ORLANDO, Fla. (April 14, 2021) - Orlando Pride (0-1-1, 1 point) fell 1-0 to Gotham FC NJ/NY (1-0-0, 3 points) on Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium. The match marked the first time the side featured in front of its home crowd in 550 days, last doing so on Oct. 12, 2019.
Courtney Petersen marked the only change in Head Coach Marc Skinner’s starting lineup from the side’s opener against Racing Louisville, making her fifth total appearance for the Club across all competitions. The 2020 NWSL College Draft selection was one of four members of the Pride to play every minute for the side at the Fall Series a year ago.
The Pride jumped out to a much faster start on Wednesday, putting pressure on the Gotham backline for most of the match and outshooting the visitors 17-7. Sydney Leroux led the side with seven, while Taylor Kornieck was close behind with five attempts. Ashlyn Harris made two saves, including an early penalty kick stop.
The Pride return home in a week’s time, set to host the Washington Spirit on Wednesday, April 21 at Exploria Stadium. Tickets for the match are available at Orlando-Pride.com or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner:
“Extremely frustrating result. If you don’t take the opportunity to score, there is always an opportunity for the opposition to force an error or to force a focus mistake and obviously they got an opportunity at the end and finished it well. It’s important that we took a step forward in terms of we were better in much more parts of our game. The press was better at times and it was a progression in the right step for a team that’s relatively new at playing together. Difficult result, but I’m happy with more aspects than I was against Louisville.”
Scoring Recap:
79’ Paige Monaghan (Ifeoma Onumonu) - NJ/NY 1, ORL 0
Gotham took the lead late in the match, with Ifeoma Onumonu driving down the right side of the pitch for cutting a ball across the face of goal. Paige Monaghan was there at the back post, tapping it in for the finish.
Match Notes:
- The Pride debuted its 2021 Ad Astra kit on Wednesday night, donning the new home kit at Exploria Stadium for the first time.
- Gotham FC had the chance to take the early lead in the 12 minute from the penalty spot, but Ashlyn Harris was able to stop it to keep the match scoreless at the time.
- The Orlando Pride featured in front of its home crowd for the first time in 550 days, hosting a limited crowd at Exploria Stadium on Wednesday.
- Head Coach Marc Skinner made one change to his starting lineup from Saturday’s Challenge Cup opener, with defender Courtney Petersen getting the start on the night.
Next Match:
The Pride will close out its two-game homestand in the NWSL Challenge Cup, set to take on the Washington Spirit at Exploria Stadium on Wednesday, April 21 with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
NJNY
- Paige Monaghan (Ifeoma Onumonu) 79’
Misconduct Summary:
NJ/NY
- Erica Skroski (Yellow Card) 24’
NJ/NY
- Caprice Dydasco (Yellow Card) 52’
ORL
- Konya Plummer (Yellow Card) 82’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando Pride
- GK Ashlyn Harris ©; D Ali Riley, Phoebe McClernon, Konya Plummer, Ali Krieger; M Courtney Petersen (Erika Tymrak 73’), Marisa Viggiano (Abi Kim 84’), Jade Moore; F Marta, Taylor Kornieck, Sydney Leroux
Substitutes Not Used: GK Brittany Wilson, Gabby English; D Carrie Lawrence, Ally Haran, Toni Pressley; M Chelsee Washington
Gotham FC
- GK Didi Haracic; D Imani Dorsey (Sabrina Flores 77’), Mandy Freeman, Gina Lewandowski, Erica Skroski (Caprice Dydasco 46’); M Jennifer Cudjoe, Nahomi Kawasumi (Taylor Almer 77’), So-Dam Lee (Domi Richardson 67’), Nicole Baxter (Elizabeth Eddy 67’), Paige Monaghan; F Ifeoma Onumonu
Substitutes Not Used: GK Mandy McGlynn; M Claire Winter
Details of the Game:
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: April 14, 2021
Attendance: 958
Stats Summary:
ORL / NJ/NY
Possession: 39.5% / 60.5%
Shots: 17 / 7
Shots on Goal: 7 / 3
Saves: 2 / 7
Corner Kicks: 5 / 2
Fouls: 13 / 11
Offside: 0 / 4
Officials:
REF: Natalie Simon
AR1: Ashlee Varnson
AR2: Melissa Beck
4TH: Alex Billeter
