ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2019) - Orlando Pride (4-12-2, 14 points) travels to face Reign FC (7-5-6, 27 points) on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Cheney Stadium. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET with the match available to stream domestically on Yahoo! Sports and internationally through ESPN’s platforms.
“Tacoma is a tough place to come and get a result; we have to make sure we perform well because of adaptation to the pitch,” Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner said. “So we’re going to have to make sure that we account for that and we were going to look to put in a really strong performance to take points at a difficult venue.”
The Pride will return to the field following a week off from match play due to the postponement of last Saturday’s match against Washington due to Hurricane Dorian. Their last match resulted in a 2-1 loss at Washington on Aug. 24 in front of a record crowd of 19,741 at Audi Field. Crystal Thomas opened the scoring for Washington in the ninth minute, with Marta answering in the 31st for the Pride to level the two sides going into the half. Ashley Hatch scored the eventual game-winner for the Spirit in the 59th minute.
Marta leads the Pride with five finishes this season but will be unavailable for Saturday’s match due to injury. Rachel Hill and Joanna Boyles sit tied for the team lead in assists, each with two in 2019.
The Reign enter Saturday’s match also coming off a week removed from match play, having fallen 1-0 at North Carolina in their last outing on Aug. 24. Lynn Williams scored the game-winner late for the Courage in the 82nd minute to secure all three points for the home side.
Bethany Balcer sits tied for the team lead for Reign FC with Jessica Fishlock, who is out for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury, with three finishes this season, followed by Shea Groom, Jodie Taylor and Rosie White each with two. Allie Long leads Saturday’s opposition with two assists in 2019.
Saturday’s match will serve as the second between the two sides this season and the final at Cheney Stadium, with the two battling to a 1-1 draw in the Pride’s first visit to Tacoma earlier this season. Defender Alanna Kennedy scored the Pride’s lone goal in that match, a highlight reel bicycle kick goal. The Reign will travel to Orlando for the last weekend of the regular-season, set to face the Pride on Saturday, Oct. 12 at Exploria Stadium.
Following Saturday’s contest, the Pride will return home to host the Chicago Red Stars in a midweek matchup on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET with the match set to be nationally televised on ESPNews.
