ORLANDO, Fla. (July 10, 2018) - Three days after its last match the Orlando Pride (7-5-4, 25 points) will begin a two-game road stint that starts with the Houston Dash (4-6-5, 17 points) on Wednesday, July 11. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at BBVA Compass Stadium.
The match will be available for streaming on go90 platforms for U.S-based fans while NWSLSoccer.com will carry the game for international viewers.
“I think our approach has got to be the same [as the last time we played Houston]. The tactics will basically be the same because we think that’s the best way to break them down. [The last game] we think was an anomaly that could have been finished after 25, 30 minutes,” Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “That’s the frustrating, and sometimes wonderful, thing about our sport. What we need to do is produce that same kind of performance but make sure we finish off the chances and win the game.”
Defender Ali Krieger enters Wednesday’s match with 99 NWSL regular season appearances. Should she play in the midweek match, the veteran would become the first Pride player to reach the 100 game milestone and the 18th player to join the league’s elite club.
Orlando is currently riding a Club-record six-game unbeaten streak on the road that began on May 2 with its first ever victory over the Chicago Red Stars. The Pride are 4-0-2 in their last six matches on the road with two victories over the Red Stars and one at each Portland and Washington in that span. Their two draws came at Utah on May 9 and Seattle on June 3 in a pair of scoreless stalemates.
The Pride enter the match fresh off a 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit on Saturday. After conceding a goal in the 26th minute, Orlando rallied to overcome the one goal deficit. Sydney Leroux leveled the match in stoppage time of the first half, assisted by midfielder Alanna Kennedy. In the 86th minute, Marta went one-on-one with her defender, using her crafty footwork to beat her defender and fire the ball into the top corner for the late game-winner.
The match marked the return of Brazilian defender Camila who had been absent since September due to an ACL tear and MCL sprain in her right knee. In addition, the Pride set a Club-record for shots taken in a single match with 31.
Leroux’s five goals this season lead the Pride, with Rachel Hill and Chioma Ubogagu close behind with four. Christine Nairn leads Orlando and is tied for the second in assists in the league with four.
The Houston Dash will return to BBVA Compass Stadium for the first time in over two weeks. Most recently the Dash faced a 3-1 defeat to Seattle Reign FC in which Amber Brooks scored the lone goal for Houston in the 12 minute.
Forward Rachel Daly leads the Dash with four goals. Sofia Huerta has scored five goals in the league this season, three with the Chicago Red Stars and two since joining the Dash. Thembi Kgatlana leads the team with three assists.
This season the two squads have exchanged victories, with the Pride securing all three points in the first match on April 22 and the Dash earning the win on June 27. On Wednesday, the Pride will look to take the series in the third and final matchup between the two clubs this season.
