put the Pride up 2-0 in the 81st minute. After Ali Krieger picked off a ball in the midfield, Kristen Edmonds found Emily van Egmond open to the right. Van Egmond picked up her first assist in purple, sending a perfectly weighted through ball to Hill.
In posting the clean sheet, the Pride defense also held the Red Stars without a regular season home goal for the first time since Aug. 23, 2015. Ashlyn Harris finished the night with one save.
The Pride, who currently sit in fourth place after six games, will remain on the road for their next two matches. Following a bye weekend this week, Orlando returns to action in seven days, traveling to face expansion side Utah Royals FC in a rematch of the Pride’s 2018 home opener. The May 9th game kicks off at 9 p.m. ET at Rio Tinto Stadium.
NWSL Match Report
Match: Chicago Red Stars vs. Orlando Pride
Date: May 2, 2018
Venue: Toyota Park
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
Attendance: 2,027
Weather: Overcast
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Chioma Ubogagu (Sydney Leroux) 28’
ORL - Rachel Hill (Emily van Egmond) 81’
Lineups:
Orlando Pride: Ashlyn Harris ©; Ali Krieger, Monica, Shelina Zadorsky, Toni Pressley; Emily van Egmond, Alanna Kennedy, Dani Weatherholt; Sydney Leroux (Rachel Hill 70’), Marta (Kristen Edmonds 76’), Chioma Ubogagu (Poliana 84’)
Substitutes Not Used: Haley Kopmeyer; Toni Pressley; Christine Nairn; Alex Morgan
Chicago Red Stars: Alyssa Naeher (c); Taylor Comeau, Sam Johnson, Katie Naughton, Sarah Gorden; Nikki Stanton (Yuki Nagasato 81’), Danielle Colaprico, Sofia Huerta; Alyssa Mautz (Lauren Kaskie 70’), Arin Gilliland (Michele Vasconcelos 76’), Sam Kerr
Substitutes Not Used: Emily Boyd; Summer Green
Stats Summary: CHI / ORL
Possession: 50.9 / 49.1 %
Shots: 7 / 8
Shots on Goal: 1 / 6
Saves: 4 / 1
Corner Kicks: 5 / 5
Fouls: 7 / 10
Offside: 6 / 7
Misconduct Summary:
CHI - Taylor Comeau (Yellow Card) 87’
Officials:
Referee: Greg Dopka
Assistant Referee 1: Maggie Short
Assistant Referee 2: Jeffrey Skinker
Fourth Official: Landon Albert
